Matt Liss is a great realtor and an all around good guy. We met with a couple of realtors who gave us shady contracts and ignored email and calls until I found Matt. He's responsive and to the point and helped us navigate a cash deal, which we'd never done before. Our house sold in 5 DAYS and we closed in 24!! His business practices are transparent and ethical and he's great to work with. On a side note, in the rush to pack and move out of state I missed a drawer which contained a family heirloom... a GIANT silver punch bowl and 10 cups which belonged to my grandmother. I was hysterical when I called Matt. "No problem!! I'll pack up this behemoth and send it to you." Srsly. That happened. read more

We had the privilege to work with Joe and David - what an amazing, dynamic duo! And let's not forget about Kelsey - the behind the scenes engine who makes sure everything runs smoothly and keeps on top of reminding everyone what they need to do. The team helped us sell our home (well above the asking price - because of the resources they brought to help such as interior designer for staging recommendations 8 at no cost to us * and an amazing photographer) and they also helped us buy our new home. Communication / Responsiveness was amazing. Honest feedback - every step of the way. Going above and beyond to meet our demands. Lastly, the diplomacy used when we were stressed and maybe not the easiest folks to deal with - can be more grateful for everything this team has done for us. Thank you Joe, David & Kelsey! ~C & E, Schaumburg read more

We were selling a house in Chicago and buying a house in the suburbs all during the pandemic and resultant "seller's market". This team did an excellent job on both ends and they were so patient with us as we spent many months searching for the perfect home. They are all easy to work with personality-wise and do a great job communicating. We could not have asked for a better realty to work with during this stressful time! read more

I worked with Matt Liss to find and purchase a two-flat along with my wife and another couple. This was a first-time home buying experience for all four of us, and purchasing together added another layer of complexity. Matt was a huge help at every step of the process. At our first meeting he asked some very straight-forward questions to ensure we were committed to the joint purchase plan. He was honest and direct right from the start, and always had our best interests at the top of his list. He's super knowledgeable about properties and neighborhoods, and helped guide us through the decision making process. He is always punctual and professional, and never put any pressure on us. Matt answered a ton of questions and put us in touch with other real estate professionals (broker, property inspector, contractors, lawyers, etc) to help us along the way. Matt has kept in touch and provided contractor recommendations for us now that we have moved into our new home. We encountered an issue with an unpaid water bill after closing, and he helped us navigate and resolve it despite an unresponsive seller. He is impressively committed to doing the job right, even going above and beyond. read more

ANOTHER GREAT EXPERIENCE with The Suburban Team at Mark Allen Realty. 5 years after Joe helped us buy our first home, my wife and I reached out and expressed our desire to look for a new home with more room to grow our family. Joe was able to sell our home within a week at a price we couldn't have imagined in our wildest dreams! We were extremely pleased & impressed and this left us with much more cash than we had anticipated to out towards our next home. After closing on our sale, we connected with Dave to seek out our next home. Despite us being extremely picky shoppers, Dave's knowledge & expertise guided us into our dream home at well below listing price & below home value! This was no small feat given the extremely limited inventory and high prices in the market at the time of our search. Dave's infinite patience and positive demeanor also proved invaluable as we are extremely picky shoppers and probably amongst the more difficult client's to work with in the low inventory environment we were working with. Kelsey worked dilligently to move both transactions along and coordinated with all parties involved including the attorney and lender they recommended (who were also top-notch) to ensure lightning fast closes with minimal hiccups along the way. Excellent service all around! I have been referring The Suburban Team to everyone I know looking to buy or sell a home for years and will continue to do so. Highly recommended! read more

Thank you, thank you to Dave & Joe for making our first home purchase exceed our expectations! We had no clue what we were getting into, but Dave guide us every step of the way. Praise God! They gave us vital advice through the whole process, super responsive, and so patient. I love their energy & expertise! Thank you to Kelsey, their coordinator as well. Amazing Team! -Liz & Steve read more

Matt and Blaze both helped me find my first condo. They were very responsive when I wanted to go see places, always arranged an efficient route and time schedule. As a new home owner, they were patient with me and answered all my questions plus gave me great advice. They challenged me to think about what was really important in a new home. When it came time to put an offer in, I trusted Matt to take care of everything. I am so happy with my new place and continue to get support from Matt and Blaze post sale. I highly recommend Mark Allen realty! read more

Repeat customer. Once again, excellent home buying experience with Matt Liss and team. Highly knowledgeable on multi-unit investment properties, and absolutely keeps his clients' first mentality post purchase. read more

