Who You Work With Matters

What I offer is simple: • Knowledge • Service • Results.

With over 30 years of dedicated real estate sales experience in the Greater Boston area, let me guide you through the process of a purchase or sale. With a keen understanding of the market, market trends, and the promotion of properties, I have represented both sellers and buyers in hundreds of successful transactions. I guide sellers in evaluating their home’s worth and in negotiating a sale. With a team of experts, we prepare properties for market and skillfully promote them. The same expertise is marshalled to inform buyers in the evaluation of opportunities in varying communities. Every transaction is different, which keeps my job interesting and has allowed me to develop tools for dealing with the nuances of each situation that may arise. These skill sets ensure a smooth and stress free process.

When I’m not meeting with clients, preparing homes for market, editing marketing materials, showing houses, negotiating sales, meeting home and fire inspectors, and attending closings, I start my day with a 3-mile sunrise hike with Mookie, my purebred mutt, and other friends both human and canine. In addition to running up and down stairs showing houses, CrossFit, bicycling, and golf keep me fit. I have a passion for my community and have served on a variety of elected and appointed boards. Maintaining a community garden and visiting people in hospitals and schools with Mookie, who is now a trained therapy dog, gives me pleasure. I learned from my parents that being of service is a way of life. So, I show up and give of my time and resources. What I get back in return is immeasurable.

In the era of Zoom my husband and I are able to stay connected to our children and grandchildren coast to coast.

Real Estate Experience

• 30+ years of experience selling residential real estate
• Licensed Massachusetts broker since 1979
• Boston Office of Sotheby Parke Bernet International Realty, servicing New England Territory, 1980-1983
• Established Hope McDermott Real Estate 1984
• Leader of high-end property sales in Dedham’s Precinct 1 and surrounding communities
• Buyer/Relocation network includes greater Boston, New England and the US, Europe, and South America
• Buyer/Seller MLS (Multiple Listing Service) agent

Community Service

• Member of Pets and People therapy dog service 2019 - present
• Elected Representative to the Dedham Town Meeting 1990 – present
• Member of Board, Mother Brook Arts and Community Center 2015 – 2017
• Speaker, Harvard Business School International Students Program 2010, 2011 (lecture on entrepreneurship)
• President of the Board, Family Service of Norfolk County 1998 – 2001
• Member of Advisory Board of Managers, Chickering Foundation 1998 – present
• President of the Board, Chickering Foundation 2008 – 2010
• Supporter, Dedham Civic Pride, Garden Sponsor 2006 – present
• Volunteer, Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center 2006 – 2012
• President of Parliamentary Law Club 2022-2024 and current member

My commitment to you is to provide exceptional service with exceptional results. I have over 25 years of full time service as a broker based in Dedham. With professionalism, integrity, and knowledge, I have worked with both buyers and sellers throughout the Greater Boston area to achieve smooth and stress-free transactions. Regardless of whether you are moving up, scaling down, or looking for your first home; I am here to help.

Prior to my career in real estate, I had 12 years of experience in design, decoration, and staging for residential and commercial properties. Major installations included those for commercial enterprises like Gucci, Donna Karen, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Valentino, and for charitable events for the Boston Ballet, Dana Farber, and The Ritz Carlton Hotel. Those years in the design field gave me the foundation to provide excellent guidance in staging and preparing your home to show and sell at its best advantage for the highest sale price. With the popularity of home improvement shows and HGTV, buyers’ expectations for perfection have never been higher. Let me put this knowledge to work for you!

I am an independent broker affiliated with Hope McDermott Real Estate. Founded in 1984, the firm has a long-standing status as a market leader by building a large following of satisfied customers. Similarly, my success and repeat referrals stem from my unwavering commitment to integrity, excellence in service, and genuine care and respect for my clients. These values, combined with my extensive knowledge of the real estate market, provide my clients with a great sense of comfort, trust, and ultimately a positive and satisfying sales experience.

My volunteer work includes six years as an elected Dedham Town Meeting member and service with AIDS Action Committee. In my spare time, I enjoy long walks with my 8 year old Wheaton Terrier, Lou, on Wilson Mountain and along the beaches in southern Maine. I am a long time collector of decorative art and artifacts.

I am proud to be a part of Hope McDermott Real Estate, a leader in high-end sales of distinctive properties in Dedham and the Greater Boston area. I have a background in professional event planning and a deep-rooted love for community, bringing a unique combination of organization, attention to detail, and client-focused service to my real estate career.

Originally from Michigan, I moved east for my education, attending The Hotchkiss School before earning a degree in English Literature from Trinity College. I then spent several years in New York City as a professional event planner for The Council on Foreign Relations and Everlands, a company acquiring and marketing access to numerous high-end, one-of-a-kind adventure properties around the globe. During these years, I honed my skills in staging, coordinating, and executing special experiences for clients. My ability to listen, anticipate needs, and deliver results was essential and translates seamlessly into my role in the real estate industry, where I help clients navigate important decisions and outcomes with confidence.

