Jill Giorno with the Makinney Group is wonderful! She helped us purchase our first home in this…read moreawful market. Jill was always available, very transparent and always willing to to the extra mile!

We purchased a home in Glen Ellyn through Gracik Makinney in May of 2010. We had a specific kind of…read moreproperty in mind and a long list of 'must haves'. Tom worked patiently with us to find exactly the right property at a price we could afford. We were first time homebuyers, and he went above and beyond in terms of guiding us through the 'murky waters' of the purchase process. I can't recommend this group enough. If you're upfront with them about what you want and what you can spend, they'll find your dream house for you.

Platinum Partners Realtors was the broker on the other side of my real estate purchase. However, I…read morecalled Gina Pekofske several times with questions (easier to go right to the source :) ) and she was very pleasant and very helpful. Also, when my parents and I went back for another look and we had trouble getting in, she was more than willing to come right over to help out. I first found our new home by vising their open house. She and her partner were both very nice, very professional, offering information on the home without being over-bearing or following people around. While we haven't closed just yet, I can say that my experiences thus far have been a true pleasure and have made a stressful situation (buying/selling) easier to handle.

We had such an incredible experience with Stephanie Kallas. She held our hand through the buying of…read morea new home and selling our old one. I was originally terrified of the idea of selling our home because it seemed like such a nightmare. However, the minute we saw another home we wanted, our lender introduced us to Stephanie and she immediately helped us see how easy it could be to transition to a new home. I am SO glad that we made the leap and that we had Stephanie there to guide us through the process on both ends. If you want someone kind and empathetic, Stephanie is the one for you.

Selling in the luxury market requires more than data. It demands precision, expertise, and a team…read morewith the credibility and presence that commands respect at every stage of the process. We interviewed three realtors before making our decision. The data pointed us toward The Alice Chin Team, but what sealed it was a simpler question: who would I take into a boardroom or a high-stakes negotiation? The answer was Alice and Jim, without hesitation. Every step of the process was polished, seamless, and refreshingly honest. They brought professionalism and genuine warmth to what can be a stressful journey, and we had a lot of fun along the way. We achieved both our price and time goals, a result we are incredibly proud of, and one that came from the right preparation, the right positioning, and a team driven by excellence behind us. And then there's Jim. Jim is one of those rare people who makes every room better the moment he walks in. Charismatic, warm, and genuinely fun to be around, he's the kind of person you find yourself wanting to call just to talk. But don't let the warmth fool you. Jim is also one of the most honest professionals I've worked with. No spin, no games, just straight talk and a relentless commitment to doing right by his clients. He went above and beyond at every turn, anticipating needs before we even articulated them. If you are lucky enough to work with Jim, you will understand immediately why people who work with him once never go anywhere else. If you want a luxury experience to sell your luxury home, this is your team.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Our experience with Alice Chin was extremely disturbing. I encourage anyone who is considering…read moreusing her as their broker to take my review very seriously before moving forward with her. Throughout our transaction, we experienced inappropriate pressure and resistance regarding us using our choice of inspector and our decision to have our inspector support us during our final walkthrough to verify that mold was remediated properly. A buyer should be able to rely on their agent to protect their interests--not feel pressured or undermined during one of the most consequential parts of a home purchase. In general, anything we asked for, such as updates from the sellers about repairs, she framed as atypical and unreasonable. We felt very gaslit by her. What is even more unacceptable is her subsequent public discussion of our private transaction and personal disputes on her public podcast, presented entirely from her perspective and without important context. Having private client information discussed publicly without our consent was deeply disturbing and a serious breach of the confidentiality I expected from my broker. Given Illinois law's express requirements concerning the confidentiality of client information, I believe the disclosure may have violated applicable legal and professional obligations. In it she also decided to call my husband and I (who she earned considerable commission from) as "bad people" and "bad clients", along with sharing other disparaging characterizations of us. In her podcast she literally admits to greywalling us, mishandling our miscommunications, and being purposely unhelpful. I had held off on posting a Google review and just wanted to put the negative experience working with her behind me but discovering her podcast left me no other option but to post so that I could warn other prospective customers. This was not simply a terrible customer-service experience. It fundamentally undermined my privacy and interests during a process that is already incredibly stressful. Her unprofessionalism and lack of ethics is unbelievable. Alice - I'm sorry your feelings were hurt being called unprofessional and unethical (which you mentioned on your podcast), but actions speak louder than words and that's exactly what you are.

I would rate a zero if I could. Stay away from these people!! Specifically the ones based out of…read moreNaperville. They are liars and are completely stupid people. I especially am referencing agent Hui Li. My wife and I were out of town and specifically told our listing agent that we couldn't accommodate any showings for the weekend. Hui Li lied and said they had approval from my agent to view my home. They pressured my teenage son the let them in and made all sorts of demands, such as putting my dogs away. Stupid move Hui Li! My dogs could have KILLED you and your clients. Are you really that stupid??? You are a moron of the highest degree!!! By no means are you or anyone who you represent will ever be allowed in my house, EVER!!!! Do you understand me?!?!?! You broke trust with your dishonest practices. You should lose your real estate license, if you even have one. Prove to us you do! I would advise anyone out there to stay away from this lady. No smart at all and a liar. She's looking out for her bottom line without any regard for the safety of her clients. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Pavlina was amazing! Cannot recommend her enough! She spent so much time making sure I got my…read moreperfect first home.

