Melony Swasey, who neared $50 million in sales in 2021, is focused on guiding clients to make smart, thoughtful decisions. “I help them clarify their priorities and understand who they are in relation to their competition in the market,” Swasey explains. “That makes them feel relaxed and competent, prepared and composed, in a market that changes quickly.” And clients appreciate it, as she finds 85% of new clients by referral.

     Since she started in 2010, Swasey’s real estate business has always been built on relationships: making calls, writing personal notes and asking folks the underlying questions that point them to their goals. “I’m matter-of-fact, deeply honest and hold clients to their vision and priorities,” Swasey says. “One of my clients said that I ‘hold the complexity of this process with rigor and compassion.’”

     On the purchase side, this strategic approach leads to more than four out of five of her buyers winning the first time they submit an offer. For listings, Swasey and her team focus on a plan of timing, pricing and marketing to help sellers command the market by attracting the most eager, capable buying audience. Swasey’s team of agents and marketing and administrative staff aim to make the client experience easy and efficient — and fun.

     As a first-generation American, a child of rural Jamaican immigrants and the seventh of eight children, Swasey was raised to be disciplined and take initiative. “That prepared me to make my way and be very comfortable taking chances while building my business from scratch,” she explains.

     Swasey chairs the board of trustees of The Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts, a nearly-350-year-old institution that’s dedicated to making art accessible to all. She also sits on the board of Black History in Action for Cambridgeport, which is preserving Saint Augustine’s African Orthodox Church and reviving its Pan-African community service legacy.