Diana Dahlberg, owner of 1 Month Realty was our agent for selling our condo. I felt an instant…read moreconnection to her.at our first meeting. She was very thorough with all the information we needed to put our home on the market. We felt very comfortable letting her handle all the details of our listing. She was always available to answer any questions we had. She took beautiful photos of our home. She had an open house early on and we got a buyer fairly quickly. We have recommended her whenever we get a chance. She is someone you can trust. We would use her again.

I hired Lynn Briskin to market and sell my home. This review is specifically about deceptive…read moremarketing practices by @properties more than it is about Lynn Briskin, although she too is culpable for this behavior. Frankly, I am upset and feel deceived by the whole process and can only hope future homeowners will not be put in the same position as me. TL;DR: If you are listing your home with @properties, INSIST that the commission split between the buyer's and seller's agents be written into your listing agreement. Buried in the very fine print of the @properties standard listing agreement it says that @properties can decide the commission split between the agents. Even I missed it, and it was only at the closing table that I even caught wind of the consequences of this. My property sat on the market for 10 weeks accruing market time with a below average number of showings and Lynn assured me she had done absolutely everything in her power to help me garner a buyer. For those who may not be aware: When a property is listed on the MLS, the listing agent inputs what the commission to the buyer's agent will be. This information is absolutely secret to the general public and not viewable to anyone without MLS access, so you are completely putting your faith in the listing agent and trusting they are holding your best interests. As we all know, agent commissions drive showings and ultimately sales. Whether it would be considered ethical or not, a property listed with a lower commission to a buyer's agent (e.g., 1%) will result in fewer showings. (Please tell any agent who disagrees with this statement to switch to a flat fee structure instead). As I found out the hard way, Lynn listed my property with a full 1% commission in her favor (i.e., not an equal commission split). In other words, a lower commission to the buyer's agent, and plausibly responsible for the longer market time and lower sale price. While the "net" commission to me as the seller was the same, had this been *disclosed* upfront, I would never have hired Lynn to represent me. To my dismay, this is a widespread practice with @properties. After speaking with Don Shea the @properties managing broker, he encourages "all of his agents" to list properties in this manner with this type of split commission in a 1% favor to his agents. While this practice puts more money in the @properties pockets (and may be even justifiable in some instances), the homeowner has zero visibility or knowledge of this practice. The commission split should be disclosed upfront because it is both the ethical thing to do as well as consequential to the homeowner with their sale.

Lynn is the best! We worked with her for the purchase of our condo 6 years ago and also this past…read moremonth for the sale of our condo and both times she was a joy to work with. She makes the process incredibly easy and straightforward and truly takes care of you. We would highly recommend her to anyone buying or selling!

I recently utilized Urb & Burb Realty to purchase my new home…read more Fuschia Win-Ro was my agent. I was looking for someone who was knowledgeable, communicative and genuinely invested in helping me find the right home for myself and my children. Fuschia took the time to know exactly what I was looking for in a home and was always one step ahead -- whether it was scheduling showings quickly in a competitive market, explaining the nuances of the process or offering honest feedback about properties. During the entire process I felt Fuschia consistently advocated for my best interests. When it came time to make an offer Fuschia provided invaluable guidance on pricing strategy and negotiations, which ultimately helped me secure a great deal. Communication was easy and often. Fuschia was available by phone, text, or email and kept me updated every step of the way. Fuschia also worked seamlessly with my attorney, lender, and other parties to ensure a smooth closing. I'm incredibly grateful to have had Fuschia on my side during this process.

After three months of tries and crazy fails on three condos (for various reasons and none Karla's…read morefault), I finally own the condo I'd been staring at all along. Even when I went inside, it felt like deja vu because I'd been examining the photos so long that I felt like I'd been there before. I wholeheartedly appreciate Karla's expertise in real estate development, home maintenance tips, patience during the times I was testing her patience the MOST, and for being an all-around funny person. There was never too much silence around Karla, and she always had a colorful story to tell. Even the three-hour wait on closing and three-week wait on the condo association (notice how "three" seems to be the magic number here?), she was always on her game, working in the background even when I honestly didn't know she was, and trying her best to make sure I got the condo I wanted. I appreciate her and would recommend her to anyone. (My wine candle is coming.)

It was a pleasure working with Kinga. She's very responsive, helpful, and knowledgeable. I highly…read morerecommend her to anyone who is looking to get involved with real estate.

Kinga was awesome: trustworthy, smart, on time and friendly. In this competitive market she secured…read moreand found our dream house. She wholeheartedly took into consideration our budget, the schools, and necessary walking distance shops--we love our neighborhood.

As a newlywed couple and first-time home buyer, navigating the real estate market is a rather…read moreoverwhelming and stressful task. That all changed the moment started working with Julie Anne! I couldn't be happier with the result or recommend anyone that provide the overall quality of service and knowledge that she has to offer. From the very beginning, Julie took the time to get to fully comprehend our situation and made sure that our goals were in line with our financial situation. Unlike most salespeople, Julie was not looking to just find us a house, she was looking to find us a place we called home. It was clear to see that she is concerned about the overall satisfaction of her clients. After each phone call or meeting, my wife and I really began to grow fond of the fact that we found an industry leading, trusted adviser to help us navigate the real estate market. Julie's experience in this industry is evident as she walked us through the seemingly endless pages to sign during our closing. We ended up purchasing the home of our dreams at a price almost 20% below the sellers asking price. In addition, she was able to negotiate the completion of $15,000 worth of renovations that were discovered by the incredible home inspector she recommended. The negotiation process kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I couldn't help thinking that maybe her negotiation approach was too aggressive, and we might lose the deal. In the end, Julie was spot on, we walked away with a move in ready home and money we could spend on starting a life as newlyweds in our new home. We were so incredibly happy to have such a highly skilled, confident and dedicated agent representing us. Julie was available when we had questions, even after hours. Her professionalism, honesty, industry knowledge, and hard work ethic go beyond anything we would have expected. From day one, Julie had our best interest in mind and made our first-time home buying experience stress-free and successful. Julie Anne, with @Properties is my only recommendation for anyone looking for an industry leading, trusted adviser, to help you successfully navigate the complex real estate market. Thank you Julie Anne!

