Pullquote:  "People say partnerships should be 50-50, but we're more like 80-80.

When Vanessa Foster, a former high school English and theater teacher, and Tina Regan-Harrington, a veteran nurse from Mass General, sat next to each other at a Coldwell Banker orientation class nine years ago, neither could have predicted they were meeting their future business partner. 

“I couldn’t get onto the wifi,” Tina laughs. So she asked Vanessa for help, and in doing so, she lit the spark that became the pair’s years-long real estate partnership. 

"We were both starting as new agents in the Milton office, but there was no way of knowing what the other person was like," Tina says. What started as a chance meeting during their orientation evolved into one of Milton's most dynamic real estate partnerships.

Their backgrounds in teaching and nursing might seem far removed from real estate, but these collaborative careers laid the foundation for their success. 

"We both work well with other people and we’re really motivated," Vanessa says. "People say partnerships should be 50-50, but we're more like 80-80. We both want to go above and beyond for our clients, and for each other."

Their real estate partnership has proved transformative for both women. Vanessa, who spent ten years teaching in Boston before becoming a stay-at-home mom, says she entered real estate naively. 

"This is a tough business; you have to have thick skin. I didn't have that in the beginning, but I’ve learned so much from Tina," she says. "I learned to be more assertive, and that's been such a benefit. Even though my parents were both realtors and I grew up around real estate, I would have 100% left the industry if I didn't have this partnership with Tina."

Tina learned in her years of nursing how to advocate for her patients and stand up for herself. “People can walk all over you in this business, so you have to be ready to protect your clients and yourself.”

Their partnership thrives because of their complementary strengths and open communication.

"Nothing falls through the cracks," Vanessa says. Together, the duo has developed a system where important dates and milestones are carefully tracked, and their clients benefit from their different perspectives.

Last year marked a career highlight when they brought the year’s highest sale in Milton to fruition. 

"Here we are thinking we're just a small boutique team, but we brought the highest sale to the town," Tina says. However, they find equal satisfaction in helping clients navigate challenging situations, like the single mother they assisted during the early pandemic, helping her secure a larger home for herself and her parents through a home sale contingency.

What sets them apart in Milton's competitive market? Their unique marketing approach and commitment to service. "Milton has a long history of successful real estate agents," Vanessa says, "but not a lot of people are investing in the creative marketing that we’re doing. We're using photos and video to tell the stories of our listings, creating a narrative that helps clients envision themselves in a particular home or neighborhood. Finding the right home can be an emotional process, so we use our creative energy to connect with clients on a deeper level."

“Plus, we’re meeting people where they are,” Tina says. “We’ll put a listing on MLS and hit people in traditional ways through print marketing and mailers, but today’s buyers are overwhelmingly online. We make sure our listings are featured digitally on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram in professional, exciting, and memorable ways.”

Their marketing—paired with the magic of their collaboration—is working. Right now, the pair is practically turning down leads. 

"I know it might sound crazy, but we want to be intentional about what clients we take on," Vanessa says. “Right now, we’re in the business of prioritizing service. When we work with a client, they can call us, text us, email us. We're here for every little thing. We never want our clients to feel like they are an after-thought.”

“At the end of the day, buying and selling real estate is a business transaction,” Tina says. “We need to make sure our clients are making the smartest decisions and the best investments for their lives, so we’re educating, nurturing, and advocating for them. You can’t scale that kind of service." 

For Vanessa, mother to children in 8th and 5th grade, and Tina, mother to three boys aged 24, 23, and 18, their partnership also provides the flexibility to balance family life with a demanding career. Through market ups and downs, they've maintained their focus on client service and mutual support.

"We both started from square one together," Vanessa says. "It was never 'your business, my business.'" In a profession often marked by fierce competition, they've found strength in collaboration, proving that sometimes the best success stories are written in pairs.