The Genesis of River Hills Properties

Bill and Robin Mongeau didn’t set out to build a big real estate company. They started small in 2011, in a modest office in Barneveld, New York, with one agent, a lot of grit, and a pretty simple idea, do it better than everyone else.

The two met on a blind date. Robin still laughs about it. “I reeled in my big tuna,” she says. That mix of humor and confidence has been part of the formula ever since.

Bill brought the kind of experience you don’t see every day in real estate. He flew Cobra helicopters in Vietnam in 1969 with the U.S. Army’s 129th Assault Helicopter Company. After the military, he worked his way through finance and the oil industry, from Southern California to New York City. Eventually, he led major national and international companies as CEO. That leadership style, steady, disciplined, no nonsense, became the backbone of what they built.

Robin’s story is a little different, and she’ll tell you that herself. “I’m a hillbilly from Paines Hollow,” she says, proudly. What she brought was hustle, instincts, and a real connection with people. She built her name the hard way, becoming a multi million dollar producer and one of the top selling single agents in the region.

Put the two together, and it clicked.

River Hills Properties grew from that single agent operation into a team of nearly 50, with offices now in Upstate New York and Southwest Florida. But the approach hasn’t changed.

Robin puts it this way. “All Realtors say they’re different. Number one in this or that. That’s fine for some people. But you’re not just some buyer or seller.”

Then she gets to the point.

“This is the biggest transaction of your life. Where you live, where your family makes memories. You deserve more than someone putting up a sign and hoping for the best.”

That philosophy shows up in how they do business. Clients aren’t handed off. They’re walked through every step, from the first meeting to the closing table. Showings, inspections, appraisals, it all matters.

And one line she repeats says it all. “Never a lockbox, only me.”

There’s also a culture inside the company that stands out. Bill’s role as a mentor is a big part of it. Agents talk about structure, accountability, and having someone in their corner who’s been there before. It’s not just a brokerage, it’s a team that expects a lot and backs it up.

Robin calls them a family of real estate rock stars. It sounds bold, but they’ve grown into it.

What started with a blind date and a small office in Barneveld has turned into something much bigger. Still local. Still personal. Still built on the idea that doing it right matters more than doing it fast.