Contacting Amanda at the strong recommendation of a friend was one of the best decisions I've ever made. From day one, she made us feel completely confident that we were in the best hands. I knew absolutely nothing about home buying, and truthfully, nothing about homes, yet she made my wife and I feel at ease through every step of the process. She helped us understand what we could comfortably afford, and she made us feel proud of what a real accomplishment it was to save for and purchase our first home. Amanda was endlessly patient, teaching us about the Lakeview and Lincoln Park markets, never overwhelming us but always giving us exactly what we needed to make clear, confident decisions. She was a tireless advocate, even on weekends, working around the clock to ensure our offer was competitive and submitted at just the right time. She never pressured us, always ensuring that we moved at a pace that felt right, which ultimately led us to the home of our dreams. She also surrounds herself with the best people. Angie, her incredible partner, is kind, down to earth, personable, and truly generous with her time. She once came out on a weekend just to walk us through the home we had already purchased so that our parents, who were visiting, could see it in person. That gesture meant so much to us and perfectly captures how Amanda and Angie operate: with kindness, patience, and genuine care for their clients. Even after closing (well after!), Amanda continues to be there for us, taking calls, helping us find trustworthy contractors, and saving us thousands of dollars by steering us away from overpriced or unnecessary work. Her knowledge, integrity, and generosity are unmatched. I'm sure there may be many wonderful agents here in Chicago, but it's hard for me to imagine anyone better than Amanda and Angie. I can't recommend them highly enough. read more

I have been fortunate to work with Amanda McMillan as both a home buyer and as a seller. Both times she delivered 100% customer satisfaction and strengthened my resolve to refer her to my family, friends and colleagues. When I purchased my condo in Chicago I was a first-time home buyer. Aside from her refined professionalism and ubiquitous good nature, I found Amanda's greatest strength to be her encouragement to verbalize my needs and specific reactions to the properties we viewed. She was then able to assimilate this information in a way that effectively narrowed the scope of the search, maximized the presence of my desired features in the properties and kept me within my price range. The concept of listening carefully to your client and using that information to create the right outcome isn't radical, but I've seen enough examples to the contrary to know that Amanda really gets it! Not once in four years of ownership did I have a moment of doubt that I found the right home. As a selling agent, Amanda's knowledge of the industry, marketing strategy and work ethic were even more impressive. For my condo she assembled a fantastic marketing plan that leveraged more advertising and communication channels than I ever expected. Not only does Amanda effectively leverage print campaigns, electronic media and signage, the real differentiator was the personal contacts she makes with other agents both inside and outside her firm. By intelligently managing the pricing, listing, marketing, showing and negotiating stages of the sale, Amanda delivered an outcome that exceeded my already high expectations. In what the daily headlines were calling a "challenging" market for home sellers I had three competing bids within 7 days of listing and eventually sold for a little more than my asking price, for which Amanda is largely responsible. read more

I am so happy to write this review for Amanda McMillan. I had contacted Amanda about a year ago with the thoughts of purchasing a new home. She was a referral from a friend who had raved about her service and the compassion she showed for her clients. After sitting down with Amanda and finding out what my future looked like down the road, (if we were looking to have kids, do we have dogs, etc.) Amanda spelled it out for me in a way that I could understand. She did not mince words about the market being difficult, and discussed a very realistic pricing strategy with us. A short month later, in one of the toughest real estate markets to date, we sold our home and have since bought another with Amanda. We could not be happier with our transaction or with Amanda's support throughout. The key things that impressed us about Amanda: - She always communicated with us directly about where we were in the transaction and to alleviate any concerns. - We dealt directly with Amanda and her partner throughout the transaction and were never "passed off" to an assistant - She was fair and realistic with us at all times - She took the time to understand US and where we wanted to go in our lives - She was incredibly knowledgeable on every part of the transaction, financing, legal and more. And Lastly... SHE LOVED OUR DOG and HE LOVED HER! If you're not a dog person you won't understand how important that is, but for us, that was everything. Amanda has dogs herself and could identify with our needs, showing schedule, etc. Amanda has helped our family to get to a new home that we love, and in doing so has made new friends that will ALWAYS REFER HER! Thanks Amanda read more

It's been almost six months since I bought my first condo with the help of Amanda and I still can't stop raving about her. As those buying a home for a first time know, it can be quite an emotional journey. Amanda took the time to get to know me as a person, in order to understand the way in which I was processing all the information I was taking in as we searched through neighborhood after neighborhood, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted. She challenged me to truly identify my priorities, not even suggesting I put an offer in until she was sure I was ready. Before I started the whole buying process, I was worried that the agent I used would take advantage of the fact that I was a naïve first-time buyer. Never did I feel rushed to make a buying decision with Amanda. I always felt as though she was more concerned about me finding a home, than she was about the commission. Even when the offer on my place looked like it might fall through less than a week before closing, she worked tirelessly to ensure that no matter what happened, I would have a place to live. Now, six months later, I still feel as though Amanda is looking out for me. If I need a suggestion for a home improvement, she is quick to forward on a recommendation. Not only do I know that she will always have my back, but she is also one of the most sincere and caring individuals I've had the honor of meeting in Chicago. This is precisely why Amanda will continue to be my go-to person for all things real estate related. I will never hesitate in recommending her to anyone buying or selling a home here in Chicago. read more