As a first time home buyer, I was nervous until I met Julie Ann and I have nothing but good…read morememories as I completed my journey to home ownership. Julie is thorough and represents your interests uncovering pitfalls before they occurred. She is supported by a great team including a lawyer who protected my rights as a buyer. I strongly recommend Julie for first time buyers or anyone looking for an honest and responsive agent.

I would not use Picket Fence again, and I do not recommend them. Sue Duchek handled the listing on…read moremy house in Arlington Heights. She gave a pitch that was thorough, and set a price that was higher than other agents'. It took more than two months to get one offer, despite have many showings and getting positive feedback from people who toured the house. The price was lowered repeatedly. And this was when houses were selling super fast during the pandemic (spring-summer 2021). I eventually realized she "bought the listing", as several neighbors had suggested. When I asked her why there were no offers sooner, she mentioned two obstacles (being across from a park, and not having a big backyard); and said she didn't know they would pose problems. Seriously? My house finally sold for more than $60,000 below the original list price. Very dissatisfactory.

Sue Duchek, broker and owner of Pickett Fence Realty, turned the reluctance and anxiety I felt…read moreabout having to use a realtor into gratitude and completely positive feelings about my first time doing so. I had unenthusiastically decided that I would need the help of a realtor to sell a condo I had lived in and owned for 30 years, because I was then living 140 miles away. I was unenthusiastic and reluctant because I am an independent and DIY kind of guy. Nevertheless, my wife and I interviewed several realtors in the Arlington Heights area. We knew in ten minutes we had a match when we met Sue. What impressed us was her calm, mature, friendly, thoughtful, humble and relatable demeanor and the fact that she did not push herself on us despite what we later learned were her manifest qualifications and experience. My point is, Sue is the real deal as a person and you will love working with her. She will tell it like it is and you'll want to hear it. For me, Sue has a great deal of personal credibility and earned my trust early with her nuanced thinking and analysis. She also has a lively sense of humor which, believe me, can serve anyone well in this sometimes fraught and emotional undertaking of real estate sales. Sue guided me through a minefield of difficult decisions in the worst months of the Covid-19 crisis in the spring and summer of 2020. Then she rationally and sympathetically helped me keep the faith through the disappointment of losing two early sales (for reasons beyond our control or influence) until we finally "got our plane on the ground and to the terminal", as our lawyer, Collin Gilbert of Palatine, put it. He was recommended by Sue and turned out to be a great choice. I recommend him as well for his hard work, communications skills and wise advice. I felt that Sue was in the game - my game - with both her head and her heart from the start. I would unconditionally recommend her to anyone seeking a delightful partner and an experienced guide in their real estate journey. If you call her, say "hey" from me.

After lack of success with another real estate agent in the area, we asked a colleague who had…read morerecently sold his estate for a recommendation; he highly recommended Connie. Our turn to do the same. Extremely competent, knowledgable, and professional. She came up with creative solutions to overcome challenges and help us in fixing and marketing our Barrington house, as we live out of state. Our house sold very quickly. Highly recommend!

The owner of our company has known Connie for years and has used her many times in the past for…read moreselling real estate. She recently helped us sell a land parcel which was listed for awhile and proving difficult to sell. Not only was she dedicated to getting this parcel sold, once we had a contract signed she became an invaluable source of communication with the buyers and their agent to see the deal through to closing. Her professionalism is unmatched as well as her patience and knowledge of the market. We will be delighted to hire Connie again for future sales and will recommend her to anyone we know looking to sell or buy a home.

Lala shepherded my wife and I through a home search that coincided with a relocation and job…read morechange, acting not only as a real estate agent, but a trusted partner and guide as we learned about an entirely new part of the country and worked to find the perfect fit for our new life. Lala quickly intuited what we were looking for, and helped us think through vital aspects of each home that would have been missed by a less-trained eye. (She also has a ridiculously good memory for property details!) From the start, Lala demonstrated exceptional expertise in the inventory, pricing, and options in Chicago and the North Shore. As impressive, she had a truly remarkable degree of patience, wisdom, energy, and general optimism that turned a complex (and what could have been quite daunting) task into a pleasant and highly rewarding experience. Bottom line: Lala is the consummate professional and we cannot thank her enough for what she has done to help our family put down roots in this wonderful community. We are grateful and will be passing along every referral we can.

Cannot say enough about this realtor! She helped us find our dream house as promised.I am very…read morepicky and for a year and a half she worked so hard for us. We didn't know if we wanted a condo or house and she was a great guide to finding the best space for us. She knows her stuff and drops everything to handle any questions or concerns. We always felt like her only client- 24/7 and on weekends she was available, helpful, and knowledgeable. Lala is the best!