I still think about the very first townhouse in Little Italy that Hilary showed my partner and I—both first-time buyers and new to Toronto as well—and how it was so ‘us’ that we were almost ready to make an offer there and then.

Hilary was not only incredibly generous with her time and energy throughout our search but consistently showed us houses that were very real possibilities, until she found what truly is the perfect home for us and our (brand!) new child. (And, really, showing a first-time pregnant/first-time buyer houses around a new city was, I expect, much more of a challenge than Hilary ever let on!) She also was not hesitant to point out when a house was less of a good idea and, quite to my pleasant surprise, helped my partner and I realize that we could actually better afford a house than a condo.

Whereas I anticipated the process of buying a house to be rife with anxiety, Hilary turned it into a genuinely enjoyable experience—I rather miss our Sunday ‘drives’—and there is no doubt that I will return to Hilary, and to her equally lovely partner Nick, for any moves in our future.

Nikki Cesare Schotzko