Marketers, problem solvers, cat herders, negotiators & coffee drinkers are just some of the roles we take on...

By the Numbers

$186,215,462
Value of homes sold

Small brokerages rock

99.80%
Price listed vs. sold

97.92% WVMLS average

Twice
Agent did both sides

We represent you.

96.90%
List vs Sold recession

95.56% WVMLS average

100.86%
List v. sold hot market

99.06% WVMLS average

Source: WVMLS (Willamette Valley Multiple Listing Service)

These statistics are for the agents at Tomson Burnham since the dinosaurs were around, or as we like to call it the founding of the brokerage in 2007.  Individual agent statistics aren’t counted in these totals that happened before the founding of the brokerage.   These statistics include the great recession stats as well as our current hot market statistics.  Whether it is a recession market or a hot market, we consistently do better than the WVMLS average in getting our clients a higher price.

Take a look at our listing photos and you will see why.  We spend our time finding the best ways to market homes to get the most money so that you don’t have to.

What our Clients say

Made it as easy as possible

I couldn't have asked for a more professional or knowledgeable real estate agent than Melina. After having lived in the house for 16 years I was dreading the sale process. Melina made it as easy as possible and had great insight into... | continue reading...

chrwit1 via Zillow

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-05T10:25:51-08:00

chrwit1 via Zillow

I couldn't have asked for a more professional or knowledgeable real estate agent than Melina. After having lived in the house for 16 years I was dreading the sale process. Melina made it as easy as possible and had great insight into how I could get the most out of the house without spending a lot of money. I give Melina the highest rating and would recommend her to anyone looking to sell, or buy, a house. Quite simply, she rocks!!

Made our house look magazine worthy!

We would highly recommend Melina. She is totally professional and highly organized. She brought in a stager and a professional photographer that made our place look like it should be in a beautiful house magazine! When I viewed it online, I thought,... | continue reading...

Judy M Hall via Zillow

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-05T10:28:04-08:00

Judy M Hall via Zillow

We would highly recommend Melina. She is totally professional and highly organized. She brought in a stager and a professional photographer that made our place look like it should be in a beautiful house magazine! When I viewed it online, I thought, "Wow! I'd buy that house!" We had some things that came up during the inspection but she referred us to some very capable contractors who did a fabulous job for a reasonable price. She was there to give us support and advice during the whole process. Selling our home was not our favorite thing to do and it's a difficult process all the way around, but Melina made it go smoothly. She was recommended to me by a friend and I am so glad she did!

So much guidance in preparing for sale…

Melina is a total professional and gave us so much guidance in the preparation and sale of our house. She works with professionals that came in, helped us with repairs, beautifully staged the house, and professionally marketed the property. The house sold... | continue reading...

demorrow53 via Zillow

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-05T10:29:19-08:00

demorrow53 via Zillow

Melina is a total professional and gave us so much guidance in the preparation and sale of our house. She works with professionals that came in, helped us with repairs, beautifully staged the house, and professionally marketed the property. The house sold much quicker than we anticipated and it could not have been a more pleasant experience

Delivered exactly what she promised…

My wife and I interviewed several Agents before settling on Melina. From the beginning we felt very comfortable with her. She viewed our home and delivered a marketing plan specific to us. She stated that she believed we could sell our home... | continue reading...

bobg1959 via Zillow

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-05T10:30:47-08:00

bobg1959 via Zillow

My wife and I interviewed several Agents before settling on Melina. From the beginning we felt very comfortable with her. She viewed our home and delivered a marketing plan specific to us. She stated that she believed we could sell our home for more than we thought it would bring, and more than the other Agents we spoke with thought. She invested her own resources to make it happen. Once we had an offer, Melina went out of her way to help us find a reputable and affordable contractor to perform repairs. In the end Melina delivered exactly what she promised. Communication was always great and she was always upfront and honest. She went beyond what we would have expected from an Agent. If we ever need an Agent again Melina will be the only one we call.

