I've worked with Ryan multiple times- first, with buying our family's first home and then, with selling that home and buying our second home. His service has been consistently phenomenal. The sale of our home had some challenges, so he brought in support from within his staff and outside professionals. He was patient with our multiple questions and frustrations. He remained steadfast, he was knowledgeable of how this volatile market worked and updated us if any changes needed to be done. I strongly recommend Ryan and his company. And if his services are needed again, we will work with him again. read more

Ryan and Co! What a pleasure doing business with you and your team. Not only I benefited from your local expertise in home buying, I also learned a big deal of the do's and don'ts for first home buyer and I would definitely recommend him and his team to anyone looking to buy or sell their home in the future. When I finally decided that renting was no longer a viable option for me and decided to commit into looking for a place to buy, I contacted Ryan on the phone and gave him a brief description of who I was and what I was looking for (don't worry if you still don't know what you want, Ryan will help you with that as well). Ryan responded positively to my request and even though he had his hands full with other clients at that time he still took the time to meet with me and coach me through the whole buying process as well as referring me to his trusted network from mortgage lenders to real estate lawyers and last but not the least his preferred home inspector which I did learn a lot from about the house I live in right now. All of them were courteous, knowledgeable, responsive and very professional. First home buying is a very unique experience, and when I was fully on board with the process I found out that there were more emotions and feelings involved than rational thoughts, some ups and downs of course and I had to make some difficult decisions and eventually bought my first home. But having Ryan and his team by my side to keep me on check, to consult and advice me in times of need, made my whole experience a breeze and I couldn't ask for better representation than him and his team. Starting Point Realty not only helped me buy my first home but they coached me through the whole process, educate me financially and help prepared me for what lies ahead. read more

My husband found Starting Point Realty on the internet, perhaps through yelp. We had had a nightmare experience with another real estate agent and decided that the second time around we would be more careful who we selected to work on our behalf. We were first time home buyers and had a specific area, type of house that we were looking for and a budget. Ryan is great to work with for a number of reasons. He asks how much you want to spend on a house and doesn't pressure you to look at more expensive houses than you can afford. He was very responsive in getting us in to see the houses we wanted to see, when we wanted to see them. He really went above and beyond and even came out with his family on an evening when he was not well enough to drive because he had his wisdom teeth out-incredible. Ryan is down-to-earth and calm...you may wonder why I mention this. Well, our first real estate agent would yell at us and set fake deadlines to pressure us every step of the way. Ryan kept us informed and then made himself available when we were ready to act. Ryan does treat you like a friend and it makes you feel like you can trust him and that he is looking out for your best interests. He offers advice but will fight for what you choose to offer and negotiate. I feel like we got a great price on the house and a nice closing credit from the buyer to fix some major repairs. Ryan recommended a fantastic attorney who also was stellar at working on our behalf and communicating in a respectful manner professionally and a playful manner personally. We used our local bank and that was the only part of the process that I wish I could have had more support because I was new to FHA regulations (get your gift letters and funds right away or you will not be given your final loan approval!) I know Ryan specializes in first time home buyers, but I really feel that anyone would enjoy working with him and that his knowledge base and interpersonal skills are a foundation for success in any real estate transaction. We are now unpacking and decorating our dream house. Couldn't be happier! read more

Tammy Hufford is the best!!! This review is long overdue! We met Tammy after reading all the great Yelp reviews. She started looking at homes with us in February. We finally closed in June and couldn't be happier! Tammy was there for us every step of the way even when our first home fell through (due to the sellers). She never complained and was so patient with us going from one end of the suburbs to the next! We loved her so much, we recommended her to my sister! My sister also had a great experience and bought her first home with Tammy too! You should definitely use Starting Point Realty and Tammy!!!! read more

