Blair Nell

Blair NelL

Owner/BIC/GRI/CRS

Office 919-240-7016

Mobile 910-514-3008

Email blair@bororealtync.com

Late one night several years ago, Blair Nell was looking over the shoulder of her husband, Clayton, at a real estate listing that wasn’t quite working. He wanted her advice, so she offered some thoughts about language and how the home might have been staged better. And that’s the moment she realized that she could do this, too, that she could sell homes and welcome and connect people to the community she already loved. After growing up at the edge of North Carolina’s Sandhills, Blair attended UNC-Chapel Hill and became a social worker, a job that allowed her to fulfill two passions at once—establishing relationships and assisting people. Those principles, she understands now, are at the heart of real estate with integrity. “I understood I could genuinely help people,” she remembers. “I knew how to sit down and really listen to what people need—and help them find it.”

Though her partners praise her ability to stage homes and manage a million details at once, relationships remain the most important part of her approach to real estate. Clients from her incredibly successful five-year run at a small Carrboro firm are now some of her very best friends, and as much as she likes to see the paperwork signed, she likes seeing new homeowners become parts of their community that much more. A mother of two and a fan of the Triangle’s rich culinary scene, she recommends restaurants and breweries, discusses the pros and cons of area schools, and generally hopes to give people a chance to lead their best local lives.

Reviews

My partner and I worked with Blair Nell (with some occasional help from Clayton Nell) on finding our new home in a beautiful wooded area of Pittsboro. We had a lot of hard requirements on the property we wanted and Blair found us a lovely home that met all of them. This was our first time purchasing a home so we were a bit naive about the process and how to proceed. Blair was on top of everything throughout the process; she was pretty much available 24 hrs/7 days, even on a holiday (though she says she would like to create a couple of evening hours that are reliably work-free for her family, which she and they certainly deserve) to make sure we got OUR offer accepted on a sweet house in a competitive market. She arranged and attended all the inspections so we didn’t have to miss much work, kept us up-to-speed on every part of the process (including bank-related issues that weren’t even her responsibility) and went to bat for us when we wanted the sellers to repair multiple issues and when some of the HVAC reports seemed questionable. From the start of the process to weeks after the purchase, she was in touch with us to ensure we were happy and that all i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed. It was a total pleasure working with Blair and I will certainly recommend her to friends and colleagues in the future.

We were first-time home buyers who were reluctantly hitting the real estate market after getting booted out of our rental in Durham. Even before we “committed,” Blair spoke with us for almost an hour on the process and procedure of how to even go about buying a house, and made me feel like it was not only possible, but totally fun. We had busy schedules, but she made everything happen, from viewings to inspections, to negotiations, to the closing. She was knowledgeable, gently drawing our attention to “red flags” that we might otherwise miss. She was responsive, and never once dropped the ball on communication with us or our seller. She expertly soothed a few anxious calls, and was there to celebrate when we closed. Her approach is personable, professional and totally tuned in to her client’s needs. Would highly recommend.

Blair was exactly what I needed in an agent from very first hello to closing! Moving from Asheville to the Chapel Hill area isn’t the greatest of distances but it was enough that having someone local to trust would be essential. While selling my house in Asheville I had some negative experiences with agents that felt like pushy sales so it was very important to me during my search that I find someone genuine to trust. I scoured agent bios and read SO many over several days before selecting Blair. Right away she was great at just upfront communication and understood what I was seeking. I will be highly recommending her in my new town whenever I can work it into any conversation.

Blair was a terrific agent for us as we were selling our condo in Chapel Hill. She guided us through the process from listing to final sale and we were impressed with her knowledge of the market, experience in the entire process, and appreciated her general positive/kind demeanor. We were selling our condo while living in a different state and Blair went above and beyond our expectations by helping us find and set up appointments with local contractors – she even met them at our condo and provided us immediate feedback/guidance. She was always responsive/available to us and we would highly recommend her!