John was never impatient…

This was my first time selling a home, and John made the whole thing super easy. He explained everything clearly up front, from paperwork to fees to expectations. He helped set up the repairs I needed with highly reputable people who did... | continue reading...

summersjk via Zillow

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-05T10:36:35-08:00

summersjk via Zillow

This was my first time selling a home, and John made the whole thing super easy. He explained everything clearly up front, from paperwork to fees to expectations. He helped set up the repairs I needed with highly reputable people who did excellent work. Even though things dragged out longer on my end, he was never impatient or pushy about a timeline yet always available quickly if I had a question.

Friendly, professional and prompt

John was a pleasure to have as my real estate agent. John never left any questions unanswered and always responded promptly. He worked extremely hard for us, was dedicated, friendly, professional and prompt. He not only found us the exact home we... | continue reading...

heatheraavery via Zillow

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-05T10:39:22-08:00

heatheraavery via Zillow

John was a pleasure to have as my real estate agent. John never left any questions unanswered and always responded promptly. He worked extremely hard for us, was dedicated, friendly, professional and prompt. He not only found us the exact home we were looking for, he sold our house quickly for us too. I was thankful for his experience, expertise and that he was so goal oriented. I would highly recommend John!

Can’t say enough good things…

I could not have asked for a better experience. After contracting with John to sell my house, I fell ill. Recovery from the illness delayed preparing the house for sale by nearly a year. John was patient and helpful throughout, sending market... | continue reading...

zuser20160331094704193 via Zillow

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-05T10:41:59-08:00

zuser20160331094704193 via Zillow

I could not have asked for a better experience. After contracting with John to sell my house, I fell ill. Recovery from the illness delayed preparing the house for sale by nearly a year. John was patient and helpful throughout, sending market analyses three times over the course of the year. He provided good advice on a walkthrough; two hours of consultation with a professional stager; great advice on time to market; and excellent marketing materials including highly professional photography and an online 3D walkthrough. I received multiple offers-throughout the sale process he offered excellent insights into the offers, dissuaded me when my thinking was wrongheaded, and found a buyer that fit my personal situation perfectly. From first showing to close of escrow was only two weeks. I can't say enough good things...his experience is evident...he's an excellent broker.

Can’t say enough about John Kirk.

Can't say enough about John Kirk. We had an incredible experience with John Kirk as our realtor. We needed to sell pretty quickly - so was really stressful. John helped us prioritize to get ready - has a team of other staging... | continue reading...

Ken Smith

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T11:56:19-07:00

Ken Smith

Can't say enough about John Kirk. We had an incredible experience with John Kirk as our realtor. We needed to sell pretty quickly - so was really stressful. John helped us prioritize to get ready - has a team of other staging professionals that were prompt, professional and practical. Bottom line, we sold the home in EIGHT DAYS!! at a price above our target. John Kirk provided the personal support and technical details to get the job done right....can't say enough....

Professional at all times

We enjoyed working with Melina Tomson Burnham. She was professional at all times, went the extra mile in assisting us in most matters, including preparing the house for sale; her video of our house was excellent. We plan to work with Melina... | continue reading...

Shaku

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T11:57:33-07:00

Shaku

We enjoyed working with Melina Tomson Burnham. She was professional at all times, went the extra mile in assisting us in most matters, including preparing the house for sale; her video of our house was excellent. We plan to work with Melina again, as soon as the opportunity arises.

John’s an eleven

"On a scale of ten, John's an eleven! He is the rare agent who gets it -- from the big picture down to the smallest detail. With realistic pricing and astute marketing he sold our condo during the worst possible market. In... | continue reading...

