We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Paula Meridan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Paula, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Who is your hero and why? What lessons have you learned from them and how have they influenced your journey?

My heroes were my parents. Went to heaven my Dad at 97 and Mom at 92 two weeks apart in December 2015. World War II era. My Dad went to Europe for 3 years and he had 3 other brothers who were also gone and enlisted at the same time. My parents worked very hard. Started their own business in their early 30’s ( a drugstore in the town where Mom grew up). They borrowed from everyone to do so. They worked 7 days a week and were very successful because they always treated their customers well. Were very generous in the community, loyal, trustworthy etc. When one could not pay for a script Dad gave them credit and at times gave them their medicine for what they could afford. Much like Dad’s father who was a MD in RI. During the Depression and took furniture for payment of medical bills. Mom went in the real estate business at 50. She was in it for 25 years and did exceedingly well. They both taught me never to think about the compensation. Do a good job. Do your best. Always treat the client fairly and never think of what you will or may receive in return. Be good to people. Treat people well. Be generous when you are able for no reward. As Edwin Land (Polaroid) said: “the bottom line is in heaven”. Great people. Great values. And still remembered and spoken of highly today even though they are no longer here with us in person. What more could you ask for?

Paula, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Paula, born and bred in Boston and raised in Westwood, joined the Wellesley office of Compass in October 2022. Formerly an interior designer specializing in color, fabric and residential staging, Paula is listed in the Who’s Who of American Women for her creative, timeless interiors. Paula’s portfolio has included properties in the Back Bay, Charlestown, South End, Dedham, Osterville, Wellesley and Westwood, as well as Arizona, Connecticut, and New York states.

Paula’s career in real estate began in 2019 at Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty until her move to Compass in 2022. Following in the footsteps of her mother and maternal grandfather, real estate has been in Paula’s bloodline for almost a century. Her grandfather Ernest, a self-taught architect and developer, purchased, built and sold properties in Dedham and Westwood in the 1930s. Paula’s mother, Elaine, had an impeccable stature in the real estate industry in Westwood and Dedham for 25 years, when interest rates were 18% and houses were selling for $50,000. To this day, people still remember Elaine’s graciousness and integrity that attributed to her sterling reputation. Paula strives to carry on this family tradition with the attributes instilled in her by her ancestors, which include honesty, fairness, sensitivity, versatility, dedication and loyalty. Paula is principled and trustworthy, always working to build lasting relationships with kindness, a strong moral compass, and high ethical standards.

Paula is a Wheaton College honors graduate. She is a former member of The Executive Committee and Board of Directors of The Junior League of Boston and previously served as President of The Friends of The Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her civic interests include The Westwood Historical Society (Board Member), The Westwood Land Trust, The Westwood Women’s and Garden Clubs, The Friends of the Westwood Library, The Dedham Historical Society, The Boylston Schul-Verein in Walpole and The Boston Speaker Series.

Paula presently resides in Westwood and Wings Neck, Pocasset (Cape Cod).

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

My first listing in real estate. Was with a developer who never had a real estate agent sell his properties as his wife would list them on MLS. My family had sold him the land and I may add a an extremely good price. Family dynamics were such that. it was easier to do this then have a huge family fight. But given this this did not change his ideas regarding selling the newly built house. When in the process of building this he had many conflicts with one former neighbor of ours. They wanted the land to stay as it was. So this gentleman called me numerous times for easement information, legal information etc. that we had given him at the closing. I helped him out numerous times. But still this had no impact on listing his property. One week i took a sales training class and in that NINJA class we had to contact anyone we knew as a prospective client and I contacted him. I went to see him after the class and just suggested lightly that maybe we would be able to work together. He brought his wife into the mix and they both knew of numerous real estate agents in our small town so did not want to list the property as it would cause a problem with the other agents who did not get the listing. But they knew that our firm could absolutely help them “quietly”. So we signed an agreement for two weeks. Off Market. No sign. Not on MLS. Could only advertise by mouth and social media. They wanted 2 Million dollars for the house which also was pushing the envelope price wise. Nothing was listed in Westwood for this price at this time and there were no comps at 2 Million. But we took the listing, had a social media wiz in our firm put the word out and if you can believe in 2 weeks got an accepted offer at $2,050,000. A remarkable feat. Something quite honestly I did not think would ever happen. But it did. Then the appraisal came in at $200,000 below our price. But thankfully the buyers had the cash to make up the difference. A true miracle. But a miracle in that we fought all odds, against what everyone was saying but we did it. And now that house 3 years later is worth about 3 Million. Additionally, in the negotiation if it came to that we would have given up our commission to sell the property as it was worth more that we cut the deal then the compensation we received and we told them as such. Thankfully we were able to do both. We were paid and the house was sold over what they had expected. a win win.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Regarding above scenario. Never give up. Miracles happen with perseverance and hard work and being honorable. And not thinking of the compensation, just doing your best. Even when it looks impossible it is not. Anything can and will happen if you believe in it and put the work in to persevere. And have others around you to assist you. We well paid the social media person to help us without knowing there would be success. Be willing to share and not have greed in your mind. Collaborate.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.compass.com/agents/paula-meridan/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Paula.Meridan/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paula.meridan.7/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmmeridan1/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulameridan