14 / matters magazine / summer 2018 Finding Home Working with Susan Blodgett by ellen donker T he first thing that impressed Zach- ary Wagman about Susan Blodgett was how well she listened. As a prospective homebuyer, that was important to him. After all, he and his wife, Jenna, were in the process of selling their apartment in Brooklyn and relocating to Maple- wood and it all seemed to be happening very fast. He needed someone to understand what they wanted so they could quickly find a home. Like many of Maplewood’s new arrivals, the Wagmans hail from Brooklyn. Zach is a book editor and Jenna is a teacher and together they have two young children. When their son started crawling it suddenly became clear that the walls of their small two-bedroom apartment could not contain so much activity and they put their home up for sale. Thus started their research into many different towns in New Jersey and New York. According to Wagman, “Maplewood stood out to us as a place we could easily call home.” It was wooded, diverse, and offered a reasonable train commute into the city. Looking for suggestions for a realtor, a realtor friend in New York connected them with Blodgett. In no time, she zeroed in on what the Wagmans wanted: a home on a fairly quiet street with a nice- sized kitchen, a play room for the children to help contain their toys, space for a home office, and a nice back yard for play and entertaining. After looking at many homes in the area, they found one on Owen Drive that checked all these boxes. Blodgett calls it a “hidden gem – a great house, great location.” After doing their sanity check of looking at a dozen other homes to make sure they loved this one best, the Wagmans put in a bid and it was accepted. Wagman says that Blodgett then “hustled like crazy” and credits her with being absolutely tireless in helping them close the deal and move into the house. “With Susan I felt like I had an advocate working for me.” Since she’s been in real estate for 18 years and has lived in South Orange for even longer, she proved to have resources for anything the Wagmans needed: floor refinishers, movers, painters, and more. They were so satisfied with Blodgett’s work that they promised to send refer- rals her way. And they weren’t kidding. The Wagmans have been living in the house since the spring of 2016 and have made friends with neighbors and preschool parents. They’ve hosted many friends and family who are curious about their move from the city. In fact, two family members decided a similar lifestyle made sense for them. Making good on their promise, the Wag- mans referred them to Blodgett. Once again, she put her listening skills to work, helping to relocate Jenna’s cousin from Brook- lyn to South Orange. With kids the same age as the Wagmans, the two families really enjoy being close. Next in line was Zach’s sister and brother- in-law. Blodgett used her knowledge of the area and surrounding towns, leading them to Verona to settle into a move-in ready home. There's nothing like positive word-of-mouth and it looks like Blodgett has earned it, as well as an expanded base of fans. Zachary and Jenna Wagman are thrilled with this "hidden gem" Susan Blodgett found for them. Susan Blodgett distinguished herself to the Wagmans as a good listener who is highly knowledgable about the area.