Michael did an outstanding job marketing my condo and made the sale process easy. I always recommend Michael to friends and colleagues because he is the most knowledgeable and effective in the business. I have now bought and sold multiple units with Michael Rosenblum and will only use him as he's the best in the business. Kyle Betterton, Chicago and Manhattan read more

We first met Michael when we bought our condo five years ago. He was the seller's agent and we thought that he did a good job so we hired him to sell the same condo for us last fall. Michael is personable and confident. He made a good impression when we interviewed him before we hired him in the fall. It was all downhill from that point on. We cancelled our agreement with him after six months. Here are our general points of feedback: 1) He convinced us to price the condo higher compared to similar units in the same building. The asking price he suggested was significantly higher than other agents we had talked to. He was either inflating the asking price to get our listing or he did not really understand the market. Neither of those two options are that great. We had very few showings in the last six months. 2) He consistently fell short of the promises he made as he is likely to tell you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear which at the end does not turn out well for anyone 3) He has quite a few listings so your listing with him will be on "auto-pilot". He provides basic online and email marketing (which is quite ineffective if you think about how many emails you receive a day) and has an assistant who schedules the rare showings that come up but if you are expecting proactivity (e.g., reaching out potential buyers, doing an open house, etc.) from Michael, forget about it. 4) He seems to think good customer service is being responsive with emails which might work well when you are in a healthy market with a lot of showings but when you are in a slow market; his approach of waiting, trying to market online and "being zen" does not work. 5) Michael likes to talk about "supply and demand" and "global macroeconomic environment" when you ask him questions about where the market is going and what he suggests. However, when you start probing him on these topics, you realize he does not really have much depth (my assessment as someone who works for a global strategy consulting firm) and it is the same 2-3 talking points he consistently goes back to. 6) Finally, we had an interested buyer in the fall but Michael took a really long time (about three weeks) to close the deal which then fell through. He likes to talk about how he does not pressure people (which is fine) but I expect my agent to follow up to make things happen and run a tight process to get a deal done. If you are considering Michael, I would highly encourage you to RECONSIDER, especially: 1) If he suggests a higher price compared to other real estate agents you are interviewing 2) If he brings a buyer he is representing (We had a couple of bad dual agency experiences with him). I would specifically ask him how long he has known the potential buyer and if that time frame is longer than you have known him, it is worthwhile to ask more questions 3) If you are a first time seller and need someone who can guide you through the process 4) If you need to sell fast or the market is soft (because his "zen" approach does not work) read more

Michael is the best, truly. He articulated my needs and found me my new phone, and its better than I expected. His attention to detail while maintaining an eye on the big picture helped me focus. I sincerely appreciate his knowledge of the city and sharing great recommendations! It definitely was a warm welcome as a new Chicagoan. The support staff was amazing. I appreciated Rachel helping me through the final walk-through. read more

We have used Michael for all of our Chicago real estate transactions. We are repeat clients of his because he has a personal touch that is rare to find in this industry. We most recently worked with Michael on the sale of our River North condo. Michael was always responsive, respectful and fought for us! He is meticulous about his work and he always listened to and adapted approach to meet our needs. The best quality about Michael is that he is trust-worthy. With the sale of something so personal, you need someone like Michael who is forthright and honest. If you need a broker who is reliable, responsive, respectful, persistent, and proactive, this is your guy! We cannot thank him enough for his time and dedication to the sale of our property. Would not have picked anyone else to guide us through these rough times. read more

1) Overpriced the unit and had a poor pricing strategy 2) Did little in way of active marketing - send out emails and online pepperings, but as mentioned previously, these generally fall on deaf ears. 3) Talks a LOT about his expertise and how he lives in the area and the such, but none of this resulted in any sales on our unit. 4) Not aggressive on the close or follow-up post-showings. 5) Rapid response emails do not provide detailed analyses or often, responses to the posed questions. As previously noted - when the market is hot, things sell themselves. It's the cold markets that separate the good from the bad. read more

I interviewed 7 brokers. Michael got the assignment because of his superior knowledge of the local market and his vision to see where the market was heading. Anybody can tell you where the market was, but in Michael's case he showed foresight to help us obtain a record per square foot sales price in our building. As a result of his work there have been other sales. He is very efficient. He is the gold standard in the industry. read more

Michael has a knowledge of both buying and selling homes. He always had our best interest when helping us look for our single family home. In an overwhelming process Michael led us through the process with ease. I would highly recommend his services. read more