Jan and Anne

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T11:59:30-07:00

Jan and Anne

"On a scale of ten, John's an eleven! He is the rare agent who gets it -- from the big picture down to the smallest detail. With realistic pricing and astute marketing he sold our condo during the worst possible market. In our search for a new home he was quick to point out pros and cons, compute costs of updates and assess resale potential. Throughout both transactions his extensive knowledge of real estate law protected us from costly mistakes. If he doesn't know the answer, he searches until he does. Added bonus: he has a great sense of humor and is a pleasure to work with."

Melina has you covered

Melina went above and beyond for our family at every turn as we sold our starter house and bought our family home. Our house had previously sat on the market for over a year with only one showing. Melina came in and... | continue reading...

Susie Navarro

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:04:25-07:00

Susie Navarro

Melina went above and beyond for our family at every turn as we sold our starter house and bought our family home. Our house had previously sat on the market for over a year with only one showing. Melina came in and was honest and direct about what needed to be done to make it sell. She has built a team of professionals around her, from inspections to staging, flooring to repairs, appraisals to financing, Melina has you covered! Melina's use of every avenue to advertise for you is unparalleled. Our house that sat on the market for over a year, was under contract in four days. And it doesn't stop there! She does her homework, so you don't have to worry. When it came time to purchase our family home, she was knowledgeable and on our side. We never felt pressure from her to make a decision. Melina pulled records and permits on the house that we wanted to buy so that we had all of the information going into the inspection. Because of her masterful expertise, she saved us a very high cost repair. And when everything seemed to crumble, Melina was there to save the day. She was always readily available to us through text, email, and phone calls. I have already recommended Melina to several friends, and I will continue to do so. Melina really does deserve all of the stars and accolades!

what it takes to sell acreage property

A Real Estate Professional – Melina Tomson is a top-notch real estate professional. She is knowledgeable about the Salem area and is familiar with what it takes to sell an acerage property. Tomson Burnham does a fabulous job of marketing the property... | continue reading...

Joan Cuff

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:06:09-07:00

Joan Cuff

A Real Estate Professional – Melina Tomson is a top-notch real estate professional. She is knowledgeable about the Salem area and is familiar with what it takes to sell an acerage property. Tomson Burnham does a fabulous job of marketing the property and making sure it is ready for a quick sale. Melina is an excellent negotiator and problem solver. I would highly recommend her to anyone who needs to complete a real estate transaction.

without hesitation

I met with Melina to get a comp on my house which she provided with a very professional notebook.I felt confident that my home would sell quickly so asked Melina if she would consider billing an hourly rate as opposed to a... | continue reading...

Michael Buck

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:10:07-07:00

Michael Buck

I met with Melina to get a comp on my house which she provided with a very professional notebook.I felt confident that my home would sell quickly so asked Melina if she would consider billing an hourly rate as opposed to a traditional listing fee. She was very amenable to working with me and in the end my home sold for about what she estimated. She was very professional and keep me up to date on my home as I had moved to another city.I would recommend her without any hesitation.

Quite simply, she rocks!!

I couldn't have asked for a more professional or knowledgeable real estate agent than Melina. After having lived in the house for 16 years I was dreading the sale process. Melina made it as easy as possible and had great insight into... | continue reading...

Christy Witzke

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:10:44-07:00

Christy Witzke

I couldn't have asked for a more professional or knowledgeable real estate agent than Melina. After having lived in the house for 16 years I was dreading the sale process. Melina made it as easy as possible and had great insight into how I could get the most out of the house without spending a lot of money. I give Melina the highest rating and would recommend her to anyone looking to sell, or buy, a house. Quite simply, she rocks!!

She is fantastic

We were referred to Melina by a friend & we had such a great experience working with her! She helped with so many things--finding a great contractor for repairs to our "old" house before selling, staging that house for showings, selling that... | continue reading...