Blair Nell of Boro Realty was a real joy to work with. She came heartily recommended to me by my daughter, who she assisted in the sale of their home in Chapel Hill and the immediate purchase of another one, no small feat with my daughter’s boisterous three young children and constantly changing schedules. Blair went overboard seeking solutions to all obstacles thrown in our path during the purchase of our new home. She kept cool and calm, returned our phone calls and texts quickly, and never let us down. Blair’s the first person I’d call if we ever decided to buy another home.

I have really enjoyed working with Blair. She helped my partner by some land about a year ago, and I called her up when I was ready to buy my own home. The market is competitive this season – and though several of my (above asking price) offers were not accepted – Blair was steadfast in letting me know when homes that fit my interests came to the market. Finally, the perfect home for me came on the market in a neighborhood I had been mentioning since I started my search. She showed the house to me the first day it was listed, and my offer was accepted within two days. The seller wanted a fast closing. We closed in under 1 month. Blair was able to help me pull it together that quickly because of the great working relationships she has with her colleagues (I went with her recommendations on lawyer, lender, inspector, etc. they were all superb). Needless to say, I’ll be recommending Blair to my friends and family.

Blair was great! We never would have even found our current house if she didn’t stay on top of the listings and suggest it to us before we saw it show up online. Her knowledge of the area (we saw a lot of houses together) made all the difference. And we were even able to get the house for under asking price in a spring market where the majority of prices were inflated. We couldn’t have asked for a better realtor!

I am so happy I had Boro Realty to help me with my house hunt! Blair Nell was my agent and she is the best! She was thorough, professional and great to work with. She kept me informed and answered all my questions even when they were confusing at times. I closed on my place last month and would definitely go with her and her company if I had to do again.

Blair is the absolute best- she is a fantastic realtor and great person in general. She is so hard working, incredibly responsive and communicative. She leaves no stone unturned through the home buying process and is a great advocate to have in your court. Blair is incredibly knowledgeable of the market AND a bonus is that her husband is also a realtor, and together they are a great team. You will not be disappointed by hiring Blair as your realtor. She helped me to find the perfect home, navigate starting a business on the property, and was incredibly supportive through a difficult personal situation. In short, she’s incredible!

Boro Realty helped us to find our first home! Blair understood our needs as first time home buyers, and took the time to talk to us whenever about whatever. Her patience, communication, and honesty showed us that we could trust her knowledge of the area and the market. From the first informal meeting to closing day, we felt confident that we were in good hands! We are so thankful.

It’s hard to put into one review just how excellent a realtor Blair was for us. As first-time homebuyers in a very competitive market, we had a real roller coaster of a path to closing, but Blair was there to guide us through everything that came up. She was always on top of things, there to answer our questions seemingly 24/7, and relentless in finding somewhere that suited our needs. Even in a hectic market, she was able to secure us a beautiful home. There’s exactly one place that we would recommend to anyone looking to buy or sell, and that’s Boro Realty!

Boro Reality helped us navigate the process of home buying with confidence and ease. My husband and I were lucky enough to cross paths with Blair Nell when she was closing a sale next to my mother's house. We knew instantly that this was who we wanted to work with! Blair worked tirelessly for us through our lengthy search. We did not have a huge amount to spend and wanted so badly to find a home with character where we could stay for decades. With Blair as our realtor we always felt that our needs and aspirations were understood, valued, and honored. She counseled us with the deep knowledge and expertise of a true professional but also with the kindness and compassion of an old friend. She fought for us, she explained everything thoroughly, she never missed a beat. Thanks to her and Boro Realty we are now in our DREAM HOME! Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

The whole process of buying a home has been so low-stress, working with Blair. Impressed with her social work background and disarming, kind and competent demeanor, she was just our style. Proactive and knowledgeable, Blair alerted us to aspects of each house; the importance of chimney height, what certain cracks suggested about the foundation, how traffic might impact noise and ease of resale. She quickly picked up on exactly what our needs and tastes were, and guided us to just the right house! When it came down to negotiations, Blair researched comps in the area, and guided us to come up with a workable deal, to everyone’s satisfaction. She has great connections in the community and referred us to excellent folks for inspection and repairs. As gentle and friendly as she is, Blair gets the job done-a mattress was still on the street after sellers had left the home. Blair’s right-on emails to all the right people solved that problem right away!! Get Blair on your team. She’s the one!

