Pat Caruso & Sue Leach
Broker/REALTOR® SRES
With a lifetime of combined real estate experience, Pat Caruso & Sue Leach joined forces to provide clients with exceptional service, deep local expertise, and thoughtful, hands-on representation throughout every step of the real estate journey.
Patricia “Pat” Caruso/Broker-Realtor
Pat brings over 25 years of successful brokerage experience and is an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP) known for blending luxury home staging with strategic pricing and expert negotiation. She holds an extensive portfolio of advanced designations, including: CRS, SRES, ABR, ALHS, CREN, RSPS, AHWD, SFR, and e-Pro.
Pat specializes in residential, luxury waterfront, resort, and vacation properties and is highly regarded for her ability to keep transactions focused, organized and moving forward- while maintaining professionalism, discretion, and calm. Her clients value her market insight, strong advocacy, and ability to navigate complex negotiations with clarity and confidence.
In addition to her real estate career, Pat’s professional background includes experience as an insurance underwriter, a registered representative with New York Stock Exchange firms, Dreyfus Service Corporation and Fidelity Brokerage, 8 years as an educator and sales consultant with Clinique. This diverse foundation strengthens her analytical insight, financial acumen, communication skills and client-focused presentation-providing well-rounded representation.
After more than 20 years visiting friends in the area, Pat and her husband relocated from Middletown , NJ to St James in 2019. She is actively involved in the community as a member of the St. James Activities Committee and Service Club. She also is a volunteer for NEST, an organization dedicated to helping neighbors age in place as long as they can.
Outside of real estate, Pat enjoys walking, painting, reading, entertaining and spending time with family and friends.
Susan “Sue” Leach/ Broker-Realtor
Sue has lived in St James since 2008 and first purchased property here in 1999. Having bought and built within the community, she offers first-hand insight into St James’ neighborhoods, amenities, and history and growth. Originally from Western Pennsylvania, Sue happily traded snowy winters for coastal living and is proud to call St James home.
Sue was Featured in BRUNSWICK REAL PRODUCERS as a RISING STAR | February 2025 Her professional background in healthcare, education, management, and sales provides her with a well-rounded, client focused approach. She holds the SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist) designation and the PSA (Pricing Strategy Advisor) certification, enabling her to guide clients through pricing decisions and life transactions with care and precision.
Sue is deeply involved in the community through the Service Club, Southport Sailing & Boat Club, the Croquet Club, and as a volunteer at the community library. She and her husband enjoy boating, golf, croquet, beach time and cooking.
Together, Team Pat & Sue believe real estate is built on trust and relationships-and their commitment to clients extends well beyond the closing table.
Testimonials
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When we decided to sell our St. James property, we did not know any of the potential SJ sales agents. We called the sales office and were very fortunate to be introduced to and meet the team of Sue Leach and Pat Caruso. Sue and Pat work as a team, and their collective expertise, guidance, and experience was value added from the start. We sold our house in eight days, and our boat slip a couple of months later. We also appreciate the friendship that developed over time which was as important as the successful transactions. Carol and I recommend the Leach-Caruso team for your consideration. A more professional team you will not find. You won’t be disappointed!
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My husband Matt & I had the pleasure of working with Sue Leach when searching for our new home in North Carolina. We knew we wanted to be in the NC coastal area but did not know where. Sue is extremely knowledgeable about the area and was patient, helpful and informative. We were looking for a community that had golf, pickleball, country clubs, dining, workout facilities, pools, beach access, and a marina. Sue knew St James would be a great fit and she was right. We purchased our home and a slot at the marina all with Sue's help and guidance. Sue helped us focus our search by listening to what it was we really wanted and making sure we found a home in a community that is perfect for us. Sue is an experienced professional and a pleasure to work with. We'd highly recommend Sue, especially if you're looking in St James.
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Thank you for all your help over the past 18 months. Buying a home in a different state proved to be a long and arduous process but we were lucky to have you by our side. Your hard work helped us find our dream home, and we couldn’t be more grateful or excited about this milestone.
From the first day we met at your office, to the day we closed, you were our eyes and ears looking out for our best interests and we appreciate it.
We have to give you credit, although we were in different states, your communication skills were exactly what we needed to feel comfortable, consistently updating us whenever we had a concern. You really took the time to know us and understand our family dynamic. And we learned a great deal about you. You earned our trust!
We’re so grateful for the effort you put in to keep us informed and confident while navigating this purchase. Your service and personal touch exceeded our expectations.
Is there a good place to write a review of your services? Please let us know. We will be happy to share our positive experience to help encourage others to get in touch with you. We also plan to refer you to our friends, family, and colleagues who need real estate assistance in the future. -
When I went to St. James Properties, I had no pre-conceived idea of the broker / sales agent I would get. I was fortunate that the person was Sue Leach of the team of Leach & Caruso (Pat & Sue). While I was initially disappointed in the asking price it turned out to be the right one and when the sale was completed a good price for the market at that day.
The market was slow and therefore it took quite a while to close the sale; however, throughout that period, Pat and Sue always covered one for another. One of them was always there for me. Also they took care of the administrative headaches. I had to check on the property only a minimum of times.
On the whole, I believe that the Pat & Sue team did a great job for me and I recommend them to other potentials customers.
- William (former St James Plantation property owner) -
My husband and I worked with Sue Leach on a purchase of a home in St James in May of this year. We moved here from California. Working with Sue was an absolute pleasure. She was so diligent and prompt when we were looking for our home . No pressure and always happy to help with any questions throughout the whole process. I still reach out to her and she is always so happy to help.
Thank you Sue for everything, -
Sue and Pat, Thank you both for doing a wonderful job of making it practically painless to downsize within St James. Buying a house was exciting, but also scary since I hadn't even listed my other home. Your expert advice with the pricing, staging and listing meant that my house sold quickly and for a good price.