Tim Joslin

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:11:32-07:00

Tim Joslin

We were referred to Melina by a friend & we had such a great experience working with her! She helped with so many things--finding a great contractor for repairs to our "old" house before selling, staging that house for showings, selling that house QUICKLY, and then guiding us through the many ups & downs of a long, complicated home purchase with a REALLY difficult seller. Through it all, Melina was patient, extremely knowledgeable & helped us make sound, sensible decisions that landed us our dream property! When the seller left a huge pile of junk in the driveway for us, Melina even showed up with her SUV and took a full load of garbage & recycling away for us! I would recommend Melina to anyone without hesitation. She is fantastic!

sitting on the market with no offers

John Kirk of Tomson Burnham is an exceptional realtor who really cares about his work, his community and his clients. My house was sitting on the market with no offers, and I was given John's name by a colleague. John helped me... | continue reading...

Jonathan Cole

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:12:29-07:00

Jonathan Cole

John Kirk of Tomson Burnham is an exceptional realtor who really cares about his work, his community and his clients. My house was sitting on the market with no offers, and I was given John's name by a colleague. John helped me through the process of re-staging the home and pricing it competitively. After taking John's advice, I had an accepted offer and a backup offer within 72 hours of the listing going live! Any home sale has its bumps along the way: John also has the skills necessary to facilitate resolution quickly and professionally. I relied heavily on John's negotiation skills, his network of contacts and professionals, and his advice, throughout the process of selling the home. The level of service I received FAR exceeded the commission I paid. I cannot recommend him highly enough!

a standout among Salem Realtors

Melina Tomson served as both our buying and selling agent in the spring of 2016. Melina is an exceptional realtor and broker. Our home search occurred during challenging market conditions with a very limited inventory. Melina patiently worked with us over the... | continue reading...

Elisa Warner

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:13:28-07:00

Elisa Warner

Melina Tomson served as both our buying and selling agent in the spring of 2016. Melina is an exceptional realtor and broker. Our home search occurred during challenging market conditions with a very limited inventory. Melina patiently worked with us over the span of several months to find the home of our dreams. Due to competitive market conditions, we were faced with the seemingly daunting task of selling our home within two days. Within hours of listing our home with Tomson Burham, we were fielding multiple offers that exceeded our asking price. Melina is a clear standout among Salem realtors. She has an intuitive understanding of her client’s needs. When walking through properties, she calls attention to features that may not be immediately apparent to a prospective buyer. Her clients benefit from her knowledge of local market conditions and trends when pricing a home or making an offer. Whether serving buyers or sellers, Melina is highly ethical and unfailingly honest, reflecting her genuine desire to help clients reach their personal real estate objectives. We highly recommend Melina Tomson as a realtor. She routinely exceeded our expectations. We feel very fortunate to have benefited from her expertise during our home search.

Selling was painless

We wound up using Melina’s services on a referral from a friend. Selling was as painless as I imagine it could have been – she helped us identify the things we needed to do before listing, those that we could do if... | continue reading...

Shannon Moore

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:14:21-07:00

Shannon Moore

We wound up using Melina’s services on a referral from a friend. Selling was as painless as I imagine it could have been – she helped us identify the things we needed to do before listing, those that we could do if we had the time and resources, and those we could skip. Using a professional photographer and staging she got a fabulous listing up and it sold quickly. While looking for our new home she helped us through the process ensuring we did not settle for something we weren’t going to be happy with just to meet a deadline. We wound up purchasing new construction even though it wasn’t going to be done before we had to move. Her services through that process were invaluable to us as we navigated building a house and working with the contractor. She was able to take what is a stressful situation and make us feel as though we had someone on our side looking out for our best interests at every step of the process.

You will be very happy

My wife and I would highly recommend Melina Tomson when selecting a real estate agent. We interviewed three agents before selecting Melina to sell our house. The marketing plan for our house was very good that Melina worked up. The house was... | continue reading...

