Flavin & Flavin

Flavin & Flavin has been selling houses out of the same Hancock Street office in Quincy since 1925. The company describes itself as family-owned and operated, now marking its hundredth year, with Mike Flavin as president and John Flavin as broker. Alongside the brokerage it runs an insurance agency writing home, auto and business owner's policies — two businesses under one roof, and, judging by what customers write, two different experiences. The most recent word is warm. A seller this past March described working with an agent named Amanda to sell their parents' home after both had died, and what stuck was the practical help: listing leftover household items, meeting the buyers for them, and never being left wondering where the sale stood. That is the kind of work a century-old neighborhood office is built for. The older history is harder, and a homeowner should know about it. Google's 22 ratings average 4 stars, but the one-star end of that page is blunt. Reviews from a few years back accuse one of the owners of defrauding clients, dispute what an insurance policy bought through the office actually paid when a claim came in, and raise an agent's conduct at a home that was still occupied while listed. Those are customers' allegations, not findings, and they are several years old — the last six months brought only the one positive review. They are pointed enough to raise directly rather than skip past. The Better Business Bureau side reads differently: an A+ grade, accreditation since 2017, a 1925 start date on file, and no complaints or government actions on the profile. The firm is also listed as a Quincy Chamber of Commerce member, and its own site claims the South Shore towns you would expect — Quincy, Braintree, Canton, Dorchester, Hingham, Hull, Milton and Weymouth. If you want a small, long-rooted Quincy shop and an agent who will handle the awkward parts of an estate sale, this is a reasonable call. Before signing, pin down which agent will actually represent you, keep the brokerage and the insurance conversations separate and in writing, and put the older reviews to whoever sits across the table — a firm comfortable with its answer will give you one.