Micheal has been a pleasure to work with! He sold our apt in River north only a few days after being on the MLS. I would highly recommend him! read more

Always a pleasure to work with Michael and Alicia. I have been working with them for 10 years and will continue to. This transaction was simple and painless-simply sold a parking spot in a building. Highly recommended. Will use again. Thanks again. :) I would give 10 stars if I could. read more

Michael is an exceptional realtor who goes the extra mile. I used Michael to rent my apartment twice in the past. He found me ideal tenants that were respectful of my apartment and made my job as a landlord extremely easy. Throughout the search process, Michael kept me well-informed of all showings and potential renters. In addition to traditional realtor services, I've also solicited Michael's advice on other real estate matters. He is always extremely quick to reply whenever I contact him, and I consider him a trusted advisor. I would definitely use Michael again in the future and highly recommend him. read more

Michael sold my condo in river north, Chicago. He really impressed me with his knowledge of the market at our first meeting. I moved one week after meeting him and knew that my place was in an experienced professional's hands. He took care of everything. I could not believe how many showings he had for my unit. He never turned down a last minute showing. He worked very hard to sell my condo and was patient with me when I was stressed out. He really cares about his clients. All of his hard work paid off for me because he sold it for a very fair price. I would definitely recommend him to my closest friends, and anyone who is looking to buy or sell a place in Chicago. Michael was terrific. I'm so grateful I met him. read more

Loved working with Michael. He is responsive to our needs, tells us the real deal in terms of prospective resale value and home pricing, and was always professional while still making it fun. Was an incredibly smooth experience from start to finish. read more

Michael and his team were extremely helpful in the entire process of selling our condo in a difficult market. We especially appreciated his communication with us. The marketing of our property was superior to others. His expertise in the market is unparalleled. read more

Michael and his team are beyond exceptional. They leave no stone left unturned and made the entire buying process in the city seamless. Michael always made us feel like we were his priority. He is a strong negotiator and communicator. We felt completely taken care of in all aspects of this process just like we were his family. We have lived many places and bought and sold several homes. Our experience with Michael by far was the best. I would recommend Michael without any hesitation to anyone in need of a real estate agent. read more

The biggest disservice Michael did for us was convincing us he could sell our condo at a much higher price than what was realistic. The condo sat on the market with very few showings, but he never suggested changing the price. He was very responsive to emails and questions and always willing to hop on a call to chat, but not very proactive in terms of following up with people who seen our unit or keeping us updated on potential buyers. When we interviewed new brokers a week ago, they all knew right away that we had priced too high to start. They also all noted that our photos were not very good (Michael used old photos from the last time he sold the unit). We also learned that he was charging us more than other brokers while providing less. For example, the other brokers all produced high-res color books of our condo, while he was handing out black and white photocopied one-pagers. He also didn't produce a video, which many other brokers included. He didn't offer us a discount for using old photos. And he only offer to lower his commission to 5% in the case of a dual agent situation, whereas other brokers offered 3%. All in all, I was disappointed with Michael. read more

Michael steered us to our first condo in River North. Four years later, he sold it in less than a week and got us a wonderful deal on a larger apartment. We are old enough to have had fifty years of real estate buying and selling in five states, and we have never had as good an experience as we have had with Michael. He is immediately responsive and has wonderful judgment. His recommendations on other services, including renovation, have made our move to Chicago easy. The friends we have sent to Michael got the same efficient, intelligent service. read more

Michael helped my wife and I buy our home in Lincoln Park in 2013. We decided to sell it this year as we were moving to the suburbs. Our experience with Michael when purchasing our home was good, but our most recent experience with Michael when selling our home was not at all good. Michael is a very busy realtor which can be good because he has a lot of experience, but also bad at times because he is running in many different directions and often more focused on volume. I prefer someone that is very detail oriented and thoughtful, versus someone that replies to emails or calls right away to make it seem they provide great service. We felt that Michael did not deliver on the promises he made to us regarding how he would market our house and seemed more interested in selling the home quickly than ensuring we sold the home for the highest price possible. He may treat people selling more expensive homes differently. read more