Tom Staunch

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2019-03-24T12:15:34-07:00

Tom Staunch

My wife and I would highly recommend Melina Tomson when selecting a real estate agent. We interviewed three agents before selecting Melina to sell our house. The marketing plan for our house was very good that Melina worked up. The house was staged and a nice video was posted for an online walk-thru. Melina responds very quickly to emails and phone calls. She sends reminders of tasks that need to be done to make sure the house sells quickly and that all the loose ends are taken care of. We liked the way she used the online tools. Our responses to offers were all done online and paperless using DocuSign. She is an expert in the field with lots of experience and gave us good advice when we asked questions. You will be very happy if you pick her to handle your buying or selling of your house.

She handled everything for me

The most amazing broker that I could have asked for. She handled everything for me and I mean everything! Nothing was left to chance. If you are looking for hassle free this is the place! Thank you so much for helping me... | continue reading...
Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2020-08-14T17:33:00-07:00
The most amazing broker that I could have asked for. She handled everything for me and I mean everything! Nothing was left to chance. If you are looking for hassle free this is the place! Thank you so much for helping me sell my house and doing everything for me! Elizabeth Upton

Melina made the experience seamless and easy

Melina Tomson is a terrific realtor.  She covered all the bases and gave me good information at the outset of working together.  She was very personable, informative, thorough, and professional.  She knows the Salem real estate market!  Plus she has a terrific... | continue reading...

Anne Richards

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2021-10-31T14:28:34-07:00

Anne Richards

Melina Tomson is a terrific realtor.  She covered all the bases and gave me good information at the outset of working together.  She was very personable, informative, thorough, and professional.  She knows the Salem real estate market!  Plus she has a terrific sense of humor! I was living in an East Coast state for most of the time my house was on the market and Melina made the experience seamless and easy.  She was incredibly accessible and available, especially given a three-hour time difference.  Whenever I had questions, I was able to call her and get a prompt response!  She also worked really well with my two daughters who were helping with this project.  I would highly recommend her to anyone who wants to sell their house.    

Melina guided and supported us every step of the way

Melina was with us for months while we prepped our house for sale, got it listed, and then sold. I can't imagine using any other realtor. It was our first time selling a house and there were a lot of moving parts... | continue reading...

Tiffany Langley

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
5
2022-06-24T06:17:37-07:00

Tiffany Langley

Melina was with us for months while we prepped our house for sale, got it listed, and then sold. I can't imagine using any other realtor. It was our first time selling a house and there were a lot of moving parts (with renovations/repairs and a cross country move in the middle of things), but Melina guided and supported us every step of the way. I appreciate doing business with someone who is honest, realistic, and doesn't over-promise. I could tell Melina was all of those things from the first time we met with her and we trusted her completely from that moment on. Our sale was complicated, but we ended up selling over asking. I'm sure Melina doesn't miss our incessant texts and questions, but we definitely miss talking to her now that the house is sold. :) If you're looking for a realtor that won't pull the wool over your eyes, won't promise you the moon on something they can't deliver, but will give you their honest advice and counsel with your best interests at heart, then you can't go wrong with Melina Tomson and Tomson Burnham Realty. Highly recommend!

Love, love, love Melina!

Love, love, love Melina! She has helped us with both investment properties and our own home, exhibiting knowledge of the Salem real estate market approaching prescience, while simultaneously being personable, patient, and fun. She has exceptionally deep knowledge of all the neighborhoods... | continue reading...

Karen Davies

Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team
2022-06-24T06:18:40-07:00

Karen Davies

Love, love, love Melina! She has helped us with both investment properties and our own home, exhibiting knowledge of the Salem real estate market approaching prescience, while simultaneously being personable, patient, and fun. She has exceptionally deep knowledge of all the neighborhoods in Salem, performs initial walkthroughs with the eye of an inspector and someone who understands remodels and restorations … because she’s done them herself. When we weren’t able to get to a property fast enough in this hot market, she sent videos of every aspect in which we were interested. And she somehow knew what we wanted before and better than we did. Amazing real estate agent.
5
22
Andy Sachs & The Around Town Team

