Residential Properties Ltd. is delighted to announce a new husband-and-wife real estate collaboration in our Barrington office, The Hayden Kirkwood Team, co-founded by recently added sales associates Melissa Hayden and Tim Kirkwood.
Their collaboration blends specialized regional insight with a strategic approach, ensuring that every buyer and seller receives twice the availability, tailored communication, and a stress-free experience from start to finish. As parents of three children, they understand firsthand the importance of finding the right community to call home.
A lifelong New Englander raised in Barrington, Melissa has over two decades of customer service experience and a unique background in environmental sciences. She has an insider’s understanding of the local market, with a unique perspective on the region's land, lifestyles, and diverse neighborhoods. Tim has 30 years of client-facing experience and over 22 years as a Barrington resident. He brings to his work a steady patience, an empathetic approach, and an ability to understand each client’s unique priorities.
Learn more about RPL’s newest team by reading our Q&A.
Can you both describe your prior professional experience?
Melissa: "My background is in the environmental sciences, and many of those skills translate directly to real estate. I bring hands-on experience in assessing the suitability of land for housing and development, as well as evaluating crucial environmental factors like flooding, wetlands, and septic compatibility. Having done extensive field work across Rhode Island, I have spent years learning the landscape, nuances, and unique communities of our state."
Tim: "My career background includes serving as a farm manager for an organic vegetable farm, which included running the farmers markets in Providence and Barrington. I also spent 20 years tending local bars, including at Bally's Lincoln, Tito's Cantina in Seekonk, and three prominent outdoor waterfront bars during their inaugural seasons. These fast-paced environments allowed me to hone my skills in building instant connections, active listening, managing high-stakes stress, conflict resolution, high-volume multitasking, and precise time management.
What made you decide to form the Hayden Kirkwood Team?
Melissa: "For us, working in real estate will provide a way to continue to work with people, which we both love, as well as an opportunity to do work that is meaningful to clients as they navigate an important life event. We realized that by combining our individual strengths, we could offer something truly special. Real estate transactions can be incredibly stressful, and as a husband-and-wife team, we are able to provide a seamless, double-layered support system.”
Tim: "Forming a team allowed us to bring our decades of customer service excellence together under one banner, ensuring that every buyer and seller gets a personalized experience. By blending our diverse backgrounds in environmental science, local agriculture, high-volume hospitality, and dedicated customer service, we are excited to offer our clients a truly well-rounded, attentive, and collaborative real estate experience.”
What made you decide to join Residential Properties?
Melissa: "Living in the East Bay for many years, Residential Properties is a name that has been really prominent in the area for as long as we have been here. The reputation that RPL has built is something we feel very proud to be a part of. We also really appreciate that it is a local independent business. It's important to us to support local businesses, so this was a logical choice for us. We felt that Residential provided an environment where we are supported and we feel a sense of collaboration.”
Tim: "Residential Properties is the premier real estate agency in Rhode Island, known for its deep local roots, incredible marketing power, and community-minded spirit. As a team that prides itself on local insight and high-level customer care, joining RPL was a natural fit.”
What are you looking forward to? What are your goals as a new team at RPL?
Melissa: "We are looking forward to working together, to building a business together, and to learning from some of the best agents in the industry at Residential Properties. We are both hard workers who care about people, and we look forward to building a name for ourselves. We appreciate that this business requires dedication and know that we have the skills to be successful in this next chapter.”
Tim: "We look forward to getting to know clients in this new capacity, and to guiding them through this very important process and decision in their lives. Melissa and I are excited to learn together and create something that we can be proud of. We strive to provide the best customer service possible and build meaningful, lasting relationships with our clients.”
To learn more about the Hayden Kirkwood Team, please visit ResidentialProperties.com.
