Nothing Compares
Mary Lou Bigelow Real Estate Advisor, SRES®, GRI®, ABR® MaryLouBigelow.com 781.640.3600 MaryLouBigelow@GibsonSIR.com
Arlington Office 1010 Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, MA 02476 GibsonSothebysRealty.com
With more than thirty years of real estate expertise, Mary Lou Bigelow is thrilled about her partnership with the exceptional Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty brand. Mary Lou’s affiliation with Boston’s leading brokerage, combined with the global reach of Sotheby’s International Realty, gives her clients unrivaled access to qualified buyers and distinctive properties around the world. Her objective is to help her clients achieve their unique goals, from ensuring their property sells at top dollar to buying for the best price in the market. Having relocated several times in her life, she is empathetic with the process, whether her clients are looking to move locally or globally. Prior to joining the real estate industry, Mary Lou honed her people skills as a flight attendant with two iconic airlines—Trans World Airlines (TWA) and aviation pioneer Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). She credits her airline training with her dedication to delivering the white-glove client service for which Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty is known. Her professional ventures reflect her local ties and international vision. For more than a decade, Mary Lou produced a local cable TV program - the Mary Lou Bigelow Show (The Global Connection and The Afghanistan Series). In the early 1990s, Mary Lou founded an Economic Development supplement for Banker and Tradesman (B&T). Because of her B&T work, she attended the 1993 World Economic Forum meetings held in Hong Kong. In the 1980s, as co-owner of a real estate firm in Stamford, Conn., Mary Lou marketed the conversions of 15 apartment buildings and served as President of the Fairfield Connecticut Chapter of the Commercial Investment Division. Mary Lou previously lived in Connecticut, Florida, Afghanistan, Spain, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and she continues her wanderlust tendencies by attending Pan Am and TWA reunions around the world. She currently resides in Winchester, Mass., where she manifests her passion for giving back to her community. She is an active member of the Winchester and Arlington Chambers of Commerce and Winchester Senior Provider Networking Group. She previously served as President of the Arlington Rotary Club, is a Paul Harris Fellow, and is a recipient of the Rotary International District 7930 award for promoting World Understanding and Peace. In 2005, she received the Frank Bowes Community Service Award. Mary Lou holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
What clients are saying about Mary Lou Bigelow “Happy to report that this was my parents’ home in Arlington, MA and it was sold $71,000 over asking. The best decision we made was hiring Mary Lou Bigelow to market our home. We met with her early in the process and so glad we did. She wisely alerted us to address small repairs, do necessary painting, have asbestos removed from pipes, empty the house, and use her stager prior to placing on the market. Mary Lou’s marketing materials really made the house shine! My parents would have been so proud and happy on the way everything was handled from start to finish. All of her suggestions really made for a smooth selling process. We really couldn’t have done this without Mary Lou - she knew how to keep us motivated because selling your childhood home can be very emotional and over whelming, but she made it so unstressful. She was also invaluable in managing multiple offers by helping us analyze not only price but terms to decide on a fabulous price. She communicated with us constantly throughout, from preparation of the house until we closed and then followed up with us after closing. I can also say that Mary Lou always returned our calls when we had questions or needed advice on things no matter what time it was. I can’t say enough good things about her. She was absolutely fantastic and easy to work with. We highly recommend Mary Lou!!”
– M.M. , Seller 2.16.2021
“Mary Lou was wonderful. She understood our needs and helped us find our dream house. She advised us on putting together the offer and supported as needed throughout the whole sales process. She was kind, professional, and attentive to our needs. We would highly recommend Mary Lou and would definitely choose to work with her again!”
– G.B., Buyer 11.10.2020 “Mary Lou was extremely helpful and communicated above and beyond my expectations. With the Covid-19 Pandemic hitting us just as we listed we realized we might be in for a tough time to sell. Mary Lou stayed positive and encouraging. She knew the right people to get the condo ready to sell. I have sold many homes in my life and I have to say NOBODY put in as much time and energy to get a property sold as Mary Lou did. I can’t thank her enough for her excellence, knowledge of the market, and hard work to get this property sold for us. GREAT JOB! Thank you!”
– C.W., Seller 8.14.2020 “I am in the commercial real estate business so I could have gone to many REALTORS. Mary Lou met me a few years back when I was thinking about putting the condo on the market. It was an investment property that I owned with my sister. We decided at that time not to list the property. Mary Lou left me with such a great impression that years later I knew she would be the person I wanted to list with. She was well versed in the property and was the consummate professional. She knows what to anticipate and gets it done. Honestly, she did all the heavy lifting. You found a gem in her and she will be nothing but an asset to any office she works for!”