If you are lucky enough to have the opportunity to work with Michael, do it. Michael helped us buy an apartment in Chicago, a new city for us, supporting us through our search and, after we found a place, helping us navigate a difficult deal with dishonest seller--a deal that never would have happened without his diplomacy, experience and creativity. He looked out for us every step of the way, anticipating and solving every problem that arose. What a gem this man is! Michael works hard for his clients, is highly intelligent, generous, responsive and kind, and in the end saved us time and money (my husband and I are creatives/educators and not wealthy). His advice and instincts were always correct. Real estate can be a tremendously tough business, and here is that rare person who is practical, ethical, professional and a pleasure to work with. I recommend him to anyone buying or selling a place in Chicago. Above and beyond. read more

arrogant, does not work hard, prices things low to sell faster for him

I have known Michael for 20 years. In 2013, Michael helped my my wife and me in a search for a new condo that would fit our growing family. After looking at a bunch of maybes, Michael brought us to a building that blew us away. Not only was it new construction, but Michael helped us with making design decisions that created an elegant yet modern look. When it came time to sell, we again asked Michael to represent us. He lead us through the process in an efficient and painless way. As we were selling out chicago condo, we were also looking for a suburban home for our family. Although he does not work in the suburbs, Michael still offered advice and helped us through the process answering our panicked calls, emails, and texts. Over the years I have worked with other agents and brokers and Michael is without a doubt the most thorough and professional. We absolutely loved working with him and would recommend him in an instant. His grasp of the market, ability to communicate with both the buyers and sellers, and his willingness to go the extra mile for his clients makes all others pale in comparison. Simply put, Michael is the best and took a challenging experience and made us comfortable through the entire process. read more

Michael recently sold our 2 bed/2bath condo in a high rise in the River North neighborhood. He was very quick to respond to all of our calls/texts/emails as was his assistant. He was honest, trustworthy and very helpful. read more

My experience with Michael has been delightful! I was fortunate enough to have a top real estate agent care enough about me to to help me get out of a tight rental situation by sub leasing the unit in less than a week! His attention to detail is second to none, but more importantly his ability to care about his clients by doing the right thing vs. simple size of transactions makes him special. When I am ready to buy, Michael will clearly be my top choice! He has earned my respect and business. read more

My experience in working with Michael was exceptional, and I have already recommended him to several friends. I honestly could not be happier with the result. Originally, my intention was to sell a condominium for whatever price I could get. I didn't live in the unit, and just wanted to downsize. Michael and I live in the same building, and I had heard of his reputation as an extraordinary real estate agent. I asked a mutual friend to introduce us, and Michael agreed to work with me in the sale of my River North condo. Michael met with me on-site at the condo I wanted to sell. I had already had the unit painted and cleaned after the former tenants moved, so I thought it was ready to show. Michael went through the unit with me with a fine-toothed comb, and made several suggestions that would add to the sale price. He recommended replacing an unattractive stove backsplash with a more neutral option, as well as painting kitchen cabinets and repair and cleaning of stonework throughout the unit. He even recommended some vendors to perform the work, and oversaw the upgrades. As a result of these modest improvements, I was able to sell my unit for almost $100,000 more than I had anticipated. Michael also recommended an attorney to help with my closing, and I was extremely pleased with the law firm he recommended. They were responsive and efficient. Once the improvements were okayed by me, things moved very quickly. Michael scheduled all the vendors and made sure that all work was completed satisfactorily. Michael and his team kept me informed and emailed me photo's once the work was done. The result was unbelievable, and the first day the property was listed, Michael informed me that he already had a showing for the property. I found Michael and his team to consummate professionals--hardworking, responsive and respectful. My unit was listed for only about 8 weeks before I received a serious offer. Not only did Michael and his team sell my condo for considerably more than I had expected, the entire process was seamless. I won't work with another broker. This was definitely the best real estate experience I've ever had. read more

Michael was actually representing the seller of the place I recently purchased but was impressed enough that I wanted to share my experience in working with him. He was punctual, professional, presented the seller's property beautifully yet not in an overbearing way, thoughtfully answered my questions and exceeded my expectations of what to expect from 'the other side'. He was willing to professionally work with my broker to quickly and fairly come to a resolution on price and terms in an effort to wrap up the deal to our mutual satisfaction. Michael is a straight shooter and does not play games. He also has an incredible work ethic and is obviously passionate about what he does. The icing on the cake was his generosity in sharing his network of floor sanders, painters, carpenters, etc to insure that your house ends up being exactly the way you envision it. He is a most gracious being and truly "lives brilliantly, is happy and stays positive". It was a pleasure to work with him and I would enthusiastically support his recommendation to friends and family. I promise you that he will not disappoint. read more