Erik Raftery is a full-time real estate agent in the wonderful Greater Boston region in the state of Massachusetts. He provides real estate services to buyers, sellers, investors, and those looking to relocate here.
Erik specializes in Boston MetroWest Boston, Middlesex County, Essex County, Norfolk County, and Worcester County and is licensed with Remax Executive Realty.
Erik first discovered Greater Boston on a getaway to Boston. He says, “ Driving around, it took me a matter of hours before I realized that this is somewhere I could live, work and play “ apparently, he wasn’t joking; less than a month later, Erik had made that move a reality. Over the past 9 years, Erik has fallen even more in love with everything the Greater Boston Region has to offer.
What I love the most about living in the Greater Boston region
For some, living in the Greater Boston region and relocating here is a dream, and I'm so lucky that every day that goes by, I get to live out that dream by calling the Greater Boston region home.
Here are a few reasons why I love living in the Greater Boston region, and a few photos of me enjoying what the Greater Boston lifestyle has to offer.
Traffic & Roads
When I lived on Beacon Hill in Downtown Boston the traffic in the city was bumper to bumper. When I go out to the towns in Middlesex County, Essex County, and Worcester County for work and pleasure, avoiding rush hour traffic, it's a pretty smooth drive. Best to avoid rush hour traffic in the metro Boston area and drive when you have better options for a smoother drive.
I live in Middlesex County, west and inland from Boston. Traveling by car to Boston Logan International Airport takes me 40 minutes. Essex County and the North Shore is 30-35 minutes away, Downtown Worcester is 30 mins away, Norfolk County and the South Shore are in 45 mins and I can be in downtown Boston in under 35 minutes.
Close to Everything
They say in real estate location, location, location while living in the Greater Boston region offers you many incredible things to see and do right at your doorstep.
There are a million places to get lost in nature.
You’ll never hike all the beautiful trails and hidden paths in Greater Boston, but there’s no harm in trying! We can be in Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge with its trails, ponds, hiking, running, and fishing in under 15 mins or Hopkinton State Park for some swimming and kayaking. That doesn't include packing the car and packing a picnic.
The winters here aren’t too shabby either. We are blessed with four distinct seasons, with over seven months of sweater weather, you learn to love the cold season. There’s a reason so many people stick around Greater Boston to brave the chill: the summers are amazing, but the winters here are enchanting. There are many mountains, snowy forests, and ski slopes to explore.
In the winter, a favorite location we love to go to is The Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. It's the perfect area for a cross-country ski and dinner at a traditional local restaurant and seeing the sun dip below the rolling hills of the Berkshires is heart-wrenchingly beautiful.
The beaches are some of the best in the world.
From Cape Cod to the South and North shores, Massachusetts and Greater Boston beaches are consistently ranked among the best in the nation.
In less than 45 mins, We can hop in the car, drive over to Essex county and be on the North Shore where we love to go and spend time exploring the beach towns. Whatever we are in the mood for, whether that's playing on Nahant Beach in Boston North Shore or taking a quick stroll around Gloucester or Newburyport.
There’s no escaping the fact that Greater Boston does seafood like nowhere else.
After were done at Newburyport, we love to savor the tastiest seafood to eat at Sea Level Oyster Bar overlooking the Merrimack River and town square before heading home.
The history, culture, and education are unrivaled.
There's plenty of history to be had. Old Sturbridge Village, Plimoth Plantation, Lexington, Walden Pond, Concord, Boston’s Freedom Trail, and Salem’s Heritage Trail are all nearby opportunities for learning about the region’s rich history of places to go on school field trips as a student.
Every single Ivy League college is either within Greater Boston or a few hour's driving distance away. Not only that but there are dozens of world-class education institutions in the Greater Boston region.
Staycation Anywhere
I love living where millions of annual visitors come each year for vacation and having endless opportunities for a fantastic staycation. A few of our local getaway areas include The Berkshires, The White Mountains NH, Cape Code, Coastal and Inland ME, and the North Shore.
The number of restaurants and quality of restaurants is limitless. I love dining out in Greater Boston, where you can enjoy so many fantastic restaurants that offer the tastiest food and drinks, where many feature amazing scenic outdoor dining options and charming indoor traditional settings. If you're looking for suggestions on where to dine, reach out to me, I'd be happy to recommend you a few places you have got to try!
From Immigrant to Selling Real Estate
Eight years ago, if you were to have asked me, where do you see yourself in 8 years, I would never have dreamed I would be helping others live the American dream of homeownership, marrying the love of my life, buying his first home, and becoming a dog dad.
Erik relocated to Greater Boston in 2014 from the island of Ireland via Mount Desert island Maine and has now found his four-season playground.
What started with just a dream of one day moving to the United States and owning my own business became a reality when a local hotel in Acadia MDI Maine gave me an opportunity and said, sure, you can come work for us in Bar Harbor.
For 5 months, I grew the bottom line of this establishment that catered to high volumes of land tourists and cruise passenger tourists.
So Why The Change To Real Estate?
Before getting started in real estate, I was the proud owner of Ireland Insider Guide, a full-service boutique travel planning company, responsible for sales and marketing customized itineraries & travel to Ireland and Europe. A company I built from the ground up one client at a time.
For the better part of the last ten years, I’ve become obsessed with improving all areas of my life, both mind, and body, dedicated thousands of hours to self-development through daily physical and mental exercise, attending conferences both virtually and on location, learning from books, listening to audiobooks, podcasts, attending webinars, and most recently attending and receiving specialized training in real estate.
Usually, when I share my story with others, almost everyone always asks me why I left the travel and hospitality business, and why I emigrated to America to sell real estate. The clear answer is my future. The longer answer is my family, the belief in the attainment of the American dream, and the opportunity to help others achieve their American dream.
When I visited Greater Boston in 2014, I was busy building my travel services business. My business was expanding, but deep down I wanted more fulfillment from work life by helping others in more of a face-to-face way. The time came when I made the decision to take a sabbatical, winding down and closing up shop.
Real Estate has been an interest of mine for years, deciding there was no better opportunity than right now to combine the two on a committed level, Real Estate and Greater Boston, At that moment I decided to move forward. My family knew I was so happy living my dream,
Now in my fifth year as a licensed real estate agent, I can honestly say life is good. I love what I do and love working hard with ample recreational opportunities and to spend quality time with my clients, future clients, friends, and family.
Call or Text Erik at 508-466-4615 Or send him an email at [email protected]