I decided to give this realtor company a call based off the reviews and they did not disappoint. I left a voicemail and was called back right away by the owner Mark Allen. I am very new to investments and had a lot of questions for Mark. Not only is he patient, professional, and kind, but he is also extremely knowledgable in real estate. He gave me great advice on what next steps I should make and thoroughly answered all my questions. The percentage that his company takes from sales is also very affordable and appropriate. When ready to sell I will without doubt be using Mark Allen Realtors. Highly Recommend! read more

There are dozens of reasons why Mark Allen realty has 5 stars- but I'll share one that is personal to me. After living in Chicago for almost 9 years we were ready to bid adieu and that meant selling our home. We interviewed a few agents but none came even remotely close to Matt Liss. I felt an immediate connection to Matt- they say we look for ourselves in our relationships with others. I wanted someone who was communicative, honest (read: no bs) and could get the job done in a tight deadline. Matt fit the bill to a T. Matt helped us get two offers within a few weeks. Long story short- we had to rent to our perspective buyer because winter was approaching and we didn't want to bleed. During winter time Matt kept checking in because our hope was to sell in spring. Covid happened- our tenant (and eventual buyer) came through but not without the enormous help from Matt and his secret sauce- a downright amazing team that can pull literal miracles out of thin air. Whether you're are looking to sell or buy- stop wasting your time and go with Matt Liss. We just purchased our new home in Seattle and my measure of excellence was Matt Liss. read more

After living all over Chicago and Seattle over the past 6 years, my wife and I wanted to finally settle down and find a long term home. We contacted Matt Liss for his help. My wife and I were very picky and thought we knew what we wanted until Matt was able to use his experience and knowledge to help us find what we really wanted AND needed. Matt was responsive and never had to wait long for a reply via email/text. He was direct and helped us ask the right questions. We were able to find our home and can't thank Matt enough for helping us make it happen! read more

Mark went so far above and beyond to help me with my first home purchase. He was extremely patient in providing me with an overview of the process, and was just as meticulous in pointing out details of the properties when he took me out to view them. He was great at working around my schedule to ensure that I was able to see as many properties in an outing as possible. At my request, he provided me with recommendations for individuals and companies to assist with the other parts of the purchase process (housing attorney, inspector, etc.). I never felt pressured to go with any of his recommendations if I wanted to seek out someone on my own, but the people he recommended were just as excellent and professional as he. I highly recommend Mark Allen Realty, especially for new homebuyers. read more

This is long overdue! My husband and I investigated several realtors before deciding Matt Liss was our guy. I've already referred him several times to friends, but Yelp makes it official :) Here is why we ultimately ran with him: 1. Knows his sh** 2. No bs approach 3. Super responsive 4. Staging consultation included - this was unbelievably helpful! 5. Only realtor who found us $$ - Matt told us we should have applied for our Cook County property tax homeowners exemption. Oops! It was super easy and we got a few thousand bucks back. 6. Practical recommendations taking our situation into consideration and really weighing the investment vs. payoff. Most of the other folks we spoke to offered a ton of "to dos" for us that would have cost a lot of money (e.g. all new cabinets!). Matt kept it simple and focused on what needed to be done. The painter he referred us to was the best! 7. Went above and beyond when it came to us closing on our current home. Outcome: Sold our condo for almost full ask in one week. Matt is also a funny dude which made the whole experience much more enjoyable. Plus, he sent us an incredible holiday gift basket even after he told us he wasn't the gifting type. Thanks again Matt! read more

Mark sold our place in record time. Was there every step of the way and made everything painless. One open house and an offer right away. Mark is extremely responsive to any questions you may have and really takes a realistic approach to representing his clients. Highly recommend using Mark and listen to his advice and recommendations and you will be very very glad you did. Great job! read more

We recently worked with Matt on selling our recent rental property. We also have past experience with Matt in selling and purchasing our primary homes. Matt does a good job, ensures a lot of showings and gives great advice. Matt is efficient and responsive without being pushy. I had to travel and Matt managed some of the punch list items items so I didn't have to stress about it. Your in good hands with Matt and his team. read more

I highly recommend Matt and his team at Mark Allen Realty. Finding the perfect home and making an offer the seller accepts is challenging in Chicago's competitive housing market. Matt understands the local housing market, knows how to negotiate, and solves problems. Having an agent with these skills on your team saves time and money -- and makes buying a home more fun. read more

Joe and the suburban team were awesome! They listened to our feedback and worked late to make sure we got our offer in before the deadline to get the house we really wanted! Special shout-out to Dave for being and rockstar on open houses and showings as well! Highly recommend the whole team. Joe, Dave and Kelsey were very knowledgeable and gave us their honest opinions on the homes we saw together and made the process of buying a lot smoother. Thank you! read more