We used Blair to help us buy our first home in South Durham, and we could not have asked for a better realtor! She started out by educating us on the home buying process, helping us understand what to expect both financially and from a process perspective, and was patient until we were actually ready to start looking. When we did start to look, we felt she truly understood what we were looking for, and when we needed guidance, she did not hesitate to offer it, which we really appreciated. We ended up in the absolute perfect home for us, and Blair was the reason our offer won in a competitive situation. I would have been crushed if we hadn't gotten this house and am SO grateful we had Blair to help us get it! She is amazing to work with and we will continue to recommend her to anyone who needs a realtor! So glad we found her!

Our family purchased 2 homes with Boro Realty in 2020 and 2022. Their knowledge of the market, professionalism and flexibility allowed us to achieve quick results even during this challenging market. Blair, Clayton and others at Boro were fantastic to work with and we've recommended them to friends and family.

Blair and Clayton epitomize "dream team," especially when it comes to real estate navigation. There is no one I would want on my team more than the folks at Boro Realty. The wealth of knowledge and steadfast attention to detail, combined with fulfilling the needs and wants of their clients is unmatched! It is a joy to spend time with these two. As first time home buyers, my partner and I never once felt pressured into a situation we weren't comfortable with. All of our many questions were addressed and Blair never slept on an opportunity (truly, this woman sends emails at all hours). We cannot give them enough praise!

Blair Nell stood by our side for two whole years after we relocated to the Triangle without friends or family nearby. She helped us navigate the red-hot Durham housing market—and its notorious clay—with grace and grit. When we started to get nervous about our prospects and were ready to settle for less than what we wanted deep down inside, she and her husband, Clayton, encouraged us to be patient and reminded us that the right house would come along in due time. And it did! Along the way, she offered us wise counsel and a detailed roadmap of what lay ahead of us. She climbed into crawlspaces, pointed out structural defects, and recommended the most reliable and knowledgeable contractors and home inspector to help us assess potential issues. Her judgment, integrity, and negotiating skills are second to none. We are proud to recommend her and her company, Boro Realty, to anyone looking for their forever home.

Blair Nell helped us find our dream home. We moved to the area from NYC, and had very little knowledge of the local neighborhoods. Blair took the time to understand us as a couple and as a family and with her infinite knowledge, helped us navigate the local area and narrow down our search to fit out specific needs. She kept us from jumping on a home that really didn't suit us, and then went to battle for the house we wanted. I can't recommend a better person to have on your side.

When we needed to sell our condo from a distance, and Covid-19 was preventing normal travel, Blair went above and beyond the call in order to list and sell our unit. She sold the unit quickly and took care of all the details. It was the easiest real estate transaction we've ever had, thanks to Blair. Highly recommend.

Blair has helped me to buy two different houses in Carrboro and was fantastic to work with on both occasions. I had lackluster experiences with two different local agents before her so was feeling pretty jaded when we started working together. Blair was a breath of fresh air – she actually listens to what your home needs are and makes thoughtful and appropriate recommendations based on those. She is also honest and straight forward and lets you know when you are being unrealistic vs. when the seller is. And to boot, Blair is energetic, friendly, and responsive!

We worked with Blair at Boro Realty and she was amazing!! She is warm and friendly and easy to work with. She has a deep understanding of the local area (Chapel Hill and Carrboro) which was great in terms of comparable sales, estimating value, and available inventory. She is also incredibly detail-oriented and was helpful in documenting and explaining each step of the buying process. Blair is professional, responsive, knowledgeable, and the advocate you want on your side throughout the buying process. We would HIGHLY recommend!!

We built our home during the pandemic and while the building process was a nightmare at times, Blair was fantastic to work with! I knew we would get along the minute I met her--she was kind, attentive to our needs, and so easy to talk to. Many times, I felt like she wasn't just my agent but a most supportive friend who was always looking out for us and willing to help in whatever capacity that we needed. Blair is also a hardworking professional and flawlessly handled difficult communications with the builder to ensure we were being heard. Boro Realty's motto is that "Integrity Matters" and I truly believe our dealings with Blair reflected her firm's commitment to that principle. Would highly recommend this team to anyone who is looking for their next home!