After years of only using Yelp! to read reviews I have registered an account for one reason which is to communicate the following information to you, the prospective Chicago home-buyer: 1) You should call StartingPoint. 2) You should ask to speak to Abby Smidt. 3) You should not look back. My girlfriend and I had been renting since we graduated from college and finally felt poised to make the leap to home ownership but were overwhelmed by the avalanche of information and conflicting narratives that seemed to come hand in hand with the process. As soon as we started working with Abby, all of that changed. She made what could have been a terribly intimidating process understandable and enjoyable. Abby offered opinions without being pushy and education without being patronizing. She answered all of our questions -- from the big ones that drove the entire process to the small, random ones that popped into our heads on a whim. She worked tirelessly to identify places that matched our needs, schedule appointments no matter the day or hour, and pull comparables for the ones that we had interest in. Throughout all of this, she was a pleasure to work with and spend time with (no small consideration; whoever you do work with in this process, you're going to be seeing a lot of them - in Abby's case, this is a plus). Abby's calm but focused demeanor kept us from getting frustrated in a low-inventory market and made sure we pursued attractive prospects quickly and aggressively without overpaying. In the end, we are thrilled with the condo we found and very satisfied with the price we paid and the costs we incurred along the way. I recommend Abby and StartingPoint without reservation and can tell you with confidence that they can take a potentially complicated and stressful life experience and make it understandable, exciting, and fun. read more

When looking for an honest and knowledgeable realtor, my wife and I didn't know where to start. We had a few referrals from friends and family but none of them had glowing reviews of their experience. That wasn't going to cut it for us, we wanted to go with someone who was going to be honest and really care about helping us to find our perfect first home. So I turned to Yelp and found all of these awesome reviews for StartingPoint realty. Shortly after, we went to the first time homebuyers seminar, which was very informative, even if you think you already know a lot about the home buying process. We decided to go with Ryan and luckily he was available to work with us as our realtor. I can't say enough great things about Ryan. He was extremely knowledgeable, and really listened to what we wanted in a home. Although he offered suggestions, he never once tried to sway us in another direction. We gave him a pretty specific list of must haves regarding budget, location, type of home and time frame. We only had a couple of months to find a home and complete the closing process but Ryan assured us that we will find something perfect and not to worry. He could not have been more right, we found the perfect home that has everything we were looking for. Throughout the entire process Ryan was always available for our late night phone calls or crazy questions. Thanks to Ryan, our first time home buying experience was fun and exciting, rather than stressful. I would encourage any first time home buyer to reach out to StartingPoint Realty, even if you're not ready to start the house hunt. They have so many resources and a very knowledgable staff. Many thanks Ryan, we could not be happier with our new home! read more

Not my first home purchase but I have never revived such excellent service as I have from Ryan. Awesome realtor, a trusted advisor and extremely patient. We moved into our home a year ago and I've not had a single problem. I whole-heartedly recommend Starting Point Realty. read more

Ryan and all the staff at StartingPoint were tremendously helpful for when my wife and I were making our first venture into making the decision to purchasing our first home. They were both helpful and quick to react while been calm and rationale. Whether looking for your first home or moving on to something different and better, consider StartingPoint! read more

If I could give this business 10 stars, I would. It has been a pleasure working with Ryan Gable.....his attention to detail, work ethics, customer focus & genuine concern to ensure that his clients are 100% satisfied are just a few reasons for my 5 star recommendations. After searching for a real estate agent in the Hoffman Estates area, I decided to choose Starting Point realty solely based on their steller reviews, the free home buyer education course & the personalized one on one service to ensure that I fully understood the scope of the home buying process. There are few Realty companies that go above and beyond as Starting Point Realty does. I highly recommend this company. read more

