b'A Perfect FitWorking with Victoria Carter D I N G H OBY ELLEN DONKER N MIF EJeff and Kerry Vermeersch with son, Theo.H ow do you knowwood,start- trioToguidethat was fully updated.AWhenthecouplesawthehouseonPark whenyouvet h eRoad, they knew it was the right one for them. foundTHEVermeer- builder had gut-renovated the home and even house? Kerry Ver- schesthough it had more room than they neededfour meersch describesed their searchbedrooms on the second floor and two smallish rooms it as a Goldilockswiththeusualon the thirdKerry says, It really was the best of all worlds momentwhenof towns: MontclairMa- that it was this centrally located classic American Foursquare home you go through a house and imagineplewoodSouthOrange. how you would use each room. Shethemthroughtheprocesstheycon- When it was time to make an offer, Kerry recalls, We were in a car, I think says, [Its] where youre like, This isnected with Weichert realtor Victorialike on the Goethals Bridge driving back from having seen [a house on Hickory] how my life would integrate into thisCarter, who came highly recommend- when Victoria called us and said, Hey, I think if you go in at this [price], youll home. Thats what happened whened by several friends.get this one. Were like, All right, well give it the old college try and see what Kerry and her husband, Jeff, walkedHavingownedhomesinCanadahappens. And we were really lucky. I mean, we werent luckywe had Victoria.into 17 Park Road in Maplewood thisand in the Boston area, Kerry and JeffOfcourse,notalltransactionsare past January. He says, We saw it andwerent new to the homebuying pro- easyandtothatpoint,Kerrysaysof we just fell in love. cess. They also had a good idea of whatVictoria, She helped navigate the tricky The couple had begun their hous- they wanted. Besides proximity to thewaters while feeling very much on our ing search in December 2022. Kerrytrain station, they were looking for aside, which was great. We really felt like says, It was over the Christmas breakhouse big enough to contain home of- we had her in our corner. And we were and the weather was awful. And sud- fices for both of them, space for visit- glad of that.denly, our apartment in Brooklyn felting family, and, of course, ample roomThe family closed on the house on very tight. Originally from Canada,for 6-year-old Theo. Victoria showedFebruary 7 and moved in at the end of they had relocated to Boston in 2016themseveralplacesandrightawaythe month. Jeff has already claimed his beforemovingtoParkSlopetwothey knew they were in good hands. home office on the third floor while an years ago. Now they found themselvesKerry says, She gives you a straightadjacent room has been designated the yearning for something more perma- answer on everything. She knows everyPelotonroom.Theojoinedakinder-nent that was large enough to accom- area and I think has a good assessmentgarten class at Tuscan School and has modate family visiting from Canada.of the value of homes. She knows thealready made some friends up the street. Kerry says, We couldnt host them.inventory. She knows everybody, sheAnd the neighbors have not disap- Victoria Carter helped the Vermeersch Theyd have to stay at a hotel or some- knows all the different agents, has re- pointed.Kerrysays,Thestreethasfamily find a home in Maplewood.thing because youre in this tiny place. cos on everything that you need. Shesbeen really friendly. I think within But the first priority was moving toclearly a very established, seasoned lo- days of moving in, we had like, four or five drop-offs of baked goods and bottles a town that offered a short commutecal expert. Jeff adds, She very defi- of wine and little welcome gifts and stuff, which is really nice.to the city. Following the lead of sev- nitely got rid of any worries that [we]If ever the Vermeersches need a resource, they still turn to Victoria. Kerry eral friends who had moved to Maple- could have had. says, Shes our local Sherpaour local guide. finding home /31'