
Cathy Verne
REALTOR®
Avg. sale price
Sold (as lead agent)
Properties for sale
Seller of 136 Freedom Trail, New Castle
Cathy was helpful throughout the process getting prospective buyers to view the property and helping with determining listing price without being overbearing. Carthy simplified viewing by using online calendar for the viewing appointments. She pointed out essential repairs necessary to get the house sold. She provided artisans whose price are reasonable. She arranged a closing schedule that accommodated our work routine. She is a very reliable realtor.


Jim Venema
REALTOR®
Avg. sale price
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Properties for sale
Buyer of 1326 Richards Alley, Wilmington
Jim was a class act and extremely professional and knowledgeable during our process of home buying. He was quick to point things out and explain in detail his understanding of them and what to look out for in different homes. When we finally landed on a home he was supportive and helpful in aiding us into the the days of closing, and every other day therein. Communication Style: Knowledgeable and concise Market Knowledge: Expert Analysis Negotiating: Helped lead us down different avenues for negotiation tactics and strategies we had at our disposal for sending an offer. Professionalism: Top of the Line, with charm as well.
Seller of 801 Westridge Drive, Hockessin
We hired Jim immediately after our initial interview with him. He came completely prepared to this first meeting at our home; with a printed book of surrounding home sales, market happenings, estimates, etc. Jim met with us as many times as we asked, and this was a lot as we had not sold a home in over 30 years. Each time he was on time and prepared. Any and all various questions were answered completely and confidently. Every time a home sold in our neighborhood prior to our sale, he updated our info with a bound booklet explaining how he would estimate the price of our home. On this note, we went with his suggestion and it proved to be perfect. You would not go wrong having Jim Venema as your realtor. We cannot thank him enough.
Buyer of 303 Silverbrook Drive, Elsmere
Jim is patient and flexible. He has answered hundreds of questions, pivoted quickly when the schedule needed it, was supportive when the process was challenging, advocated for me and was always in my corner, and was the highlight of my home buying experience. He has helped me sell and buy homes, and I would highly recommend him to anyone starting the real-estate journey.


Lynne Holt
REALTOR®
Avg. sale price
Sold (as lead agent)
Properties for sale
Seller of 216 East 2nd Street, New Castle
Lynne was an excellent communicator through the whole process. She is very knowledgeable and helped me through all the steps. I trusted that she would advocate for me to achieve the best results.
Seller of 408 Maplewood Drive, Middletown
From start to finish, working with Lynne was a wonderful experience! Lynne was referred to me and my husband from a close friend of ours. When we were considering putting our house on the market, Lynne took the time and made recommendations to consider. She never pressured us and always took phone calls because we had lots of questions. Once we were ready to put our home on the market, Lynne made sure our Home stood out and marketed the sale very well. We were pleasantly happy with the results of interest in our home, and accepted an offer within a few days after being on the market. The process of selling a home and getting to closing day is always stressful, but Lynne put our mind at ease during this process. I highly recommend her!


Barbara Riley
REALTOR®
Avg. sale price
Sold (as lead agent)
Properties for sale
Buyer of 102 Haywood Road, Greenville
I am writing the best review I could possibly write for Barbara Riley of Patterson Schwartz. Barbara stood by us for two long years, when most realtors would have written us off. We wandered down to Wilmington one afternoon after looking at real estate in Bucks County in the autumn of 2024. We liked what we saw. Following that short visit, a realtor friend referred us to Patterson Schwartz and we immediately got a call from Barbara. A few months later we met Barbara and she set aside an entire day for us, driving us from neighborhood to neighborhood while doing a running narration describing the characteristics of each. We were long-distance buyers, living in Chicago, and probably long shots in the real estate market but she stuck with us, sending all pertinent listings and staying in contact by phone for fifteen months. We moved to Wilmington and into a rental property in early 2026, and Barbara guided us through the very few properties on the market. She encouraged us to look at homes that we might have skipped over; in fact, we bought one of those. Over the next eight months, we made offers on three homes —we lost the first one, we backed out of the second one, and the third one was the charm. Through all of these transactions, she did voluminous back-up work while remaining unfailingly cheerful. The inspections people and the real estate attorneys to which she referred us were all topnotch. In addition to the professionalism, what stood out was her kindness to us as newcomers to the community. Barbara Riley will be there for you through every possible scenario and believe me, we had them — rejected offer, cancelled offer, and finally a successful sale.
Seller of 913 Reynolds Street, Delaware City
We met Barbara when we first bought our house and her kindness stuck with us so much that when we went to sell, we immediately knew who to call. Barbara is extremely experienced, professional, and communicative. She took care of absolutely everything we needed in a very timely manner and helped us navigate the complexities of selling our home in a way that put us at ease. Anything that came up was dealt with quickly and efficiently. She’s not only wonderful at her job, but she is fabulously kind and caring. By the end of the process she certainly felt like a part of the family. We would highly recommend her to anyone wanting experience, professionalism, and efficiency for their buying and selling needs. Thank you Barbara!!
Seller of 66 Arden Avenue, New Castle
Barbara Riley is amazing. I don’t know where to start. Her professionalism,communication and market knowledge helped sell our home promptly. She was always available to answer any questions we had We definitely will recommend her to all our family and friends.