Amanda was recommended to my husband and me by a friend. She is a complete professional and her industry expertise is immediately evident. We enlisted her services to buy our current property and sell our previous property. We had been working with a less sophisticated agent until that point. Working with Amanda was a night and day difference. She helped us finalize our choice by taking the time to get to know us and what we were looking for. Amanda was more concerned that we picked out the right property versus quickly closing a sale. She clearly has integrity and understands the value of the client experience. On the buying side her negotiation skills are invaluable. We ended up with a much better deal because of her tireless efforts. Selling a property in today's market is tricky. Amanda put together an exceptional marketing campaign. Everything was first-class including staging, pictures, brochures, post cards, open houses, social media, and anything else you can think of. Her approach was able to generate a sizable amount of initial interest. She masterfully maneuvered to get us into a multiple bid situation in the first week we went on the market. We were able to close on a sales price 50K higher than I was hoping based on multiple previous appraisals. My husband and I highly recommend Amanda to anyone in the Chicago metropolitan area who wishes to maximize their real estate transaction value and experience. read more

Amanda was recommended to my wife and me by a friend. She is a complete professional and her industry expertise is immediately evident. We enlisted her services to buy our current property and sell our previous property. We had been working with a less sophisticated agent until that point. Working with Amanda was a night and day difference. She helped us finalize our choice by taking the time to get to know us and what we were looking for. Amanda was more concerned that we picked out the right property versus quickly closing a sale. She clearly has integrity and understands the value of the client experience. On the buying side her negotiation skills are invaluable. We ended up with a much better deal because of her tireless efforts. Selling a property in today's market is tricky. Amanda put together an exceptional marketing campaign. Everything was first-class including staging, pictures, brochures, post cards, open houses, social media, and anything else you can think of. Her approach was able to generate a sizable amount of initial interest. She masterfully maneuvered to get us into a multiple bid situation in the first week we went on the market. We were able to close on a sales price 50K higher than I was hoping based on multiple previous appraisals. My wife and I highly recommend Amanda to anyone in the Chicago metropolitan area who wishes to maximize their real estate transaction value and experience. read more

Without a doubt, you NEED to choose Amanda!! She accomplished what I thought was the impossible- selling my condo in a not-trendy-yet neighborhood, in January, during a terrible market. She sold it in 75 days! What's key is that I got 99.7% of my list price, which is a credit to her incredible negotiating skills and uncanny intuition about buyers, sellers, and the overall market. I noticed the difference between Amanda and my previous realtor almost immediately. I thought my place was staged perfectly, but she had several additional ideas for furniture placement and other things that made a big difference. Amanda not only generated tons of activity on my listing, she persistently followed up on each one of those potential buyers. I realized after my last agent, that it's not just about how many showings you have- it's about what your agent does with the showings that you do have. You'll also notice that this woman never sleeps! She always got back to me really quickly- but you'll find that there's not much you need to contact her about because she's got it handled and will beat you to it! Having Amanda on my side gave me an overwhelming sense of comfort and made me feel like I was always one step ahead of other listings out there. I knew that things were going to be done right, and that she had my best interests at heart. I cannot sing her praises enough- Amanda is an amazing realtor! read more

My wife and I couldn't have been happier using Amanda as our real estate agent to sell our home and would recommend her to anyone looking for a great agent. She is very thorough, communicates constantly, explains everything in as much detail as you want, and is always very quick to get back when you email or text her. She really payed attention to our thoughts, needs, personal situation and always took them into account when she discussed strategies with us. When my wife and I first decided to put our condo up for sale late last year, we knew we were going to be in for a rough ride since we bought at the height of the real estate bubble and the market was/is not in great shape, especially for condos in Chicago. After searching every website imaginable I thought I'd never find an agent that I was confident could do the job. Then I came across Amanda's Yelp profile and immediately felt comfortable with her given all of her feedback. Amanda did not disappoint. After our first meeting with her, we knew she was the person for the job. If you are looking for an agent to list your property, you will not regret picking Amanda. I just wish my wife and I were staying in Chicago, because I would have loved to use Amanda to find our new home, it is going to be hard to find another Agent that is even half as dedicated to our needs as Amanda has been. I couldn't recommend her more. read more