My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Mark Glusker. We found Mark Allen Realty through yelp and shot over a message. They were quick to reply via messages and we were soon talking on the phone. Mark asked if we had a particular realtor we'd like to work with and we said we'd take his recommendation... he said he'd love to work with us and we had no problem with that. Throughout the process, Mark was very helpful. He's a former builder so he's very familiar with the construction process and the quality of work and materials. It's so valuable to have that when you're looking at house after house and trying to find the pros and cons. Mark was very available for us to schedule last minute showings or for simple things like responding to texts. After closing, he even offered to come by if we needed any help with some issues... though we haven't taken him up on that part. He's a busy guy and we know that... and he did so much already! Based on the reviews here, you can see you're in good hands with this realty firm and Mark in particular. Thanks Mark for all the help in getting the perfect home for us! Also worth mentioning was that the guys he works with are great (lender, inspectors, attorney). I did do my due diligence and compare rates and such... the people he works with will do a great job of getting you good rates and do a good job of protecting your interests along the way. Do your own due diligence as well, but definitely give his guys a shot. read more

We started looking into moving in December from our current apartment and didn't have a great sense of the condo market then as first time homebuyers, but we reached out to Mark Allen Realty shortly after the new year and we started working with Mark himself. He was available, insightful, and guided us through the process with enough input to help us navigate the process but without so much input that we felt like we were being pulled to do things. We ended up finding a fantastic property in Lakeview and just closed this week and we're happy to say that our experience with Mark was as perfect as it could possibly be and we can't think of enough good to things to say about the process. Everything went smoothly and we'd recommend Mark Allen Realty to anyone looking in a heartbeat! read more

Simply put, Matt Liss and team are just good people. They partner with you to navigate the buying/selling process to best meet your long term needs - not to just close a deal. This was our second time working with Matt and we couldn't be happier with our new place. He has even spent countless hours after the transaction helping us source contractors, giving design advice, and general guidance on a large renovation project. Thanks Matt, Blaze, and team! read more

We couldn't recommend Matt enough! He came highly recommended from friends who worked with him to buy and later sell their condo, and he lived up (and surpassed) our high expectations. This was our first time buying a home, which is a very daunting experience. Matt made sure we understood each step and what to expect, always offered to jump on calls if he sensed any confusion / concern on our end, and answered all our questions. He is not only extremely knowledgeable about the area, but about property maintenance and red flags to watch out for (like split-face block). Because of this, he doesn't waste your time. We loved walking through properties with him since he made sure to call out the good and the bad and allowing us to learn what layouts and design we gravitate towards while still valuing our time (where we could spend an hour on each open house, we got to see three within an hour with Matt). The best thing is that the relationship doesn't end once you sign the contract. Matt comes with a great team that we used to inspect and renovate our new place. If you are looking for someone who is there with you every step of the way, who looks out for your best interest, who is communicative, experienced and has early access to places, Matt is your person. read more

Matt Liss has helped me through two sales and two purchases. Each time he meets me where I am in the process and provides insight and real talk about options. He has opinions but hears mine. His experience with renovations has been valuable in assessing the true cost of potential purchases. I would work with him 100x. read more

I cannot say enough about John Li. I'm a real estate investor and I've used John on every single deal I've done. As an investor himself, he is able to give great input on everything from value to rehab costs. This knowledge is invaluable for both investors and regular buyers/sellers alike. A lot of agents don't have the technical expertise John has - it's like having an inspector with you when you're looking at houses. Another amazing quality is that he has a lot of contacts who can get work done in a house and he can help estimate a job. Oh, and his negotiation skills are stellar. He has saved me a lot of money. read more

Matt Liss came highly recommended from two separate friends who bought houses with him. I have to say that he was fully deserving of the praises that preceded him. Matt was extremely helpful along every step of our home buying experience. My wife and I had been looking off and on for a new home for several years before we finally bought a home this past spring. Matt was extremely patient with the both of us during our long search as our requirements were very specific. We never felt rushed to make a decision hastily with Matt frequently advising us to pass on places he knew would not meet our needs. Once we finally decided on a home, Matt really showed his true value and expertise. From negotiating purchase price, to final inspections, Matt was very proactive and involved every step of the way. He attended our initial inspection on our behalf, (we were out of the country) which was above and beyond what we expected. His background as GC helped us identify several dozen items that the builder remedied before we closed. Ultimately, these fixes saved us significant amounts of time and money in repairs that we'd had to have done ourselves post close. Matt even facilitated introductions to our lender, lawyer and inspector who were ALL as helpful as Matt was. It really felt like we had a team of professionals helping us and guiding us every step of the way. Home buying can be very overwhelming, especially if you are a first time buyer like we were. Matt's expertise, responsiveness, and honesty every step of the way made the process significantly less daunting. I would wholeheartedly use Matt again for any future home buying needs. read more

