Frances Anderton-Denby

I grew up in a small, rural village in the North of England where my friends and I felt safe enough to pursue daily adventures without the need for adult supervision. School was a girl’s prep school, followed by a convent – both designed to turn out the perfectly precious young lady! My last two years of high school were at a school that included boys, much to my fascination and delight. Many vacations were spent in the South of France with my parents and to this day, I love all things French, and I have a particular fondness for Provence. I used to be fluent in French but these days my vocabulary is a little rusty.

At University in Liverpool, England, I earned my teaching degree, majoring in English and French. I tend to pick up accents quickly and for a while I sounded like Paul McCartney! In fact, my English professor at Uni taught Paul in high school. After college, seeking a break from institutionalized education I went to work for a major international bank and eventually became a corporate trainer at their International Training Center in London. My background in training has led to me become a Massachusetts Real Estate Instructor (MREI) in 2016. Arriving from England with my family, we landed in Acton, Massachusetts - the first time being in a January snowstorm - and I very nearly jumped on the return flight back to London! I had never been so cold! For the last sixteen years I have called Boxborough home. The small, close-knit community reminds me of the area where I grew up, although New England winters have lost their novelty value a bit these days.

For a while I had my own small company making window treatments and pillows for residential properties. I still enjoy sewing soft furnishings but mostly for myself. However, I do enjoy decorating which has given me skills to stage homes to their best advantage. Twenty years ago, while living in Acton, my family and I were renting a home that was managed by the owner of Acton Real Estate and we became friends. When she offered me a job, I accepted and got my real estate license. My first sale was to a fellow English woman who came in to the office planning to rent and ended up buying the condominium that she finally sold this year.

Choosing Acton Real Estate was a conscious decision to surround myself with professional and successful people. A successful agency is a happy agency. We were recently acquired by Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty and I couldn’t be happier. I now have access to even higher quality resources and an even more amazing support system so the future looks bright and I plan to continue being a top producing agent. If I had not chosen real estate, I might have chosen psychology, focusing on becoming a therapist. Perhaps that is why my definition of a successful transaction is when I have helped facilitate a mostly stress free meeting of minds with happy clients.

I attribute my success to putting the focus on listening to my clients’ wants and needs. I feel that communication and empathy are essential skills in real estate (having moved several times, including an international relocation, I feel I have empathy in abundance!), together with a sense of humor. I take my job very seriously - because buying and selling property is a very important undertaking and I want to help you get it right - but I see no reason why my clients shouldn’t have a little fun along the way. After all, you should enjoy your new home – it should make you very happy

Constantly looking to further my education and expertise I have earned the designations of Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR), and Senior Residential Specialist (SRES). and I can now add Massachusetts Real Estate Instructor to my achievements. I have belonged to several volunteer organizations, the most recent being co-hosting DivorceCare, a spiritual program designed to help people heal after separation and divorce, and I am now a proud Board member of Acton Lions Club. My mother became blind in later years and the Lions Club fund-raising focus on eye research is close to my heart.

My sons are now young adults and one of them lives in Philadelphia so I get to visit him from time to time, and when time allows I enjoy traveling to England to spend time with good friends and family. I have a yellow Labrador Retriever called Holly who sometimes acts as our assistant at the office, and occasionally features in my blog.

If you ever see a repeat episode of “Ask This Old House” focusing on insulation and draft control, the chances are that you will see me in it. It was recorded a few years ago but is repeated occasionally and I am still surprised by people saying they just saw me on TV! In fact, if you do see me around town, why not stop and say hello?