Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of North Shore
Good Neighbor Podcast: North Shore
EP #87 - From Countryside To Seaside: A Realtor’s Quiet Work of Service, Skill, And Heart On The North Shore
Join North Shore realtor Debbie Caniff of Coldwell Banker Realty as she uncovers the strategic analysis, local expertise, and human touch that turn potentially stressful real estate deals into seamless closings. With a CPA background fueling her pricing, offers, and negotiations, Debbie serves buyers and sellers from countryside to seaside across Lynnfield, Marblehead, and beyond, backed by a brand synonymous with integrity and technology.
Debbie debunks agent stereotypes, revealing the behind-the-scenes work—resolving title issues, bridging appraisals, and coordinating teams—while sharing how personal challenges like losing parents and overcoming bullying shaped her commitment to dignity and alliance in every transaction. Whether you're in the market or curious about top-tier representation, gain insights on prioritizing local knowledge, empathy in negotiations, and what truly drives success.
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Yuan Godfrey.
SPEAKER_01:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Today we have the distinct pleasure of introducing to our listeners Debbie Cannett. She is the realtor for Coldwell Bankers Realty here in the North Shore area. Debbie, how are you this morning? I'm doing great, Yuan. How are you? I am fantastic. Thank you for asking. Debbie, can you please tell our listeners a little bit about your service in Coldwell Bankers? Well, sure.
SPEAKER_02:I've been a realtor for over 22 years with Cobwell Banker Realty, with offices throughout the country and internationally, actually. Cobwell Banker was founded back in 1906. So we are one of the oldest brands in the country. And Coldwell Banker has been also in the forefront of technology and integrity. And that's one of the reasons I've stayed with it. It's always provided me with what I've needed to be a better realtor and provide the best services to my clients. So I work out of both the Linfield and the Marblehead, Massachusetts offices. I lived in Linfield for over 33 years, and I've been in Swampscott for 12 years. So, you know, generally realtors work mainly in the areas in which they've lived. So one of my taglines is actually from countryside to seaside. And basically, I've had expensive extensive knowledge in the real estate market in most of the North Shore communities. So my clients actually include both sellers and buyers, and my price range for my sales range anywhere from 700,000 to 4.3 million. So no matter what the price range, my clients always tell me that they have felt like I've had their best interest at heart and was truly an ally for them. And that's what you know makes my job so rewarding. This real estate business, it's a people business, and there are many personalities with different wants and needs. So as a realtor, we wear many, many hats. We are consultants, decorators, stagers, planners, confidants, and often psychologists, you know, things that are unofficial in our capacity, but we still do it. So it's been a great career for me.
SPEAKER_01:Beautiful. So what's the backstory? How did you get into this business?
SPEAKER_02:So uh I graduated from Boston College with a degree in in accounting and business management. And I earned my uh CPA and worked for one of the large accounting firms in Boston for several years. I did take a hiatus and was able to raise my children and not work. And that was a great blessing that I was able to have. But I was always very active in volunteering and then holding leadership positions in my town, my church, and my kids' schools. So when it was time to go back into the workforce, I parlayed my skills uh in organization and planning and analysis and my attention to detail to an industry that I was really interested in, which was residential real estate. I love housing, I love getting into different properties, seeing what it's all about. And I really do enjoy working with people so much. So it was a great fit for me. And you know, I find it it's still rewarding because I feel like I'm serving, you know, people's interests and being, you know, a trusted advisor and helping them achieve their goals.
SPEAKER_01:Great, great. So great. So, Debbie, what are some myths or misconception surrounding your industry and your service?