Blair helped us navigate a tumultuous market and stuck with us until we found the right home. Her knowledge of the area is incredible and deep. She constantly has her eye on properties and looks at each one of them in terms of her clients. She gets to know you and what resonates with you. She sincerely wants you to find the home that is going to make you happy. What we wanted was a realtor that wasn't afraid to tell us when she though something wasn't right for us. Blair did that and more. Her insight and intuition are amazing. She made us feel understood. Her negotiating skills were impressive as well. She never pushed us to go outside of our comfort zone, but she did lay it out for us in how to be aggressive in this sellers' market. I would 100% recommend Blair to help you find your home.

Blair Nell is great! My Sister-in law and Mother & Father-in law have both used her so she is the family's agent. She helped me and my wife buy our first home and was excellent at guiding us through the process. She is very knowledgeable about the area. After finding the home we wanted, we found that there was already an offer on it. Her negotiating/bargaining skills quickly allowed our counter offer to be accepted and we were able to close in 30 days. We highly recommend Boro Realty!

Dedicated and knowledgable, a real class act! I can't say enough good things about Blair and her team at Boro Realty. Blair and Clayton helped our family find the perfect home and guided us through the process of buying and selling with ease. Blair is a dedicated professional who will work tirelessly on your behalf to make sure you stay informed and get the best possible results. I highly recommend Blair, she is simply the best!

Blair and her team at Boro Realty are the absolute best real estate firm in North Carolina! Hands down if you need a real estate firm to help you buy or sell your home and navigate all the complexities of this market these are the people for you! Blair help me both buy and sell a home, in a complex and competitive market. She lead me through the process with professionalism, kindness, and a true understanding of my unique financial situation. Blair is honest, kind, efficient, straight-up, and down to earth! Blair knows how to juggle many things, and she was 100% focused on my needs as her client. I was able to put full trust and faith in Blair! I will be recommending this wonderful person to every single person I know who is buying or selling or both!

Words to describe the real estate service Blair Nell and her real estate partner and husband, Clayton Nell from Boro Realty provided? Integrity, wisdom, and tireless pursuit of best possible outcomes. We are so very happy we chose Blair to both buy and sell homes this spring! Throughout the six-month period we worked with her, she consistently provided timely clear communication – especially when time was of the essence such as before and during contract negotiations. She’s an agent who is super reliable and has excellent negotiation skills. On both our contracts, buying and selling, I was relieved to discover she has great expertise and I could relax and rely on her. She thought of items to include on the contract resulting in us getting more money at closing. She’s super organized and detail oriented. This was especially helpful when she clearly explained buyer and seller rights during the due diligence process and kept us on track to meet contract deadlines. As buyers, she listened to our needs and was patient. She never pushed us. As sellers, the marketing strategies and pricing advice were excellent and as a result we sold our home quickly. She vastly exceeded our expectations. Thank you so very much Blair and Clayton!

We were moving to Carrboro from out of state, in the middle of a pandemic, into an absolutely wild real estate market. We had prepared ourselves for renting and a long house hunt. Instead, we closed on the first house we made an offer on. Blair and Clayton were wonderful the whole way through the process, from giving options for local mortgage brokers, to helping us narrow down our wants and needs, and finally steering us through a bidding war to buy our dream house. They gave great advice, but never pressured us. I hope we never have to move again- but if we do, we are definitely calling Blair!

I reached out to Blair not knowing if we would make Chapel Hill our new home. She jumped right in to help us research and explore all the factors in our cross-country move: schools, neighborhoods, and special resources. Ultimately, we did not move to NC, yet I know we couldn't have found our new home without Blair! Her guidance, professionalism, and caring heart were key to helping us make the best decisions for our family. Thank you Blair for helping us gain clarity of our needs, and step through a daunting process!

We had two great experiences with Boro Realty—once selling and then buying. We were so impressed with Blair when she represented the buyers of our townhouse, we decided to work with Boro to find our new (very old) home in Hillsborough. Although there were numerous challenges and considerations with buying a 100+ year old house, Blair and Clayton were undaunted and stepped up with their excellent experience and service. We are very grateful!