As first home buyers starting our search for the second time, working with Ryan Gable was the best decision for us. He provided a fresh perspective that was desperately needed to kick-start our search for the second time. Ryan is perfect beyond words for first home buyers. His approach is easy, laid back, and no pressure which was in direct contrast to our first unsuccessful experience with a different real estate agent. We loved that he sat down and took the time to ask us some questions before we even looked at any properties. During the stages of searching, Ryan was patient, listened to our feedback, asked for our feedback, offered expertise when necessary, and applied everything he had learned to find us the perfect home. If it were not for Ryan's guidance and knowledge, we are sure that we would not be writing this from the comfort of our home. When it came to time to putting in an offer, he explained every detail which removed any mystery. He was incredibly reassuring and removed any fears and doubts about putting in a bid. Ryan was always honest, no-nonsense, and aggressive when it came time to handling the finer details of the sale and we believe he really stuck up for us to ensure that he did what he could to help us secure our house. He was diligent and quick to respond to our nagging, email questions. We always felt like we were in good hands and that we were well taken care of. We will never forget how he clapped and said "yay" when the keys were officially handed over to us and how we missed him once the process was over! Ryan was present for such an important part of our lives and we would recommend him in a heartbeat to anyone. He completely understands the ups and downs of buying a new house for the very first time and is incredibly empathetic to all of the decisions and emotions that are encountered throughout the experience of buying a home. Ryan always demonstrated a careful and calculated balance during the entire process and his experience allows him to provide what is needed at any opportune moment. Ryan Gable was wonderful to work with and we wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone looking for a home. Thanks, Ryan! You are the best! read more

My wife and I were truly privileged to have Ryan help us buy and then sell our first home. We had worked with other realtors that left an extremely sour taste in our mouths about the industry due to the unresponsiveness and efforts given to help us find our dream home. Needless to say Ryan's services blew our expectations out of the water. When it came to sell our home, Ryan's knowledge of the market and demand allowed us to set a target selling price which we received within 9 days of listing. Ryan really went to bat for us on the negotiating and took the stress out of selling the home. The quality of the listing ad was above and beyond any homes I have seen. When our house was on the market, we were cross country so that means Ryan had to do all the small things that would typically fall under the owner (move half a garage full of personal items to gain access). There are not a realtors out there that would go to that level of service for a client. Ryan has really put together a top notch team that gives the client all the tools and resources needed to make the home buying/selling process almost effortless. read more

Ryan helped us buy our first condo and was instrumental in making it a success. He guided us through the process like a true professional - and as an added bonus has been a super cool friend as well. We are already doing more business with him because we trust him. You should too! read more

We do not even know where to begin. Ryan was awesome! That's really the understatement of the year, for someone who goes far above and beyond for his clients; listening, giving advice, being honest, and helping in every way possible. We looked at dozens and dozens of houses, over a span of almost 9 months, with 5 different, appallingly incompetent, realtors, before stumbling upon Ryan's website. When he contacted me and we began chatting about our needs, my fiance and I knew we had finally found the person who would competently, honestly, and successfully help us in finding our first home. Ryan did just that, and after meeting with us over coffee to discuss our wants and needs, we began the process. Just about 2 months later, we submitted an offer, it was accepted, and we began the process of buying our home. Through it all, Ryan kept in touch, worked with us, around our busy schedules, and did EVERYTHING he could for us through the somewhat stressful process, making it much less painful than it could have been. Up until our move-in day, he was there for us 200%, explaining things with patience, knowledge, kindness, and understanding. We do not think we could have done this without Ryan. He is one in a million! read more

We closed almost two months ago and could not be happier with the end result of our lovely home or the service we received from Ryan Gable. No words could really do Ryan justice for being the most amazing agent we could ever ask for. This is our 2nd time using him to purchase and our first time ever selling a home. The thought of having to buy and sell was very overwhelming but Ryan's even keeled, calm demeanor helped put all our worries at ease. He really takes care of his people and is knowledgeable about all aspects of real estate and home owning. He is never pressuring, always reassuring and made me feel very comfortable every step of the way. He not only served as our agent but also as my therapist many times, as my mind would go wild with the various scenarios that could be. Not only did he have a solution to every possible scenario I created in my head but he also had a Plan B and a Plan C in case things did not work out as planned. He truly is a master of his craft and a jack of all trades. I was lucky to have come across him through a web search four years ago and I am lucky to be able to now call him my friend. Without a doubt there is no one else I would ever do business with. He essentially has made my dreams of owning my own beautiful house come true. I can't thank Ryan enough for what he has done for me and for my family. He truly loves what he does and it shows. If anyone is in the market to sell or purchase, Ryan is your guy. We recommend him to everyone we know. He is as real and as good as they get and will never let you down. He is the BEST! read more