– M.D., Seller 8.13.2020
Our History and Evolution
BOWES/Pennell & Thompson Real Estate was founded in Arlington in 1945. Through the years, BOWES has evolved and prospered, while always showing appreciation to the Arlington community by supporting the town, its people, programs, organizations, events, and activities. In July 2020, BOWES welcomed a new owner Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty. Real estate has changed dramatically over the past 7 decades. Despite being one of the oldest real estate companies, BOWES has never been content to rest on its laurels, and has stayed at the cutting edge by bringing in new talent, new technology, new programs and exciting initiatives. BOWES established and has maintained its market leadership role for as long as one can remember, frequently outselling the top three or four Arlington competitors, combined. BOWES was built on a foundation of principals, integrity, and honesty. Placing the customer first was and remains our core belief. Delivering World Class Service was not a slogan at BOWES, but a way of life. Nearly twenty years ago, BOWES hired an independent company to conduct confidential customer satisfaction surveys of every client after every transaction. Now with thousands of verified surveys, BOWES is proud to share that our Customer Satisfaction Rating, independently verified, is 99.5%. Hiring the best people, respecting our customers, the communities we serve, and the people of Arlington, is the foundation of our success, our privilege and our honor. Becoming part of the Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty is just our latest initiative to stay ahead of the curve and add an increased value proposition to our customers and our team. While continuing to maintain our community-based reputation, we will now be able to expand our range, reach and influence nationally and even internationally. Our history and legacy will continue to grow and prosper with new tools and opportunities, the likes of which our founding fathers never could have imagined!
For Those Seeking Exceptional Results GIBSON SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW
$1.2M Average Listing
$2.9B
3,000 Clients Served
Annual Sales Volume
Sale Price
817
26
4
Properties Sold
Properties Sold
Properties Sold
Over $1M
Over $5M
Over $10M
235
Closed Referrals within the Sotheby’s International Realty Global Network
Highest Average Sale Price O f T h e To p F i v e F i r m s Source: Dash and MLS
24 Offices and 350+ Agents Serving Boston | Greater Boston | MetroWest North Shore | South Shore | Cape Cod
We have the keys to wherever you want to be.
My expertise is local. My reach is global. At Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, I am available to support those of you who are relocating to a new town, state, or country. Through my extended affiliate network, I am able to connect you or friends with top-tier, trusted Sotheby's International Realty agents across the globe. What does this mean for you? It means that in addition to helping you sell your home, I can also connect you with someone I trust will provide the same white-glove service when helping you buy your next home, wherever that may be.
24,00o
1,000
75
Sales
Offices
Countries &
Associates
Worldwide
Territories
Buyer Timeline 1 - Get Pre-Approved For a Mortgage Essential first step. If you don’t have a lender, we can provide lender contacts.
2 - Begin Looking at Homes We will work together to find the perfect place.
3 - Make an Offer to Purchase Offer includes good faith deposit of $1,000 and pre-approval letter or substantiation of funds.
4 - Your Offer is Accepted, Now Hire an Attorney Retain a real estate attorney; if you don’t have one, we can provide attorney contacts.
5 - Conduct Home Inspection This may include home, structural, pest, and other inspections. Complete within 2 – 5 days of accepted offer.
6 - Sign Purchase & Sale Agreement Typically accompanied by a deposit of 5% of the purchase price and signed 7-10 days after an accepted offer.
7 - Submit Mortgage Application All of your mortgage paperwork needs to be in your lender’s hands as requested.
8 - Get Your Mortgage Commitment This should come about 30 days after you submit your application or roughly four weeks upon
9 - Conduct Final Walk - Through
signing the P&S.
Typically takes place on the day of the closing to make sure that everything is as you expect it to be.
10 - Close on Your Home Close 45 – 60 days from the date of an accepted offer, though it can be sooner!
Seller Timeline 1 - Initial Consultation We will walk through your home, provide guidance on preparing home, discuss listing timeline, selling process and state of the market.
2 - Prepare Your Home We will provide guidance on decluttering cleaning, repairs and updates for preparing and staging your home for photography and showings.
3 - Market Analysis, Marketing Plan & Pricing We will present current market analysis to finalize price, marketing & listing plan; we'll execute a listing agreement and decide on an offer strategy.
4 - Complete Staging, Professional Photography & Floor Plans Once staging is complete, we will coordinates professional photography & floor plans.
5 - Market Launch We will announce to local brokerages; host broker & public open houses, coordinate private showings, and launch marketing campaign.
6 - Accept Offer We will present offer(s) and we decide on negotiation strategy.
7 - Buyers conduct a home inspection These may include home, structural, pest, and other inspections, and should be completed with within 3-5 days of an accepted offer.
8 - Sign the Purchase & Sale Agreement Seller hires attorney to draft P&S once offer is accepted. Buyer typically pays 5% deposit upon signing P&S which
9 - Buyers Receive their Mortgage Commitment Timing varies— mortgage commitment could
could occur within one week of the inspection. We will coordinate with Buyer’s agent and attorney.
come within 3 weeks of signed P&S or a few days before closing.
10 - Buyers Conduct a Final Walkthrough Day of closing, the buyer will do a final walk-through. Close!
Mary Lou Bigelow Real Estate Advisor, SRES®, GRI®, ABR® 781.640.3600 MaryLou.Bigelow@GibsonSIR.com MaryLouBigelow.com
1010 Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, MA 02476