Look no further than Amanda. We were referred to her by a friend of a friend of a friend. As out-of-staters, we were flying blind into the Chicago housing market, and we only had a few precious weekends to visit once we had our plans in place. Oh, and we were planning a wedding during this time as well. Amanda couldn't have made the process easier. She knew exactly what she was doing from the moment we sent her the initial inquiry email. It was an extremely simple, personal, valuable, professional, friendly and even fun experience. Amanda listened to our somewhat differing opinions on what we we were looking for, and came back to us with the very best options to pack into our first visit to Chicago. She was also very sensitive to over-scheduling us, and avoided cramming too many viewings into one day throughout the process. Her knowledge of the local market is superb as evidenced by her history with local properties, and numerous predictions on various listings coming true. Once we found the perfect home for us, she quickly made it a seamless process for us to buy a home while living in another state. Did I mention we were also selling a home at the same time? Being on both sides of a sale really gave us comfort in seeing how Amanda and her team operated. A tireless advocate for you, and one we can't recommend highly enough. Thank you, Amanda! read more

I AM HER CLIENT! If you are reading this and have any question about other reviews understand that THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE HIRING A REAL ESTATE AGENT TO DO - PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT! NEGOTIATE ON YOUR BEHALF AND BE YOUR ADVISOR. Think about that when selecting your agent... Amanda McMillan is the best real estate professional I have had the opportunity to work with. As an experienced home buyer and seller, I have worked with many agents - all of whom have paled in comparison to Amanda McMillan. Not only was she incredibly thorough and knowledgeable about the market, but she understood our needs and helped to achieve them. Even in a depressed real estate market, Amanda was able to help us sell our home quickly and negotiated a very good price. She then helped us purchase another home that we never thought that we would be able to afford by negotiating an outstanding price on our behalf. Personally, Amanda blends empathy and compassion with her professionalism perfect. Agents we worked with respected her and vice versa - which made things advantageous to us come negotiation time. I could not think of a better person to lead us at this important time in our life. I have already recommended my friends and family to Amanda over the years and hope that anyone looking to buy or sell real estate will contact her for advice. read more

Not all real estate agents are created equal. I learned this while selling my condo in September of 2012. I actually had a referral for an agent, but it became immediately obvious this agent was not a good fit. So I did my homework and came across Amanda McMillan and Chicago Home Partner. Amanda was responsive, yet she didn't rush the process. After meeting with me, doing a walk thru of the property and researching the neighborhood and similar properties--she came up with a formal plan to sell my place. She was professional in presenting the plan, explaining what we needed to do, why we needed to do it and how/when we would do it. I would have expected this much attention to detail and advertising resources for more expensive properties, but this was a 2-bed/1-bath in Logan Square- I was pleasantly surprised. Once we came to agreement, she got to work and literally kept every commitment. I was informed, but did not have to do anything in preparation of selling. The results? My condo had 1 open house with 27 visitors and 3 offers in 4 hours. We accepted the cash offer that was above our listing price and we closed exactly a month to the date of the open house. There's not enough praise I can give for Amanda and her team's expertise and abilities to get the job done. What a great experience! read more

Amanda and Ressie are the dream! New to real estate buying and relatively new to Illinois, a family member in the Chicago architecture world recommended Amanda to us, as they had shared a long and positive work history together. It was a one-stop stop; we met Amanda and knew she was exactly the kind of person we were looking for. She was clearly professional, intelligent, kind, helpful, and so skilled. And true to our immediate intuition, working through the home buying process with Amanda and her partner Ressie was all we could ask for. They were flexible with our schedule (finishing grad school/theses/medical school exams in different time zones) and shared many a Skype call, let us lead when we had ideas (sending them many, many, many, many listings for feedback), and provided assistance and explanation as we waded into a whole new world we knew little about. We felt cared for, acknowledged, supported, but also respected. And, we had so much fun in the process! We navigated a couple sticky situations with grace and positive outcomes for everyone, and ended up in a condo we seriously adore in a neighborhood we love. I cannot thank Amanda and Ressie enough for all the support and all the patient answers to our questions. This would not have been such a positive experience without them. read more

We found Amanda from all of the great feedback on Yelp and were not disappointed in the least! Being first-time homebuyers, Amanda took a great amount of time to explain her process and all of the important steps we had to take to purchase a home. Her guidance and kindness were so helpful in dealing with an entirely new situation for us. She was always available whenever we had a question, emailing or calling us back with almost no wait time. We had absolute confidence in her expertise during the search and negotiation processes. We could not have asked for a better realtor (or really, a partner) in our home search process!! Since we bought our home we have stayed in contact with Amanda and she has been great support in helping us find local repair and home furnishing companies (we had to get our floors refinished and have kitchen/bath inquiries). She also recommended a great lawyer for our closing. Not only is she an excellent realtor, she has well-established relationships and trust with countless other professionals in Chicago. She is truly a great person to know as a realtor and colleague! We can't thank her enough for all that she's done for us. read more

