171 Pine St, Duxbury

He Built One Last Thing in His Rental Workshop. Then He Closed on His Dream Home in Duxbury.

Before Mike Huber signed the papers on 171 Pine Street in Duxbury, he finished one last piece in the workshop he'd been renting for two years. He brought it to the closing table. It was the last thing he ever built without a workshop of his own.

This is the story of how Tori and Mike got there — and the team that made it happen.

Two Years of Searching on the South Shore

Tori and Mike relocated from Colorado and had been renting in Hingham while they searched for their first home on the South Shore of Massachusetts. For over two years, they worked with an agent who was now retiring. They had looked all over Massachusetts and kept coming up empty.

Their wish list was specific: a workshop for Mike's woodworking, two dedicated home offices (they both work remotely), a two-car garage, room for family to stay, and space for Tori to garden. That combination, in their budget of $650,000 to $900,000, kept pricing them out of their target towns — Scituate and Hingham.

And when they did find something worth pursuing, they were not alone. In that price range on the South Shore, buyers line up. Every offer was a multiple-offer situation.

On July 26, 2025, Tori wandered into my open house at 12 Wicked Hill in Duxbury. She was heading to lunch, her friend was stuck in traffic, and she saw one of my signs. She walked in to tell me she couldn't afford the house. I asked her to tell me her story anyway.

A New Strategy: The Dream Session and the Field Trips

A couple of months later, Tori called to take me up on the dream session I had offered. We sat down at my Duxbury office, built a spreadsheet of their real wants versus their true needs, updated their pre-approval, and started with intention.

Before we toured a single house, I sent them on what I call field trips. I want buyers to fall in love with a community before they fall in love with a property. So I sent Tori and Mike into the towns they were considering to actually spend time there — find the coffee shop, walk the school campus, check the library board, bring the dog, ride bikes through the neighborhoods, visit the town hall. The house can always change. The town is where they are going to live.

The Game-Changer: Eastern Bank's Home Run Loan

We put in offers. And we kept running into the same wall. In a multiple-offer market, a traditional financed offer carries real risk for sellers: appraisal gaps, mortgage contingencies, uncertain timelines. Well-qualified buyers were losing to cash.

That is where Christine Fiske at Eastern Bank made the difference.

Christine introduced us to Eastern Bank's Home Run Loan — a product that allows buyers to present an offer with the strength of cash. No mortgage contingency. No appraisal contingency. Guaranteed to close on the seller's timeline. Able to close in approximately three weeks after a fully executed purchase and sale agreement.

For Tori and Mike, this was the unlock. They could walk into a multiple-offer situation as a financed buyer and compete with the certainty of cash. That changes everything.

The House — and the Team That Got Them There

One afternoon I was walking through a property in Duxbury on a routine visit and called Tori immediately: I just found your house. They hesitated — Duxbury had not been their first choice. But they came. They got goosebumps. 171 Pine Street checked every single box.

Getting to the closing table required a full team working in sync.

Christine Fiske at Eastern Bank structured the Home Run Loan that made the offer competitive. Attorney Chris Knoth and the team at Moody and Knoth reviewed the purchase and sale agreement and guided Tori and Mike through every step of the legal process. My transaction coordinator Sara Nelson kept all of us organized and on timeline. And Johanna MacDonald at ReMax represented the sellers professionally, helping make this a smooth transaction from both sides of the table.

To the sellers: we wish you all the best in your next chapter. Tori and Mike will treasure this home.

The Last Thing He Built

The day they closed — April 9, 2026 — Mike brought something with him. A handmade wooden piece, crafted in his rental workshop. It was the last thing he built before he had a workshop of his own.

He carried it to the table at Moody and Knoth. Then he carried it home to 171 Pine Street.

What This Means for You

If you have been losing offers on the South Shore, it may not be your budget or your qualifications. It may be the tools you are using. The Home Run Loan is one of the most powerful buyer tools available in this market right now, and most buyers do not know it exists.

If you are thinking about buying a home in Duxbury or anywhere on the South Shore, I would love to help you understand what is possible. Call or text me at (617) 834-7844.

Dawn Hadley, CRS, ABR, C2EX | Real Estate Advisor | Engel & Volkers South Shore