One of the smartest moves Darlene Umina made was to focus on the buy/sell transaction. While some agents can say they’ve sold hundreds of homes, it’s not common to say you’ve sold hundreds of this particular transaction. “There is an art to it, a proven process to be successful,” explains Umina, team lead at Darlene & Company, the top team at Lamacchia Realty. “While this is the most challenging transaction in real estate, it has been where my passion lies.” Still, in March 2020, she became fearful that she may never sell another house again.

“Between this new virus and school from home, it seemed utterly impossible to conduct business anything like I had been,” she recalls. “And that’s when I pivoted.” #LoveWhereYouLive became more important than ever before. “Whether that be bigger space, smaller space, space closer to ‘home,’ space out of the city, space with swimming pools! Priorities shifted for everyone.”

Committed to keeping clients safe, Umina implemented COVID-19 protocols such as COVID waivers, virtual meetings, over-qualifying buyers for listings, carefully vetting properties before showing them and making use of gloves, booties and Lysol. “Fifty-plus properties later, we were able to help transform life for so many in a very transformative year.”

Umina and her team specialize in Greater Boston and MetroWest, areas in which she’s spent her entire life. With a client concierge and a buyer agent on board, she’s better able to serve clients, and it shows: Her business is almost 100% referral-based.

A cornerstone of Darlene & Company is giving back. One of her favorite drives is her Giving Tree Drive for single moms in MetroWest. “To give where you live is of the utmost importance to me,” Umina notes. Some of her favorite local charitable foundations to support are the WhyNotDevin Foundation and the Ryan Mancini Charitable Foundation.