By Chéye Roberson
Sentinel Correspondent
“My definition of a sales person is someone who is an expert about the product they’re selling—whether it be a line of designer clothing or a home in a particular neighborhood,” said Cynthia De Riemer, a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. “Selling real estate is as much about knowing the neighborhood as the actual property.”
Cynthia is in the top 1 percent of Coldwell Banker agents nationally. Before getting into real estate over 10 years ago, she worked in the New York fashion industry as a sales and marketing director for companies like Perry Ellis, Joe Boxer and Stephen Sprouse.
Cynthia has lived in Greenwich for over 20 years and feels the town has a comforting mix of small town traits that remind her of the close-knit community she grew up in and the cosmopolitan features that make Greenwich a prime residential community.
“I came from a very small beach town, Bay Head, N.J., and I loved knowing just about everyone—and enjoyed so many of the things a small town offers—parades, mom and pop shops, deep friendships and of course being in a waterfront community,” Cynthia said. “Greenwich offers those things and more. In many ways, Greenwich feels like a small town, but has resources that are world class: the Audubon Center, Bruce Museum, wonderful restaurants, award-winning schools and libraries, many diverse houses of worship, the list goes on and on. And Greenwich is extraordinarily beautiful!”
Cynthia greatly appreciates Greenwich and enjoys having the opportunity to give back to the town either through contributions to favorite causes, or giving her time to help out in a variety of roles when manpower is needed.
The Greenwich Alliance for Education, Greenwich High School, the Riverside Association, the Riverside Garden Club, and First Congregational Church of Greenwich are some of the community organizations that Cynthia has supported or lent volunteer hours to.
“Not only does giving back help build a stronger community—it’s fun,” said Cynthia.
The Riverside Association maintains an open dialogue between residents and town officials to address local concerns and endorses community improvement projects. The Riverside Garden Club helps preserve the natural beauty of Greenwich by protecting and planting trees and gardens throughout the town.
The Greenwich Alliance for Education engages the community to improve educational offerings, enhance learning experiences, and provide quality preparation for success after their graduation.
“The Greenwich Alliance for Education is an organization I feel particularly passionate about because it really changes kids’ lives and helps provide a future they might not have otherwise,” said Cynthia. “They help one child at a time, which is so powerful in many ways.”
Cynthia’s desire to help others translates into her work as a real estate agent.
“I have the opportunity to help people with a basic need: shelter. Purchasers and sellers are emotionally as well as financially invested in their homes. The transaction goes beyond regular business decisions,” said Cynthia. “I work very closely with my clients and feel very privileged to have their trust.”
According to Cynthia, something that quickly turns off homebuyers are “over-priced homes, and homes with deferred maintenance to make the house appear to be a money-pit. This means real estate agents have to do their research to ensure their clients do not fall into this trap.” Cynthia also maintains a database of proven local service providers if work needs to be done on a house to get it to “sale-ready” condition.
According to Cynthia, when shopping for a new home, it is critical for a prospective buyer to be represented by a real estate agent with a current knowledge of available homes. Cynthia said that customers should be wary of “websites and blogs that purport to be experts when they haven’t even been in the homes they’re reporting on and can’t convey the important nuances of each property and neighborhood to the prospective buyer.”
Here are some of Cynthia De Riemer’s current listings:
- 9 Miltiades Ave., Riverside, $3,075,000
- 75 Dearfield Drive, Greenwich, $3,100,000
- 3 Putnam Hill unit 4A, Greenwich, $525,000
- 1 Broad St., Trump Parc 23D, Stamford, $749,000
- 82 Farms Rd., Stamford, $1,225,000
- 177 5th St., Stamford (on the market in one week), price to be determined.
