About Us

The Brains Behind Weekapaug Life
Robin Stieff Knisley
Desa DeVore Buffum

Welcome to Weekapaug! Where memories and friends are created…a cliché, but true none the less.

Weekapaug has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My Grandparents first arrived in the summer of 1938. After five years of renting, they bought their house from the Buffums in 1945. Every summer we’d make the seven hour drive from Baltimore to RI. I’d wake up to the potent seaweed smell rounding the bend, as we’d approach our home. My days were filled with sailing and tennis lessons, crabbing on the rocks, body surfing, scavenger hunts, BINGO…. Does it sound familiar? These are wonderful aspects of the community that make Weekapaug so desirable for young families to this day.

As I grew older, Weekapaug brought many entrepreneurial opportunities. As a teenager, I ran a camp for children, worked at the Yacht Club, helped Phil at the tennis courts, wrote for Ocean Views, and now I help people find the perfect spot to enjoy Weekapaug summers.

While writing for Ocean Views, I met my husband Jeff Knisley, who was the editor at the time and a year round resident of Watch Hill. Over the past 24 years, I have become familiar with “the other side of the tracks” and our Coleman office is in the heart of Watch Hill. We have many friends who continue to spend their summers in both communities.

Having worked in real estate eight years, I have become familiar with many of the coastal communities from Watch Hill and Weekapaug, to Shelter Harbor and Quonnochontaug, up the coast to south Kingstown, Narragansett, Jamestown and Newport. Each town has its own unique qualities providing summer homes and year round residences.

I welcome the opportunity to help you find the perfect property for your needs. You can reach me by cell 401-207-9187 or email robin@weekapauglife.com.
Greetings from a Weekapaug year-rounder and Welcome to WeekapaugLife.com!

Desa DeVore Buffum is my full name, but I am more commonly known by friends, family, and now you - as DeeDee. I have resided in the Mystic, Connecticut to Watch Hill/Weekapaug, Rhode Island area since childhood. In 1971, my Midwestern family made a big decision, leaving family and friends, when they moved from Overland Park, Kansas to Westerly, Rhode Island.

My post college professional career found me engaged in the flurries of the 1980s real estate market as a licensed Rhode Island and Connecticut real estate agent. My real estate career started with a top quality, hands–on, energetic Mystic, CT broker and was christened in the 1980s era of 10 % interest on the 30 year fixed rate mortgage.

Married life soon provided me an opportunity to join in the management of two family owned, seasonal resorts, the Manasota Beach Club of Englewood, Florida and the Weekapaug Inn of Westerly, Rhode Island. This full time work coupled with its transient, Florida to Rhode Island, lifestyle and no internet, caused a temporary departure from real estate, with a vow to return.

In 1997, my husband, Jim Buffum and I became year-round residents of Weekapaug, Rhode Island, established our two children in local schools, and made a commitment to direct the Weekapaug Inn onward to another generation. Jim and I have actively worked side by side as innkeepers (and sailors) for over 20 years. We are currently planning a top to bottom “green” renovation of our historic Weekapaug Inn.

Recognition for the Weekapaug Inn has included being named by Forbes.com as a Top 10 Beach Resort in the World and a Best Family Resort, as well as recently being recognized to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, I find myself bringing my innkeeper’s sensibilities, service oriented skills, and my love and in-depth knowledge of the area to my renewed career in real estate. As an agent and an innkeeper, I truly enjoy interaction with people and striving to meet and exceed their expectations.

Specializing in the “Inns and Outs” of Weekapaug, RI and the nearby coastal communities, certified by ePro and licensed as a Rhode Island and Connecticut real estate sales associate, I am ready to assist you with your real estate needs, whether for a week, a summer, a year, or a lifetime.

Please call me - DeeDee Buffum of Coleman Realtors - Watch Hill on my cell anytime at (401)741-2809, or email at deedee@weekapauglife.com.