I would never work with another realtor again if I can help it. Matt is the total package. Knows the market, knows what will need work in a house and a contact list that will help you no matter what you have to get done (loan, inspector, etc). He helped us find an investment property and was very patient and informative the whole process. He's very quick to respond and works his butt off. He has a ton of construction experience and is also an investor so he can quickly identify potential issues. He's also a strong negotiator, who doesn't pressure you at all but also cuts through the BS when you need a second opinion. I'm thrilled with the place we landed and feel like I know more now than when i started working with Matt. I would recommend his services to anyone looking for a place from first time buyer to experienced investor. Thanks Matt! read more

Joe was amazing to work with throughout the entire process. We were making a big move from Hawaii to Grayslake and needed to look at houses completely online. Joe was there every step of the way for this unique and challenging home purchase. We ended up buying sight unseen and I would not have been comfortable doing that if it wasnt for the awesome team Joe put together. Not only was he great, but everyone he recommended from the inspector to the mortgage company was fantastic too. The whole process was made extremely simple and the communication between the whole team was awesome! read more

When it comes to real estate - Joe Kersjes is a guru, an educator, and a seasoned professional. Let me tell you a few things Joe is amazing at: - Excellent communication. Both verbal and written. Joe did a fantastic job of keeping us informed via text / email / phone call. I can't imagine the number of questions we asked Joe but he gave a clear answer to each one and was prompt in his response time.  - Knowledgeable: He understands the industry. He knows how to work with the agent on the other side of the transaction. He was fantastic at working with our other resources (lender, lawyers, etc). He understands the trade-offs in the various neighborhoods we toured. He knows how to make data-driven decisions.  And because of this, we learned a whole lot along the way. - Attention to detail. He knows what to look for when you're touring a home. He'll find red flags to help you dodge a bullet. He gets his hands dirty. He knows how to schedule tours like a boss so your time isn't wasted with unnecessary driving. - Honesty and patience. We never felt he was anything but clear-cut and honest. I never felt that he was just trying to get a quick sale off us. My BS detector never went off during our time together. If Joe didn't know the answer to something, he was great at digging into it and following up with us. I felt that at the end of the day, Joe's mission was to help us find a home that we would be thrilled to have. And that's exactly what he did.  Overall, we had a great experience with Joe. Even though house hunting could be exhausting, he made it fun along the way. He was upbeat and energetic every single time we met up. Sure, we saw a lot of houses we didn't care for but we ended up getting one that met all of our key requirements in an area we love. We would not have landed the great home we're in if it wasn't for Joe and his team. Forget all these other shmucks in the area. If you need an exceptional real estate agent, Joe Kersjes is your guy. read more

Matt Liss was our extraordinary real estate agent when we recently purchased a house for investment purposes. My husband and I have bought and sold a large number of properties over the years and Matt was by far the best agent. Why? Matt is responsive. Not only by answering your emails and texts but by providing excellent & accurate market research. Savvy negotiator! He seems to know a lot of people in Chicago from other real estate agents to the plethora of referrals he gave us (banker, closing attorney, insurance). Not sure how we would have survived without his list of contractors (painters, HVAC, masonry, iron works, windows, window coverings). No hesitation in using Matt again or recommending him to others.. read more

We recently worked with Alyse to sell our condo in Chicago. She is one of the hardest working, determined, honest and knowledgable agents that we have ever had the pleasure of working with. She is extremely communicative and went above and beyond to deliver. We highly recommend her for all of your buying/selling needs. read more

I did not list my home with Mark Allen BUT I can say I was looking for advice and decided to contact a couple of realtors on Yelp. Mark Allen contacted me within 5 minutes. We ended up on the phone and we had a great conversation pretty late at night. He advised me in my sticky situation as best as he could, referred me to a lawyer, who was also amazing. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get out of my current listing contract but I will be listing my next house with Mark Allen. I received great customer service. THANK YOU! read more