SPEAKER_02:Well, uh, that's an interesting question. Um so sometimes I think that people feel that us realtors are are like Vanna White from Wheel of Fortune. You know, we show up in a nice outfit, we do a little bit of work, we smile, and then we walk away with a check. And I don't think that people realize all the time, thought, and stress that actually goes on behind the scenes. Um, clients really don't see what we're doing to make the transactions go smoothly. Um, we try to make the process seamless for our clients. Um, sometimes there's some drama going on uh in the background that we try to solve without involving the client to make the experience as positive as we can. And that's the things that people just don't see is the time and the energy going on behind the scenes. Understood. So outside of work, what do you think fun, Debbie? Well, I really enjoy hanging out with my family. You know, my children are grown, I have five grandchildren, and I just love, you know, babysitting or playing games with them. Uh, I like to do things with them. I go to museums, you know, we go to sporting events, I watch them play in their own games. So I really enjoy spending time with my family, but um, I do really enjoy golf. I'm a terrible golfer, but I love the game and I enjoy the outdoors. And again, being with some of my uh people that I play golf with. Um, I'm a better tennis player than a golfer, and I really enjoy tennis a lot. And I do love my flowers and my gardens. So I spend a fair amount of time taking care and creating my gardens and picking my flowers and doing some flower arranging. So I have I am very blessed with what I'm able to do and what I'm able to actually enjoy what I do.
SPEAKER_01:All sounds relaxing and very, very grounded.
SPEAKER_02:Well, it it's been uh I've I've been blessed with a wonderful life. I have got a great husband and wonderful kids and a career that I enjoy. So life is good.
SPEAKER_01:Beautiful. Thank you. So, Debbie, changing gears, can you describe for our listeners one hardship or one of life's challenge that you rose above and can now say that because of it, you're better, you're stronger. What comes to your mind?
SPEAKER_02:Well, honestly, I can think of two. Um, one of my greatest hardships was losing my parents, you know, both to long-term illnesses and going through the process of death. That was very tough for me. And to watch both my parents and my in-laws go through it, it was it was rough. But one of the challenges that I think like define me as a person was something that a lot of people may have gone through in their middle school years. Um, when I was in seventh grade, I was the new kid in the school, and honestly, I was bullied by a bunch of seventh-grade girls who were in the in-crowd. And I experienced a lot of hurt and pain at the time. I didn't understand how what I was doing wrong or or why they were treating me so poorly. Um, my mother was actually very worried about me at the time, and um she said, you know, they were very nasty. I still remember some of their names. But in any event, um, I finished out the seventh grade and I went back to the original school that I had been in before. And, you know, at that point in my life, or sometime after that, I remember I came to resolve with myself that I wasn't going to let my self-worth be determined by somebody else. You know, I it it actually made me want to achieve things and work hard in my own right so that I could be independent of other people and what they thought of me. So I think, secondly, and most importantly, it actually taught me never to be unkind to another person. Uh, you never know what someone else is going through, and you need to have empathy for others. Um, I truly have tried to teach my own children to treat someone the way that you would like to be treated, you know, with dignity and respect. And I've tried to do that in every aspect of my life. Beautiful.
SPEAKER_01:Beautiful. That was well said, and that was encouraging. Um I'm sure you were not the only one who was bullied at some s stages of schooling. Thank you for sharing. So, Debbie, can you please tell our listeners one thing they should remember about your service with Coldwell Banker Realty?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I try really hard to work in the best interest of my clients. I truly want to be their ally and and make them feel like they have achieved what they've wanted to achieve and work hard to do that.
SPEAKER_01:Great. How can our listeners learn more about you or your service? Do you have a website?
SPEAKER_02:Well, I do have a website that I'm very proud of. It's DebbieKaniff.com, D-E-B-B-I-E-C-A, and is in Nancy I F Frankf Frank.com. And you can check me out on the website or Google me. Um, I'm also open 24 hours a day, so they can call or text me at 617-771-2827. And you can Google me, Coldwell Banker, Debbie Kaniff.
SPEAKER_01:Beautiful. Thank you so much. Debbie, we really appreciate you being on the air with us today. We wish you and your service to Coldwell Bankers, Realty, all the very best moving forward.
SPEAKER_02:It's been my pleasure. Thank you so much, Yuan.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpnorthore.com. That's gnpnorthore.com. Or call 857 703 9406.