I rented an apartment above Melissa's Dwellings office for three years and she is a fantastic…read morelandlord in every respect. She is also a very compassionate and fair minded individual. I had a neighbor in the building who had many challenges physically, mentally and financially and Melissa went above and beyond to help this person. The building was kept in excellent condition and any property issues were handled promptly. Melissa is a top notch pro and a wonderful person.

My review relates to the property management services, but if the broker services are similar, then…read moreI would avoid Dwellings all together. As the owner of an investment property in the city, I know the importance of a good property management company. Dwellings is not that company. We rented a property managed by them so we got to see how they operate from the lessee side, and...yikes. For example, the garage door of the property we leased was lifting slow. I know that when that happens, you stop using the garage. We called Melissa and she came out to look at it. A professional (which is who I would have called to come fix it) would have seen immediately that the torsion spring was broken and needed to be replaced. But not Melissa -- she proceeded to open and close the garage door repeatedly until the whole motor blew out. So instead of bringing in someone who knows what they are doing to make a relatively minor repair, she incurred hundreds of dollars in repair costs by blowing out the motor, requiring the entire system be replaced. If I were the owners I would have been pissed. Melissa also tried to increase our rent -- DURING THE TERM OF OUR LEASE. It was at that point we decided it was best that we move out. So we move out. Our lease provided for deductions from our security deposit solely for damages. Despite that fact, she withdrew money for light bulbs and move-in cleaning. A burned out light bulb is not "damage," and neither is the cost of cleaning. She took our money without regard to what the contract said. She also charged us for her botched door repair. So renters be wary, and make sure you do a walk through with her and a get written accounting after you move out and BEFORE she takes your money. I would never rent a property managed by Dwellings again and would definitely never hire them to manage the properties I own.

I originally called Joanne Bullen of the Ultimate Realty Group, LLC because of all her outstanding…read morereviews (average 4.9) on her web site - it is very unusual to find any professional with a 4.9 out of 5.0 rating. We'll my only comment is that Joanne deserves to be a 5.0+. My wife and I were fortunate enough to be represented by Joanne in the purchase of a condo residence for our daughter who will be attending U. of Chicago in the fall. Based on our experience we recommend her 100% without any reservations. Between my wife and me we have done at least 50 R.E. deals over the years and currently own 3 homes and one investment property. So, we have done business with LOTS of realtors. I myself was a realtor for about five years. So, again, lots of experience. We both think Joanne is as good as it gets - Reliable, knowledgeable, professional, intelligent, xlnt communicator AND, as a bonus, a pleasure to deal with personally. She pretty much makes herself available 24 / 7, a real rarity these days. Weather as a buyer like us or as a seller, do yourself a favor and give Joanne a call. And then be as loyal to her as you expect her to be to you. With her professional support you are sure to have a great real estate experience.

My inquiries about viewing a property for which Ultimate Realty was the seller's agent went…read moreunanswered by Joanne, who Mrs. Pinkham directed me to contact twice, after not hearing back from Joanne initially. I wouldn't trust them with my listing

Excellent realtor and team over at McCatty Real Estate! They have been amazing to work with! A+read more

Mike and Andrew McCatty were the BEST real estate team to work with. They advised on home prep,…read morepricing and communicated through closing. Could not be happier with their services. Strongly recommend!!

My husband and I bought our first home in December and were exceptionally pleased with Joanne…read moreRancich work. As first time buyers we worked with many different real estate agents, in hope of finding someone who is knowledgeable and available to meet our needs. Luckily a family member recommended Joanne that turns out to be our best decision ever. She was very flexible to show us the properties according to our schedule, filed our bids right away even if she had to stay late nights. Joanne was extremely patient in answering all our questions and doing research for her. Joanne's knowledge and experience around homes, the housing market and the various stages of the home buying process was impressive and ended up helping us immensely. Joanne was fantastic in all our quick responses and getting us set up to find lawyer, inspector and plumber whatever needed. All in all extremely happy with her service! She is not only kind, non-pressuring, knowledgeable, on top of her game. What more could you want from your realtor!

We contacted Frank Kresz because his name came up when we found a property we wanted to see and we…read morewere not working with an agent. He showed us the home, we put in a bid, He showed up at our house as "Super Realtor" ......he filled in the blanks of the contract.........however, he was next to unreachable following the acceptance of the contract. His response was something like, not everyone can be on your schedule. we had some questions about the house( I received my answer from the owner at our final walkthrough). I even contacted his managing broker (Gary Jacklin, who laughed it off when I mentioned Super Realtor ) then nothing. To top it off, during our final walkthrough, Frank took a key from the counter, he said just in case there is not one at the closing (he never showed at the closing). We changed the locks. I would steer clear of Frank Kresz as well as Remax Action.