Buying a home, especially your first, is not easy and comes with a lot of fear, frustration and could be an emotional turbulence. However, if you have an agent like Blair on your side than you have lucked out. She is thorough beyond imagination, knowledgeable, creative (yes, that’s important too), hard worker (she is always there available for anything you throw at her), and just takes care of EVERYTHING in the buying process. Everything! Do yourself a favor and work with her. Thanks Blair!

My husband and I just bought a home in Carrboro and Blair was our buyer's agent. While I monitored the typical real estate listing websites, Blair often knew of available homes days ahead of time due to her deep knowledge of the market. We moved here from out of state and trying to find a home while learning the community is never easy. Blair had great advice at every step of the way and knew what would work for us. She is attentive, kind and persistent — all qualities you really need in a real estate agent.

Blair did an excellent job helping us get our condo ready to market, and it sold for more than our asking price in the first weekend. Our condo had been a rental for many years, so it needed work before it could be put on the market. Blair made all the necessary arrangements and got the necessary work done quickly and professionally. She also arranged to have the condo staged for showing, and it looked great. There were a number of complications that came up during the process, but Blair worked effectively with the buyer’s agent to make sure everything stayed on track. As out of state owners, we were concerned about potential difficulties relating to a long distance sale, but Blair made it work smoothly. The sale is now complete, and we are happy customers.

Buying a home in 2022 is a wild ride, but Blair knew how to make it as easy as possible. She was communicative, knew how to look for things that suited our wants and needs, and knew all the answers to my million questions. I also felt comfortable with her and trusted her to tell us the truth and not to nudge us into buying something that wasn't worth it. I can't imagine having done it any other way!

Absolute Best Team - It is still unbelievable to us that we completed our goal to sell quickly and gained so much more. We never thought this process would be easy and now looking back we are overwhelmed with gratitude in how much Blair and Clayton helped to simplify the process and achieve the sale itself. From the planning, to the timing, to the staging and the marketing, we had a collaborative plan that put us in the best possible position to sell. You both were so thoughtful and strategic in working with us. You were conscientious and kind. You went above and beyond in so many ways (helping with furniture sales and paperwork) and we cannot thank you enough. Your professionalism and yet personable approach remains unmatched with any of our past realtors. You brought heart and smarts. We could not have accomplished this without you and we are forever grateful for your understanding and concern around our situation.

We worked with Blair from Boro Realty three times over the last five years and wouldn't even consider anyone else after our successful work together. Her dedication to understanding client needs and guiding them through the process is unmatched in my experience. At every step she was prepared and professional and used a practiced eye to advise us while helping us to find the perfect home for our quirky little family. Highly recommend.

There is no way to overstate the exceptional experience that Blair and her team provided for my elderly mother who was downsizing from Fearrington. There were a considerable number of things as a widow that had been left undone she wasn't capable of doing that Blair gently stepped in and took care of - way beyond what a typical realtor would be expected to do. The idea of staging was a completely new idea to my moms generation which Blair was able to, again, persuade her to do without being pushy. Every step of the way, Blair showed consummate patience combined with respectful understanding often going to her new house to explain how the process was going. The final result was a transformed house that sold for way over asking price. The selling phase also highlighted Blairs talents- she managed the offers with considerable savvy and made sure all parties involved felt good about the transaction. One can trust Blair and her team every step of the way and most assuredly get the best deal in town and a new friend as well. If you want a personalized, professional, warm with attention to detail experience, look no further than Blair and Boro !

I highly recommend Boro Realty. My sister spoke the world of having worked with Bill Mullen, so I gave Boro Realty a call. I worked with Blair and she was a breath of fresh air. I have had bad experiences with a realtor where I felt that she was untrustworthy, and I found myself questioning everything due to a lack of guidance. Blair was knowledgeable, professional, easy to talk to and always made me feel like she was looking out for what was in my best interest. Her guidance was superb and I felt completely at ease throughout the whole process. If you are unsure which realtor to go with, look no further than Boro Realty. You’ll be glad you did.