My husband, Chris, and I moved to Dedham over 15 years ago to raise our three children. Drawn to the area’s exceptional schools, quality of life and vibrant community, I’ve always immersed myself and given back. Currently I am coaching my youngest daughter’s town field hockey team and for years have been active volunteering in my children’s schools — St. Paul’s Nursery School, Dedham Country Day School, and now Milton Academy. I am also an avid racquets player and serve as the racquets co-chair at the Dedham Country and Polo Club and as membership chair at the Dedham Tennis Club, a beloved neighborhood institution.

My commitment to fostering connections extends well beyond the court — I thrive on bringing people together and creating a strong sense of community. And I understand the value of finding a home and a place that feels truly special. Whether buying, selling, or simply seeking insights into the local market, I am dedicated to guiding clients through their real estate journey with expertise, integrity, and a personal touch.

I graduated from Boston College Carroll School of Management with a double major in Finance and Marketing and am passionate about pursuing a career in real estate as it combines many of my personal interests into one job. It’s gratifying to work in an industry where I’m helping clients fulfill their dreams and that positively impacts their personal lives. Buying or selling a home is a life changing experience and playing a part in that role is what keeps me motivated.

Joining Hope McDermott Real Estate has been a fantastic opportunity for me to mold a strong foundation in the real estate industry. I’m looking forward to building a long career through my dedicated work ethic, utmost integrity, and commitment to my clients.

My prior work experience was at Turner Construction Company in their finance department, learning the ins and outs of commercial construction in the Greater Boston area. I worked on multiple projects including the new Wellesley College Science Center as well as a new inpatient building at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

My volunteer work includes Haley House soup kitchen in Boston where I cooked meals monthly for men and women in need. I was also in Boston College’s PULSE program, where I mentored and tutored boys at The Nativity Prep School in Jamaica Plain every week. Being involved is important to me and I am constantly looking to explore new ways in which I can give back to my community.

Family means a lot to me. I enjoy spending time with my sisters Claire and Caroline and my brother Quinn. In my spare time, I love to play golf and basketball as well as oil painting. Summers were spent working on the Cape, on lake Winnipesaukee at Camp Belknap, or playing football, basketball and baseball for my town and schools: St. John’s School, Roxbury Latin, and Boston College.

Along with an undergraduate degree from UMASS Amherst in Economics and an MBA from Simmons School of Management I bring to Hope McDermott Real Estate 30+ years of advertising publishing sales experience for brands ranging from Food & Wine, REAL SIMPLE, Martha Stewart Living and Travel + Leisure to SmartMoney, Rolling Stone and beyond. My sister, Alexandra Shumway, (who also joins Hope's team), and I have been known as "the sisters" in the Boston advertising scene for decades. You can trust my uncanny ability of looking like someone you know, coupled with smarts, business acumen, and a little bit of humor to help you with your real estate needs.

Milton has been home for the past 20 years, for me, my husband, Chris, and our three children. Luke heads for college in NYC this year, Mac is a current Sophomore at Milton High School, and Annie is a rising 7th grader at Pierce Middle School. We are a proud Milton public school family who loves, loves, loves Tucker Elementary School, Pierce Middle School and Milton High School. I have supported our schools in a variety of capacities, by serving on committees and by fundraising, (apologies if you've been on an email list of mine, seeking donations!).

I am the quintessential renaissance woman with a big picture attitude and vision combined with attention to details. Among my creative interests, I am an avid cook catering friends’ events. I love to entertain and host an annual game night party that has become legendary. Alex and I started a podcast called “Total Sidebar” about 3 women who stay on track by getting off topic, as well as a local cable show “Gala Girls”. Finally, community is key for us and we try to make the most of our time together, along with family, friends and neighbors.

I bring to Hope McDermott Real Estate over 25 years of managing media sales in New England in the publishing industry, including major national brands ranging from PEOPLE, Entertainment Weekly, and InStyle Magazine to The Wall Street Journal, Town & Country, and The New York Times. My sister, Jennifer Palmer, (who also joins Hope's team), and I have been known in the Boston ad market as the “dynamic duo”. I infuse high energy, humor, and creativity into everything I do and will apply these qualities, along with my sales expertise, to real estate brokerage.

As clients of Hope McDermott Real Estate twice over, (my husband, Andy, and I bought AND sold a house with Hope!), I've been able to experience firsthand the exceptional quality of this firm and know this is the perfect fit. Having lived in Dedham for 21 years, I've come to know this and other nearby communities inside and out. We have lived in two houses in Precinct 1 where I serve as the unofficial mayor of the “Sprillow” neighborhood, thanks to my skills at organizing community events like the Annual Sprillowfest Block Party, charitable fundraisers, and Holiday Strolls.

We have three kids - Ben, Georgia, and Quinn - with the younger two keeping us busy at Dedham Middle and High Schools while our eldest is a student and soccer player for Husson University in Bangor, Maine. Additionally, I serve on the Board of Directors for Three Squares New England, an organization dedicated to fighting food insecurity in New England and I am the co-founder and President of Friends of Dedham Athletics at Dedham High School. There is nothing I love more than entertaining and spending time with good friends, neighbors, and family and taking walks with our rescue dog, Elvis.