I had a great experience with Diane. I was looking for something near McHenry, on a tight budget, and I was buying a house for the first time by myself. Pretty scary but I dove in and she referred me to both an excellent mortgage broker and real estate attorney. Oh, and the inspector and radon test guy, too! She answered my questions day and night. I did a lot of my searching online and once I had a list of possibilities to look at, we found a great little house in short order! I like Diane because she is very down-to-earth, unlike some snooty, pushy Realtors I've known. I felt like I had a wonderful team working for me and they made the process very easy. read more

We cannot say enough great things about Ryan and Starting Point Realty! If you are looking for a real estate agency, STOP and call them ASAP! Ryan and his team were incredibly patient, knowledgeable, kind and understanding from start to finish. What should have been the most stressful event in our lives turned into a fun and exciting experience because of Ryan. We are so thankful and appreciative of Starting Point and will absolutely be working with them in the future! read more

My wife and I first met Ryan almost two years before we even purchased our first place. We were young newlyweds fresh out of grad school and felt the next logical step was to buy a condo. I mean, we had good steady jobs, had solid educational credentials, and no kids. Plus, at the time, they were still offering zero down, 100% mortgages. They were practically giving away homes to young couples. Despite all of this, Ryan visited with us one-on-one and asked us a lot questions that we had not even considered. Even though we could certainly acquire a mortgage, Ryan forced us to think critically about the timing of our decision. Postponing the purchase our first place was the best decision we could have made. Over the next year or so, we saved more money, got our finances in a litter better shape, and simply gave the 1st time home buying process the real attention and discernment that it deserved. And during that time period, Ryan stayed in touch, answered questions, and forwarded us useful information available on his website. Never once making the hard sell or trying to convince us of anything. The point is, Ryan really loves what he does and it shows in the way he treats his customers and his attention to what is best for them as individuals. When the time came to pull the trigger, Ryan was invaluable in helping us navigate the post-crash environment. He is a skillful negotiator and truly understands the nuances and complexities of Chicago's housing market. Ryan also made this often stressful experience enjoyable and exciting...we were buying our first home after all! And, as easy as it was to get overly excited and start reaching beyond our means (i.e. our budget), Ryan was there to be mindful of what we could really afford and what the real costs of owning a condo were: HOA fees, property taxes, basic home upkeep, insurance, etc. With Ryan, we always felt secure in knowing that we were seeing the whole picture and not just the aesthetics of a condo or the building. At times, while we were marvelling at the lake views or the pristine swimming pool areas...Ryan was examining windows, asking about special assessments, and asking how old the boiler is. Not the sexiest stuff, but critical to making this huge financial and personal decision. My wife and I also feel that it is important to support local businesses and entrepreneurs. Ryan and StartingPoint Realty are about as good as it gets in Chicago. read more

This first time home buying experience is scary! It is overwhelming and nerve-wracking, but Ryan makes the whole process fun and enjoyable. He's knowledgeable and points things out that you wouldn't even think of, but somehow manages to sit back and not put any pressure on you. He genuinely wants to put you in the right place and understands how important it is to feel at home...in your home. Ryan clearly outlines the home buying process and asks thoughtful questions on what you're looking for to ensure you find the right thing. He'll make suggestions on locations/amenities/home types that you would not have thought of yourself, but in no way tries to steer you in a direction that you're uncomfortable with or feel pushed toward. While I'm sure I asked some stupid questions, he never made me feel like I was, and was patient and thoughtful when addressing any of my concerns. The resource center that Starting Point set up on Damon is extremely helpful and shows how much Ryan and his team care about making sure you understand each step you take toward your home purchase, from financing, to inspection, to closing. My favorite part of working with Ryan is how much he acknowledges what a big deal it is to buy a home, especially your first. It is! I feel lucky that I worked with someone who had such enthusiasm and respect for this milestone. I'm currently in my dream home thanks to Ryan! read more