We were very happy with the quality of service we got from Blair! She searched with us high and low for 6 months in a crazy market til we found a home that suits us quite well. Blair is highly experienced and well networked. Our small guest house has a septic tank that the owners didn’t know about, and Blair was the one to discover it. She was pulling up old property maps and talking to her friends with the city— she truly went above and beyond. This find got us instant equity in our home and saved us from some headaches down the road.

Blair recently helped me purchase a new home as our family transitioned into a new phase of life. Throughout the entire process - from searching for homes that fit our needs, going through inspections, finding bids on repairs to closing and moving - Blair was the most professional, knowledgeable, responsive Realtor with whom I have ever worked. I love the approach that Blair and Clayton bring to the table, as we felt we had a solid team of professionals supporting our family through this process. I felt their commitment to their motto "integrity matters" throughout every step of the process and am so grateful for the ease with which I was able to make this purchase and move. I cannot speak highly enough about my experience in working with Blair and the Boro Realty Team!!

Having the right realtor in such a hot seller's market is key. And honestly? There is a gamut of realtors with varying levels of experience, temperament, and intelligence. Blair was, by far, incredibly gifted in all three. You want someone who will negotiate in your best interests, who will tell you how to negotiate when other realtors just intone, "best and highest" at you. You need someone who truly wants you to be happy in your home. Blair cares about her clients and her service was top notch. Blair was ridiculously available, 10pm need to write an offer? She was on it. Need to see a house that just listed an hour ago? Done. Need to nudge other stakeholders to get things in line on time? She's already sent off the friendly email. When you are panicking because buying a home is an emotionally intense process? She will talk you off the ledge, but tells the tough truth when you need to hear it. Her command of the local area is exceptional: she talked me out of houses that she knew were bad deals / big problems when other realtors would have happily sold them to me. She never made me feel less important because I wasn't buying a 500K home. I felt just as important, and I believe she gives the same kind of attention and care to all of her clients, no matter what. Available. Kind. Honest. Knowledgeable. Invested. That is Blair, and that is Boro realty, you cannot go wrong.

Blair and Clayton are wonderful to work with! We would highly recommend them to assist whether you are planning to buy/sell or both! The personal experience that they provide is truly invaluable and we felt as if we had a true partner who understood what we were looking for. Never once were we left questioning the next steps in the process and the expertise from Blair and Clayton helped us navigate a competitive market. From the moment we engaged to the moment we closed we were taken care of and at the end of the day that's all that matters.

We love Boro Realty! As first-time homebuyers in a new area, we met with three separate realtors as we began our journey, and ultimately went with Blair. I’m so glad we did! She was incredibly helpful with all the questions we had, quick to respond to texts and emails, and successfully helped us buy a home in this crazy market. I loved that in addition to being open to any houses we suggested to see, Blair also spent time searching for them herself and sent listings each week when she found good fits. It felt like she was truly doing the work of a real estate agent instead of leaving it up to us to reach out to her. Blair also was incredible with our young daughters. She brought a vase of daffodils for them to a house showing, lugged in a big box of toys for them on home inspection day when we had to hang around for a few hours, and brought them both individualized closing gifts in addition to ours when the house purchase went through. We loved those personal touches and would absolutely recommend Blair in a heartbeat.

Our family had a great experience working with Blair. Blair went the extra mile with my elderly mother walking her through all the necessary details. She staged the house beautifully, including managing repairs, painting and decor. All of this effort made it possible to sell the house quickly and at a price we were very pleased with. I cannot overestimate the patience and kindness that Blair offered in working out all of the arrangements with my mother and the family every step of the way. Blair’s professionalism, sincerity, warmth, organization, and attention to detail was very much appreciated. We highly recommend Blair and Boro Realty to anyone considering selling their home.

My daughter recently bought a single dwelling home and sold her townhouse using Boro Realty. From a mothers perspective Blair and Clayton are amazing ! They were able to walk my daughter through the exhausting process with exceptional professionalism and confidence. Blair provided my daughter with just the right amount of direction which was so helpful given the recent real estate market. She always had my daughters best interest in mind. And to top it off she is incredibly kind and caring !