Melissa is one of the best real estate agents we have worked with.

She is very knowledgeable and forthright. With her help we were able to remotely buy a property in NY. She is a very good manager who is on top of things. She is well connected and was able to help us with a host of things including repairs. Under her wings our home buying process was very smooth. We highly recommend Melissa and would gladly use her services in the future. Thank You Melissa!

Melissa was a wonderful person to have as a guide for me and my wife through our first home-buying experience!

She was patient with us, provided lots of information, was very responsive when we had questions and provided excellent referrals for mortgage lenders, real estate lawyers, and even someone to mow our lawn after we found a place. Melissa helped us strategize how best to make offers given our resources and stuck with us through the challenges of buying a house in a very tough market. It was great to work with her and I would highly recommend her!

We highly recommend working with Melissa Shames!

My wife and I began searching for homes on our own in January of 2021. Via one of the automated contact option on Zillow, we came across Melissa, who called us that very day and walked us through the process of purchasing homes in Ithaca. We were skeptical of following through with Melissa because we were first-time buyers and didn’t feel confident committing to one agent but Melissa assured us that she would have our best interest at heart and if we didn’t like the service, we could go our separate ways, no hard feelings. Long story short, we never went our separate way, 6 months later we are writing this glowing review from our new home and encouraging you to work with Melissa Shames. She was responsive, she showed us homes during COVID, she was very mindful of the COVID-protocols while showing us homes, and during the challenging weeks of scarcity, she was honest, practical, and optimistic of our chances of finding the home of our dreams. We had placed one offer that was not selected and afterward were rightfully discouraged. We had a transparent conversation with Melissa about this discouragement and we came to an agreement about what we could do the next time around to make sure our offer was selected. It was a straightforward conversation but one that ultimately led us to finding our home, making a strong offer, and being selected. Lastly, as this is a bit too glowing, in addition to her knowledge of the process and support, Melissa has other professional resources in the area that come in handy: banks and contractors, which are useful during the process but also after you find the home. We cannot say enough good things about Melissa and hope you will consider this review in your decision to work with her. All the very best!!! Obi & Joyce

Melissa was so amazing to work with in every way.

Extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and great communicator. I have never worked with anyone more responsive to my emails/texts and all around needs. Her local knowledge and network (loan officers, home inspectors, attorneys, etc.) is especially valuable. She will guide you all the way through the process and help you at every step. Couldn’t be happier with my real estate agent.

My partner and I just purchased our first home with Melissa as our realtor.

She was very patient and helpful throughout the entire process. It all went extremely smoothly. We are very thankful for her!

I highly recommend Melissa and would work with her again in the future.

She is professional, responsive, no-nonsense, knowledgeable, reliable, helpful, and a great person. We were so lucky to chance upon her through Zillow!

Melissa was great to work with!

As a first time homebuyers I had a lot of questions and she was able to help me understand the home buying process. She was timely about sending new listings and scheduling showings. I would definitely recommend working with her.

My experience working with Melissa was fantastic.

I worked with her over a two year period as I searched for a home in the Ithaca area. The search for a home can get a little stressful and so, on a couple of occasions, when I felt the time wasn’t right, I stepped back from the search and Melissa was completely understanding. When I decided to pick the search up again, she was there. Ready to go. Melissa really understands the Ithaca market and was extremely honest with me throughout the process. She frequently talked about the additional part of her job which was to create perspective and to reassure. She was great at this, which I really appreciated. Melissa also has her finger on the pulse of the market here, which helped me to eventually find a home (for sale by owner) which I closed on in August 2021. This would not have happened if Melissa had not found the home online just a couple of hours after the home had gone active online. I had viewed the home within a couple of hours, made an offer later that day which was accepted. Melissa’s efficiency and responsiveness were key to the outcome. In fact, Melissa’s responsiveness was phenomenal throughout. She really does go above and beyond. One last thing that I have been impressed with, is Melissa’s helpfulness post-sale. She has checked in with me on a number of occasions to see how things are going and to advise me on things that I may need to consider relating to house maintenance etc. I really appreciated this as a first time home buyer. Melissa really is a great realtor and I would highly recommend her. Thanks for everything Melissa.

Melissa work with me and my partner for over a year looking for the perfect home.

She was always responsive, knowledgeable and was very honest. She is an excellent communicator and was so fun to work with, despite the sometimes stressful process. We are eternally grateful for Melissa’s wisdom and guidance along the way. We will definitely be circling back to her if we ever sell our home!

Melissa was absolutely a pleasure to work with.

As first time buyers, we had lots of questions and she did a fantastic job of walking us through the entire process, from getting per-qualified for a loan all the way through closing. We had a very pleasant experience in a competitive market and would absolutely recommend her.

I can recommend Melissa as a buyer’s agent without reservation.

She worked with us for more than 6 months to find the perfect property. She helped us navigate two unusual situations involving a family dispute and a a home for-sale by owner, which created additional complexity. Melissa was an excellent advocate for us in both cases – managing the particular challenges in each case with great sensitivity to both our needs and those of the sellers. Melissa also has a great understanding of the local market. The house we ultimately bought was suggested to us by Melissa the day it went on the market and she helped us craft a bid that saw us beat out several other offerers. If you are looking to buy in or around Ithaca, reach out to Melissa!

Melissa was excellent.

The previous owner of my house had some complications but Melissa was excellent in resolving them and communicating with me. She offered excellent advice and was always available. I cannot recommend her highly enough.