Cindy and I had a pleasure to work with Ryan Gable; from the start when he agreed to help us based upon a phone call 4200 miles apart, to the many house visits where Cindy found Facebook more interesting, all the way to the closing last Friday (1/3/14), Ryan has been top notch. Not only did he help us find our perfect home but he introduced us to an outstanding team (Mike with the home inspection, Chris with the legal, and James with the mortgage) to make this process as smooth as possible. He truly has a great group he works with. Ryan, we wanted to say thanks over and over again for such a pleasant experience you gave us in the process of purchasing our first home; we finally settled in and are loving our new home ;). Thank you, 1/23/2014 read more

We were looking to relocate closer to the city with access to the Metra, and we were very interested in the Palatine area. A family member recommended Ryan at StartingPoint Realty due to their excellent experience. He knew the area well, and most importantly he listened to what we were looking for. He was candid about the process and the houses we looked at. We started looking in July 2015 and found our house on our first outing. Of course, we wanted to make sure it was the right one, so we looked at a few more. We closed at the end of September 2015. Ryan was the best realtor we could have asked for. If I know anyone looking for a new home, I'll be sending them his way. read more

My husband and I worked with Ryan and his team to purchase our first home. We'll absolutely work with them again when we buy our next home! Ryan was extremely down to earth (which was very important to us), personable, and knowledgeable. He educated us on the home buying process, and made it feel much less overwhelming. He also very much took his time with us - we never felt he was just looking to make a sale. I didn't think the house hunting process would be fun, but it was - Ryan made each outing enjoyable. We also worked with Diane and Terry, who were just as great and helpful. I even texted Ryan with a question, a couple months after closing on our home, and he called right away - to check in on us and thoroughly answer my question. I would recommend Ryan and the Starting Point team to anyone! read more

Ryan went above and beyond what we expected when buying our first place. Similar to what others have already said, Ryan spent time with us before looking at places and asking my fiancé and I important questions we hadn't thought about before. In addition, Ryan helped put together a great team with a mortgage broker and attorney for closing. We easily would recommend Ryan to anyone looking at buying real estate. He makes you feel like one of his most important clients. We are thrilled with the place that he helped us find and couldn't have asked for anything more! - Greg T. & Kathleen N. read more

Abby was our StartingPoint Realtor for a recent home purchase and we would like to recognize her for how truly wonderful she is! Not only is she an excellent professional Chicago realtor, she is an exemplary person inside and out. Although we are not first time home buyers, Abby used endless comparable properties to get us a phenomenal deal on a larger home in the city. Her enthusiasm, aggression and energy helped us to secure the right property at the right price at the right time. We would recommend her to anyone as an attentive caring realtor, strong negotiator, and knowledgeable resource for Chicago neighborhood residences. Thank you many times over! We are forever grateful! Craig & Courtney read more