For David and I, there were many 'firsts.' Not only were we both going to be homeowners for the first time, but also moving forward with moving into together for the first time. We had received many referrals, and gave all of them a fair shot. Amanda was the last agent we interviewed, and I knew immediately she was the best fit - after our meeting Dave and I both agreed! The initial meeting for me was imperative and key. Amanda's style and philosophy of initiating and engaging in a business relationship is professional and yet personal and warm. She expressed to us she is mindful that sometimes two people in a couple may have different wants in a home, and that differences are okay reiterating there is no right or wrong desire or preference. After every prospective home visit, she asked us both individually our thoughts and feelings, and then always gently reminded and looping us back to our shared desires and the reasons behind those desires. Leaping forward, thanks to Amanda, we were able to find and buy a first dream home! In the near future, we will want to purchase our second home together, and we most definitely will contact Amanda! read more

Being a first time homeowner, I could not have had a better experience than working with Amanda. I was nervous about the entire process, but Amanda made everything so easy and comfortable.. she was so knowledgeable about EVERYTHING.. the neighborhoods I wanted to look at, etc... even convinced me to look at places I would not have thought of so that I would have a better understanding of what I was looking into, and never at any point made me feel pressured into anything. Most of all she made it fun.. she was so personable and friendly, I really looked forward to our outings each week! :) She was looking out for my best interest from day one, and with her help I found the perfect place and I couldn't be happier! I don't know what I would have done without her. She truly is the BEST (I've worked with other real estate agents before when I was looking at rentals or going along for the ride with others who were looking to buy, and I can say, unequivocally, that she is bar none the most top notch agent I have ever had the pleasure to work with). Seems everything she touches turns to SOLD!!! read more

When a job opportunity arose that required moving cross-country, I was concerned about trying to sell my condo in the current horrible market. I found Amanda through Yelp and selecting her as my real estate agent was the best decision I made. She worked tirelessly to market my condo, suggesting inexpensive improvements that would make my unit more appealing, coming up with a new furniture arrangement that worked much better than my old one, and creating an appealing brochure and virtual tour. Her marketing of my unit to other agents and on websites resulted in a strong number of showings. Either Amanda or her associate were present at all showings to make sure that prospective buyers received the best information possible, and she followed up by getting feedback the next day. After I had to move, she looked after the condo for me, and continued to keep me up-to-date on showings. Because of Amanda's dedication and exceptional marketing skills, I am one of the fortunate ones to sell a condo in these difficult times. I cannot recommend her highly enough! read more

Amanda McMillan and her team are bona-fide professionals. She knows the Chicago market extremely well and thoroughly analyzes market data so she can inform her clients about pricing. Not just comps, but macro-data regarding recent sales, inventory, and other criteria affecting the market. This was very helpful given the competitive seller's market that prevails in the Chicago area. She made a personal effort to have a presence during key milestones such as home inspection, pre-closing walk through, and possession walk through. If she had an unresolvable conflict, a reliable and trustworthy team member was there. Her team was always a step or two in front of us and let us know what to expect during the entire process. Lastly, she has relationships with lenders and real estate attorneys which was very helpful for us as we were out-of-state clients and not familiar with Illinois real estate protocol. We intend to rely on Amanda and her team in future real estate transactions as their professionalism is premier. read more

I can't say enough good things about Amanda. We hired Amanda through a friends recommendation to sell our lakeview condo in fall of 2009. We had interviewed several realtors. Despite being one of the worst times to sell, Amanda made the whole process bearable. She always spoke very clearly, was direct, honest and helpful. She fought very hard for us to ensure we were getting the best price for the market. She was always flexible and knowledgeable but also a tough negotiator. Amanda had solid numbers to back up our listing price with detailed market based analysis. She worked extremely hard with the other side to help them also feel comfortable with the pricing and the deal. Amanda was always extremely prompt returning phone calls and very thorough with every post-showing run-down. The attention and dedication Amanda showed our listing was well beyond what we expected. You cannot go wrong with Amanda. I recommend her to all my friends and family. read more

We had the pleasure of working with Amanda on the sale of our condo in the city. She impressed us from the start with her "science"of marketing a home. We had been in our place for eight years, so it needed to be updated a bit (understatement) for the sale. Amanda took care of it all for us quickly without going overoard in improvements. Once it was on the market we got very regular status updates (practically daily) and were amazed at the variety of strategies she used to get people in the door. Within three months we had two offers (which was pretty outstanding considering the state of the market and the fact that we put it up for sale right before the holidays). The couple we sold it to actually wanted to use Amanda as their realtor after meeting her at a showing at our place. Amanda blew away any real estate agents we have had, and made us feel completely at ease during the entire process. We cannot speak highly enough of her. read more