b'Finding HomeWorking with Victoria CarterBY ELLEN DONKERA fterworkingHager could walk around standing tall. fordecadesinIt had the right blend of location, size Western Massa- andconditionwithintheirbudget, chusetts, Nicolesays Carter. It checked all their boxes.Hager acceptedAlthough they didnt need to move anewpositionuntilJune,Jahriessaystheythought inSummit,about that house all the way back to NJinNovemberasdirectoroftheMassachusetts. Hager says, When we upperschoolatKentPlaceSchool.asked Victoriaiftherewouldbeany That meant that she and Sarah Jahriesmorehouseslikethat,shewasvery would need to find a house in the area.forthrightandtoldusitwasagood Coincidentally, Jahries grew up intime to buy. She explained that there Summit, but having spent many yearswas a little bit of a lull in the market away, she hadnt a clue about whom toandthatonce2020hit,themarket contact to help them find a house. Awouldaccelerate.Jahriessays,We friend from high school recommendedtrusted her instincts. VictoriaCarter,andJahriesreachedCarter recommended that they offer out with an email. Nicole Hager and Sarah Jahries moved in June and already feel at home in theirfull price but Hager and Jahries wanted Within five minutes I got a reply,new dwelling. to try a lower bid. When it wasnt ac-she says. A conversation followed thatrooms and a finished basement.cepted, they brought their offer up to the full price and got the house. They so impressed the coupleshe askedThecouplealsowantedtoliveinclosed on it at the end of January.about their kids, what they needed inanauthenticallyracially-diversecom- Even though the couple officially moved in on June 14 they made friends a house, what they wanted in a town munity. Hager notes that although theright away. One person stopped by during the closing and asked if they would that they soon found themselves plan- boarding school where she and Jahriesbe her new neighbor. By the end of the conversation she had offered to check on ning a trip to NJ. Says Jahries, Shehad been employed recruited a racial- the house in their absence. made us feel like we were friends. ly diverse student body, the town wasHager and Jahries did come down a few times to get to know the house and, Besides wanting a home in move-inmostlywhite.Describingthemselveson one particularly cold Sunday night, found they had no heat. Instantly, they condition, Hager explains, We haveas connectors, Hager says they wantedcontacted Victoria for help. Jahries says, She got her plumber on the phone. She fourchildrenthreeincollegeandto live in a place that reflected the realdidnt have to answer. She didnt owe us anything, [but] she was right on it. Says oneinboardingschool.Weneededworld. Carter says, I thought Maple- Carter, Im always available to my clients. a place where they could come homewood would be a good fit for them fromNow that Hager and Jahries have been in andhavespaceatleastthreebed- a lifestyle and cultural perspective. the house for a bit, theyve made it a habit to When Hager and Jahries came tosip their morning coffee on their front stoop visit, she took them on a whirlwindwith their dog Cookie. Its turned out to be a tour of five homes in one day. They allgreat way to meet their neighbors, even dur-had finished basements, but the firsting this time of social distancing. three had such low ceilings that Hager,Jahrieshassincefoundanewposition at five foot ten inches, had to duck herworking at the United Nations Internation-head just to walk around. House num- al School and is grateful they chose a home ber five turned out to be the one thatclose to public transportation. Since the job met all their needs. It was a three-bed- doesnt begin until August, shes stayed busy room,two-bathroomhousebuiltintransplanting nearly 50 plants from their gar-Sarah Jahries and Nicole Hager with theirVictoria Carter helped Hager and four children at Kent Place School where1929 on Fernwood Road that had justdeninMassachusetts.AlreadyitslookingJahries find a home that was a Hager is now employed. been renovated, with a basement thatlike home.good fit for their needs.36/ matters magazine / school 2020'