I originally worked with Ryan in 2006 and purchased a condo. Due to my growing family, space became an issue and my husband and I just wanted to see what kind of deals were out there. Because of the positive experience I had before with Ryan, I knew that I definitely wanted to work with him again. Still unsure if we'd actually find something or if it was really the right time to buy, I knew Ryan would never put pressure on jumping into something we weren't ready for - or making us feel awkward looking at many places even if we didn't move forward with a purchase. Working with him again opened my eyes to so many more reasons why he is extremely talented. This time around, we were looking at single family homes and buildings with less units - both of which came with an entirely new set of things to look for, details to extract from the selling agents, and also loan challenges. Ryan is so knowledgeable about the financing end of home shopping that it helped us narrow down exactly what we were looking for - which at first was a challenge because we were starting the search so open-minded. We really fell in love with something a couple months into our casual search and what really became apparent is that Ryan has surrounded himself with other home experts as a part of his team. The home inspector, the real estate attorney, and the mortgage team he suggested were phenomenal to work with and I wanted to highlight them in this review because I believe they're crucial to the purchasing process. We began working with James Madezjek from Wells Fargo on our loan, and despite how strict lending has become, there were several options that we needed to sort through and James helped us every step of the way. His advice was absolutely crucial in determining what type of loan we decided to go with and he was able to negotitate a lower rate based on getting closing costs from the seller so that we could purchase points toward our interest rate to get it down even lower. Working with James and his team made the closing process go smoothly without any surprises, delays, or hiccups along the way. Because I don't get much time off for work and we had moving trucks scheduled, etc - I needed to make sure that our closing date was secure and went through without any glitches and it did. We also had a fantastic experience with Chris Aiello, the attorney that Ryan recommended. At first we were going to work with a family member who offered his services for free. We did that and after putting in an offer, our family member did not even review the contract within the allotted time given. We called Ryan in a panic, and he put us in touch with Chris. Even though we were out of the attorney review time frame, Chris quickly put together a list of requests for the seller's attorney, all of which were met due to Chris's negotiating skills. His timing and knowledge helped us get more than what we were anticipating for taxes and warranty - both of which we definitely would have overlooked without his expertise. One final note on home inspections- probably the most important part of purchasing - William Broderick was simply the best. Ryan told us that he inspects equipment for traveling circuses to ensure that everything is safe and to code, and that sounded awfully compelling. He was not only meticulous in his inspection, he helped thoroughly explain all of his recommendations and described what the builder needed to do before closing and also things that we should do once we moved in. He was so talented and I'm very appreciative that Ryan could recommend him. Overall, I couldn't have been more pleased with my experience working with Ryan and his outstanding team. We are happy in our new home, and I know whenever we need to move again, I'll be giving Ryan a call! read more

I highly recommend Ryan Gable. I actually chose to work with him because of his excellent Yelp reviews. We initially started our search in one specific area and ended up in a completely different area farther away. He was flexible, always offered an appropriate and respectful opinion. We only had experience building a home so this was was the first time we purchased an existing property. Ryan helped us understand what important items to look for and pointed out issues we should focused on. When we were looking at a property for a second time, he even crawled in the crawl space to take a look. I liked that he was available either via email, text or phone. Ryan gave us referrals for home inspection, real estate attorney, etc. he even sat with us during our home inspection and home closing. We've been remodeling our property and I have stayed in touch with him to show before and after photos! read more

My husband and I worked with Ryan on buying our first home and I cannot recommend him highly enough. Ryan is a truly dedicated real-estate professional who cares more about educating home buyers than gaining them as clients. He spent a great deal of time with me, one-on-one, explaining the entire home search and purchase process before we even said we wanted him to be our agent. But after seeing how knowledgeable and passionate he was, there was no one else we could have possibly chosen. Throughout the entire process, Ryan was always available, always happy to answer any questions we had, always staying on top of things. He made sure we got everything done on time which was especially helpful during the mortgage application period. Throughout it all, no matter what happened, Ryan handled every situation wonderfully and with an often much needed dose of humor and fun. I can truly say that this was a level of service and personal attention that I've never experienced anywhere else and am now proud to call Ryan not only my real estate agent, but also a friend. read more

My fiancé and I were finally ready to purchase our first home. We had no idea how the home buying process works or even where to begin. I started searching the internet for any info I could get and randomly googled "first time homebuyers Chicago" and found Starting Point Realty. I poked around the website and noticed that they offered free first time home buying seminars. We decided to give the seminar a shot and it was honestly the best thing we could have done. We learned so much about the home buying process and we got to meet Ryan! Shortly after the seminar we started our search. Ryan was with us every step of the way...helping to narrow down what we wanted/needed in a home. He was never pushy and made us feel totally comfortable. Ryan has to be the coolest realtor ever! He answered all of our questions and answered questions that we didn't even know we had! We seriously could not have done this without him. We finally have our first home and I would recommend Starting Point Realty to anyone! read more

