Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/588468
14 When you see the blue and white Coldwell Banker "For Sale" signs outside homes in Hingham, very often, the name you'll also see attached to the sign is "Tara Coveney". With millions of dollars of listings and sales in her 12 year real estate career, one would expect to meet a mogul right out of the Donald Trump mold. Not so fast. While her success shows she could certainly teach the flamboyant Trump a thing or two about "the art of the deal", Coveney's unassuming manner couldn't be more opposite. From first-time home buyers to downsizing empty nesters to senior citizens selling their only large asset, Tara Coveney is a steady, reassuring presence in an often intimidating process. A native of Bedford, NY, she grew up watching her mother build a successful career as a realtor. "I always kind of thought I'd go into it, it's in my blood." A graduate of Boston College with a BA in Finance, she knew her real estate career would have to wait. "As I tell kids now who ask about careers, it's 100% commission, and no benefits, so it's a very hard career to start right out of college." Instead, Coveney built a successful career in sales first with IBM, and then with a California software company. "I always liked to work", she said, even while she was a stay-at home Mom to her three daughters and one son – "four kids under five!" – with her husband Tom. With the kids in school, it was time to get started on her career in real estate. Combining the skills she'd learned by watching her mother, with her love for Hingham and the surrounding towns, it was a natural professional choice. She was hired by Pat Villani, who is now the President of Coldwell Banker New England. Coveney says Villani was a great role model. Success came relatively quickly. By 2006, she was the top agent in the entire town of Hingham, and since 2007, she has been the top agent on the entire South Shore. She has consistently ranked in the top 1% of all Coldwell Banker agents nationwide since 2010. Success may have come quickly, but that's not to say it came easily. Coveney said it takes long hours and hard work to be the best, sometimes at the expense of personal time. She spends hours researching real estate prices and trends here and throughout the country. "I eat, drink, and sleep this stuff!" She specializes in a very local area, Hingham, Cohasset, and surrounding towns; and won't represent a seller beyond Scituate. "I really feel that it's important to know your market really well, so I don't think I can represent a seller outside of my market. But, with the extensive reach of Coldwell Banker's worldwide network, I could refer them to one of my colleagues who could help them anywhere." Tara Coveney, Coldwell Banker: Making Clients Feel at Home by Maryellen Dever, photography by Susan Hagstrom