I can't say enough how huge of a help Matt Liss was as our realtor. He is a no-BS kind of guy that will fight for you every step of the way and make sure that you are confident about everything under the sun to do with buying a new home. My husband and I are first time homebuyers, and were very nervous about diving into such a competitive market like the one in Chicago. Matt put our concerns at ease and answered any question we had with a wealth of knowledge that only comes from a long career in the industry. His timely responses to our emails were so greatly appreciated, and he was happy to take us to any showing, even if we weren't totally into the property. One thing we really appreciated was how he would always point out certain concerns with the property, whether it was construction, the layout, or the location- and they were always something I realized would be problematic for us down the line. We felt like we were his highest priority whenever we spoke, and when the home was listed WAY over its true value, Matt negotiated on our behalf to save us tens of thousands of dollars! It was a wonderful experience working with Matt and we would do it again in a heartbeat. We are so so happy we went with him and would recommend him to anyone and everyone! read more

We recently worked with Matt Liss to sell our condo in the city and Joe Kersjes to purchase a single family home in the suburbs. Both were knowledgeable and fast to respond throughout. They do a great job of explaining the landscape of the market and reading clients needs. Definitely recommend! read more

My boyfriend and I were first time buyers so we got on Yelp and found Mark Allen Realty via positive reviews. After reaching out, Cheryl immediately got back to us and wow... we couldn't have been more lucky!! We had no idea what this process would be like, but from the start Cheryl took us under her wing and made us feel confident in our decision to buy. She was always honest, upfront, engaging, motivated, patient, genuine, informative, and supportive. From what I've read, you can't go wrong with anyone at MAR, but if you're looking for top notch service and someone who is super knowledgeable not only about the local market, but the Chicagoland area, different aspects of the condition/upkeep of the home, ability to double as your therapist & friend when things get stressful, etc etc etc (I could go on and on) - GET IN TOUCH WITH CHERYL RIGHT AWAY!!! We couldn't be happier with the condo we purchased. Thank you to Cheryl Reimer and Mark Allen Realty! read more

Matt and his team are absolutely the best! Working with him in trying to sell my condo was such a breeze. He installed a lockbox while I got renovations done, made sure the place was in a condition appealing to potential buyers, provided us with trust worthy contacts and was always receptive to concerns. Every piece of advice provided by him was sound and to our benefit. Matt and his team are very professional and know what they're doing when it comes to real estate. We're using his team again to help us buy a new home now read more

Matt and his team are incredible - knowledgeable, insightful and trustworthy. They make a stressful process feel easy. We've worked with Matt twice already and will definitely work with him again. We highly recommend him. read more

I can not say enough kind things about Dave! He was incredibly dedicated, insightful, and kind as he helped me search for an apartment. I am from out of state and know little about the areas I was considering,. Dave took the time to not only find potential apartments for me but to also go and tour the location and send me videos. He took the time to get to know what was important to me and remained leaser focused on those factors. I would recommend Dave a hundred times over and I hope I have the opportunity to work with him again someday. read more

We had a wonderful experience with Matt and his team. It was our first time buying a home and Matt was extremely patient and user-friendly. He helped us figure out how we should approach our search, how we should think about price points and features, and what red flags to watch out for. He guided us every step of the way and we never felt overwhelmed by the process, despite a fast-moving market. It was very efficient and we never felt like we were going to miss out on things. We love our new home, got a great price, and, as a bonus, Matt is always incredibly gracious about recommending high-quality contractors for the work we have wanted to have done on our new house. read more

I used Matt Liss to sell my condo in the city and John Li to purchase my new house in the northwest suburbs. They were both great; I'd use them again in a heartbeat; and I'd refer them to anyone. Matt is a great salesperson, very responsive and fun to work with-he keeps it real and remains positive-he never said anything negative to me about my condo/always focused on the positives. There was someone from his team at every showing to work on "selling" my place. The complimentary staging was great and the professional photos brought in potential buyers. John is an awesome negotiator who I felt was 100% looking out for me. He enjoys seeing properties, is extremely patient, was always asking for input to assess what I wanted, and his suggested offer prices were completely aligned with mine. In fact, he suggested a lower price than what I thought was fair for my new house, and I ultimately got it for a steal. I highly recommend both of them! read more

Matt Liss is an awesome realtor. He's been my realtor for multiple transactions. In fact, all of my transactions in the Chicago area. He's knowledgeable, flexible, focused and he listens to his client's needs. I'd use him again and again. read more

Howie worked with us for over 6 months in pursuit of our first home. He was great the entire time, despite the fact that our budget was likely too low for all of the things we desired in a single family house in a good neighborhood in the city. He was patient and helpful in the face of our unrealistic expectations. And yet, he helped us to re-evaluate those expectations, while still ending up with a fantastic house, within our budget, in a neighborhood that had all of the amenities that we were looking for. He's salt-of-the-earth. Gentle. Positive. Thoughtful. Educational. Encouraging. Hard working. Honest. Sincere. He's great. If you're looking for a trustworthy advocate in your pursuit of a home, call Howie Andron. read more