The job of finding and buying a home can be a daunting one. So many decisions! So much money! So much crap to weed through! Picking the right person to help you is imperative to making this experience as painless as possible and a positive one, longterm. We were very lucky to have found that person in Ryan. Honest, super knowledgable, and clearly there for his clients every step of the way, thinking only of our best interests. Because of him, we found the home we were looking for and it was easier than it should have been! It's just really great when you can trust someone with something so important and know that he will truly represent you. Awesome. read more

My husband and I were very much the "first time home buyer" stereotype. Young couple with a baby moving from Roscoe Village out to the 'burbs. I can't say enough about how glad I am that we chose to work with StartingPoint! Even with all of the research we did up front, we very much needed to be guided through the process. We worked with Ryan Gable and he was great. Very patient, experienced, and he gave us useful feedback throughout our search, without being pushy. Ryan was also able to recommend other professionals for us to work with (lawyer, inspector, etc), which was huge for us. Easily a five star experience. read more

My husband and I have purchased two homes with Ryan Gable and sold one over the past nine years. We cannot speak highly enough of his knowledge, professionalism, and personality. He calmly, and with a great sense of humor, helped us navigate the murky and often tumultuous waters of real estate, assisting us in everything from securing financing to negotiating offers, from understanding legal jargon to hiring an attorney. He even stepped into the role of therapist while we dealt with the touch-and-go sale of our townhouse - certainly not part of his job description and an example of how he goes above and beyond for his clients. Every professional he recommended (mortgage brokers, lawyers, inspectors, etc.) was top-notch. If you are planning on buying or selling a home, your first and best decision should be to hire this man and his team. He is the opposite of pushy, steps in to advocate and go to bat for you when needed, and is a genuinely excellent human being. And he keeps it REAL. You couldn't ask for anything more when making one of the biggest decisions of your life. We don't plan on buying or selling a home anytime in the near future because Ryan did such an incredible job getting us into the home our family will live in for decades, but if we had to do any of it again we'd work with him every time. read more

Abby from Starting Point was a godsend! By the time we met her we had already gone through two other realtors and two other mortgage brokers--none of whom did anything for us other than waste four months of our time. We were growing frustrated and discouraged. Abby got us back on track, though, and worked very hard for us. As first-time buyers we had no idea what we were doing, but she managed the entire process and kept things moving forward. She responded quickly to our many questions and made sure we understood what was happening every step of the way. She also was very quick to contact the seller's agent to schedule showings. And, when it came time to make an offer, she made sure all our paperwork was in order and helped us assemble a great team of inspectors, mortgage brokers and closing attorneys. Thanks to her hard work, we were able to close in less than 30 days, which was one of the seller's contingencies. We honestly couldn't have bought our awesome three-flat without Abby, and we couldn't possibly recommend her enough! read more

This is long overdue but I was more than happy with my decision to use Starting Point Realty to purchase my first home. They were very thorough and patient and answered any questions before we began the process. My realtor Cassie was fantastic to answering my never ending emails to scheduling viewing appointments right away and and ultimately helping my purchase my dream home. The process was very smooth and we closed in 45 days from first offer. read more

We relocated from out of state and wanted to close the deal before relocating. So glad to have Ryan as our realtor, he helped us a lot and we were finally able to close the deal of our choice. He's not only knowledgeable but also very honest and candid - in my opinion, that's the most important trait in someone to trust with purchases like first time home in our case. We totally recommend him and would love to work with him on any future purchases. read more

Make a very long story short, this is the place to go to find your dream home. Ryan was extremely patient with myself and my family as I was on bedrest. I was constantly getting new homes sent to me via email that met my criteria. After many months of looking, it was Tammy that sent an email of our NOW home sweet home! Both of these two awesome people dealt with my confusion, my changes AND my pregnancy hormones! Plus, they are EXTREMELY honest. Never did I ever feel like they wanted to pull one over on me to make money. They would tell me straight up if it wasn't worth it, and exactly what I should be looking for in our first home.There is way to much GREAT things to say about this company and their workers. We bought our house in 2015, and love it to this day! It fits our ENTIRE lifestyle. I wouldn't of been able to do this without them. read more