Property History

1909 4th St NE, Salem, Oregon 97301

4 Beds | 2 Baths | 2396 Sqft
$400,000
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1243 Marion St NE Salem, OR 97301

3 Beds | 2.5 Baths | 2160 Sqft
$375,000
Comments Off on 1243 Marion St NE Salem, OR 97301

Wheatland Road Lot

0 Beds | 0 Baths | 0 Sqft
$50,000
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Ferry St Lot

0 Beds | 0 Baths | 0 Sqft
$175,000
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297 Summit View Ave SE Salem, OR 97306

3 Beds | 2 Baths | 1481 Sqft
$475,000
Comments Off on 297 Summit View Ave SE Salem, OR 97306

2556 Dragon Fly Ct SE, Salem, OR 97306

3 Beds | 2 Baths | 2132 Sqft
$590,000
Comments Off on 2556 Dragon Fly Ct SE, Salem, OR 97306

4725 Pullman Ave SE, Salem OR 97302

4 Beds | 2 Baths | 1645 Sqft
$525,000
Comments Off on 4725 Pullman Ave SE, Salem OR 97302

1889 Lexington Cir SE Salem OR 97306

2 Beds | 2 Baths | 1190 Sqft
$375,000
Comments Off on 1889 Lexington Cir SE Salem OR 97306

1185 Jays Dr NE, Keizer Oregon 97303

3 Beds | 1 Baths | 2,536 Sqft
$450,000
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5412 Terra Cotta Dr SE, Salem, Oregon 97306

3 Beds | 2 Baths | 2118 Sqft
$625,000
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7652 Derksen Hill Rd SE, Salem, Oregon 97317

2 Beds | 1.5 Baths | 1382 Sqft
$525,000
Comments Off on 7652 Derksen Hill Rd SE, Salem, Oregon 97317

1695 Church St SE, Salem, Oregon 97302

4 Beds | 3 Baths | 2595 Sqft
$685,000
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How we help you reach your goals

Not all home sales are the same. Some are filled with excitement as you move on to something new and fabulous. Some are heartbreaking because bad things happen to good people all the time. Since they aren’t all the same, there is no standard marketing plan. Our marketing plans are based on what your home needs depends on your selling situation and the property itself. Some homes are ready to go and some aren’t. We will create a specific marketing plan for your home based on your needs and desires.

All of our marketing plans will have some of the following elements:

  • Staging services: vacant and occupied homes.
  • Presale home inspections.
  • Coming soon marketing.
  • WVMLS listing to over 2400 local agents and 550 different brokerages.
  • The big online sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, etc. We rewrite our descriptions for these sites since they give us more space.
  • Coming soon postcards to your local neighborhood.
  • Neighbor open houses.
  • High-quality professional photos
  • IDX Exchange-this is what allows you to be on the websites for other brokerages.
  • Cardstock permaflyers
  • Open Houses with high quality booklets
  • Just listed postcards
  • Project management for repairs
  • Facebook marketing
  • Specialty website marketing for MCM, vintage homes, horse properties, farms, etc.
  • Matterport 3D tours
  • Property video
  • Developer packets

We enjoy being creative and trying new ideas to market homes to potential buyers for your home.

The Pesky Details & Paperwork

We work hard to leave as little an environmental footprint as possible. We do most of our transactions digitally, but we get that some of you still need to sign on real paper. That’s fine too. Selling a home is a big deal and we want you to feel comfortable with the process.

We do weekly check-ins giving you the status of your home sale with any showings, feedback, new marketing, or whatever else has happened that week. If we know it, we want you to know it too.

We give you regular market updates so we can see how the price of your home is compared to the competition. We will help you manage any repairs that come out of repair negotiations as we deal with contractors all day long all year. We have contractors that will bill escrow for repairs too if we need to go that route for a big repair.

We will guide you through the process and keep you updated as we go along.