Like everyone else writing comments here, We are so thankful and grateful that friends recommended Ryan to us. He was patient, helpful, fun, responsive, assuring, weighed in when asked, opposite of pushy, and truly wanted us to be happy with where we ended up buying. He knows what a big deal it is the first time- and he made the experience fun for us. We are thrilled with our place, and have already recommended him to friends of ours who were working with someone else who seemed to be pushy and didn't listen to what they wanted. Ryan is the opposite of that! He's the best! read more

Working with Ryan was both educational and entertaining. I learned a lot from the time I attended his lecture on the process of first time home buying up till now were even after I have purchased by home we communicate. There's a lot to learn and it's a huge step in anyone's life. We had some good times in his SUV viewing the homes that I had picked out as well as some he did. He was able to answer any all of my question to a degree that was more than satisfactory. All in all after everything was said and done I got what I wanted how I wanted it. His knowledge with the surrounding area's was also impressive. After being only in my new home for two months, I can say I'm glad I went him and would recommend him to any of my friends without hesitation. read more

I enjoyed working with Ryan so much I asked him to help us again on our second home purchase. I'm glad we did. He made himself available when we needed him and kept us informed throughout the process. The partners around him are knowledgable and attentive. I would highly recommend him to anyone interested in buying a home. read more

My husband and I recently had the pleasure of working with Ryan Gable. We stumbled across Ryan by happen chance, as he was the realtor representing the very first house we looked at. I don't know about anyone else, but when I think 'realtor' I imagine an uptight, snobby, know-it-all type personality. Lucky for us, Ryan was the complete opposite of this perception I once had. We couldn't be happier with our entire experience with him. While searching for our dream home, never once did I feel that Ryan was pushy, or just trying to rush through our experience to get our money. For example, he would email me homes that he thought I would like, even though he had us in the MLS with our desired specs for a house. He was always responsive every time I called/texted/emailed with questions. Never once did he talk down to us when we would ask questions or needed further explanation of things. Also, when we would go and look at homes, he would walk ahead and point out things that needed repair, or things that he noticed were recently upgraded. I didn't know anything about shelf life for appliances, so it was extremely helpful having someone there to say things like, "keep in mind that the furnace and air conditioner will need to be replaced soon and cost 'X' amount of dollars." Moreover, if you're looking for a professional, knowledgeable realtor with the most mellow and unpretentious personality, he's your man! read more

When we first decided to buy a house we researched many real estate agents. A lot of agents had great reviews and it was very overwhelming on picking the right one. We originally went with a real estate agent a family friend recommended but we decided to switch agents when we attended ryan's home buyers seminar, which he held at Pequods and also happens to be one of my favorite pizza restaurants in Chicago. His seminar was very informative and gave us a better perspective of what to expect during the home buying experience. I also spent some time on his website which also provides a wealth of information and tools, such as links to property public records. What we thought was going to be a quick and easy process turned out to be complicated due to some loan requirements that the property didn't meet, but Ryan provided some sound advice and made sure we got a good deal. We did not have a real estate lawyer so we worked with the lawyer Ryan recommended. Who was able to get all of our requests approved, under Ryan's motto of " the worst they can say is no" we asked for everything we thought they might reject and rarely heard no. Ryan was on top of everything! The sellers agent moved very slow and it was very hard to get things done quickly but Ryan was very professional and was constantly communicating with him to make sure things got done in a timely matter. Just as we thought we were set to close we run into a snag due to a mistake on our part ,which required a contract extension which the seller refused to give us. Now with the threat of losing our earnest money and the property we were heartbroken. This was our dream home and the thought of all of our hard work going down the drain and have to start all over was horrible! However, Ryan was very patient and was able to secure a new contract on the property with the same terms. In the end, working with Ryan made our home buying experience extremely less stressful and we are very thankful for all of his hard work! Ryan also knows how to have fun, he held a family fun day for his clients and family members at Arlington race track. There was free food, snacks, and he even bought us some bets to join the fun since we were all broke from buying our homes. :) read more