We had an excellent experience working with Marco Mejia and Sari Levy at Lucid Realty in Chicago. They were knowledgeable, easy to work with, and available when we wanted to talk and/or get together. We worked with them on an hourly basis, and after the closing, they rebated our side of the commission. We will definitely work with them again when we have the opportunity, and highly recommend Lucid Realty. read more

I had the pleasure of working with Denise Mitchell from Lucid Realty, and I couldn't be more impressed. Denise consistently led me in the right direction throughout the entire process. She never pressured me into making a decision or pushed me toward a property or offer that didn't feel right. Her honesty, professionalism, and patience made a big difference and truly set her apart. I always felt like she had my best interests in mind, and I'm grateful for her guidance. Also have to say that the cost structure they utilize saves you so much money, not sure why everyone isn't copying it. Highly recommend working with Denise and the Lucid Realty team. read more

Marco created a high quality listing very quickly so we could get started before Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. Marco's market analysis guided us to the right listing price. Very happy with results. read more

We engaged Eddie and Lucid to sell our elderly mother's long-time residence. Based on Eddie's recommendation, we elected for the option of hourly work, with a commission rebate. Although we had one transaction fall through with the buyers backing out, we still saved roughly 30% with the commission rebate. Eddie was extremely patient in explaining the whole process to my family, many of whom have never participated in a real estate transaction before (my mother had owned the house for 40 years). Eddie gave us common sense advice on how to proceed with the sale, from what we should/shouldn't repair, how we should price the house, and when we should consider a pricing change. Every decision was ultimately up to us, but he was candid in giving his expert opinion. Eddie was also extremely timely with giving us information about listing activity and showings, and responding to our questions. Because of the original buyers backing out and a final buyer who was, let's say . . . difficult . . . there were a lot of questions and a lot of communications, and Eddie was always on top of it. This is our third time working with Lucid (see previous review!), and our second time working with Eddie. We have also referred three friends to Lucid and all of them raved about their experience. Highly, highly recommended. read more

I honestly don't know where to begin - and if you look at my other reviews you'll see "finding words" isn't usually a problem for me. I worked with Marco on the sale of my condo and couldn't be happier. I had met with several agents before finding Lucid and while I liked all of them, Lucid's commission structure interested me greatly. Marco and Gary came to see my condo and I shared with them where I wanted to be price wise. I thought my expectations were in check, however, they firmly believed that my property was worth a large 10+% more than I thought it was worth and significantly more than the other agents "swore" I could get for it. In fact, when I mentioned my ideal price to another agent (which was much less than what Marco wanted to list it for) the agent suggested I hold on to it for another "couple" years so that it would appreciate. When Marco told me what he wanted to list the property at, I was a little concerned (because it was SO HIGH) and a part of me began to question whether or not this was the "catch" on the "hourly model" with Lucid - that they price high so they can bill bill bill. This, absolutely, is not the case. Marco was right on with his pricing analysis! The property received several offers within the first four days of listing and closed within 40 days after we listed. The process was so seamless and Marco was so hands on I, honestly, felt like I was his only client for that month. During the negotiation phase with the buyers agent, I REALLY wanted to accept their first offer (it was tens of thousands more than I was willing to accept) but Marco calmed my fears and coached me through being aggressive. I was afraid, again, that his desire to stand firm was because there was no "harm" to Lucid if it didn't sell (since I was paying hourly) but - like the listing price analysis - Marco was spot on with his advice to me during the negotiation phase. I can't recommend Lucid, Gary and Marco enough! I have referred my friends to them and I will shout from the rooftops to anyone that is willing to listen to me - this brokerage is amazing!!! You will get white glove service and expert advice. Mind you, I saved over 48% in commission fees and got BETTER service and TENS OF THOUSANDS of dollars more than other agents told me was possible. I couldn't be happier and Lucid Realty has acquired a client for life. If you want to save money, receive better service, get a higher price, and truly be "wow'd" look no further. I am a firm believer in that if it "seems too good to be true" there is likely a catch. I assure you, however, there is no catch! Thanks, again, Marco! read more

The difference between Lucid and most other firms is simple. Most real estate agents have only worked in real estate -- one of the most backward, corrupt, local industries, with minimal competition, anti-competitive licensing, and a collusive commission structure that puts the customer's interests dead last. The whole industry is horrible and they don't even realize it, because it's all they know. When Amazon says "fast" they mean same-day delivery. In real estate, appraisers say "fast" when they mean -- I'll get it done next week...maybe. Lucid's principals came from outside the industry and it shows. These people are genuine professionals who understand money for value and competition. It shows in everything they do, from their pricing down to their use of technology, and how responsive they are. A+ read more

We had a great experience with Lucid Realty as buyers and would 100% recommend them. We worked mostly with Denise Mitchell, who was very knowledgeable and responsive, not to mention a total pleasure to hang out with! read more

We used Lucid to buy our new place in Chicago. Our realtor Marco was great! He had good insight into the areas we were looking at and an eye for details. We paid by the hour and received the full commission as a refund! read more

Lucid Realty's flexible fees/commission are the wave of the future in home buying and selling. We had an 5 star experience selling our home with Marco Mejia in the fall of 2021. He was data driven, helped us price appropriately, gave great advice during negotiations, and was wonderful to work with. We paid hourly and took the 2.5% commission as a rebate, and saved SO much money in the process. I would highly recommend and definitely use LR again. read more

Highly recommend MARCO at Lucid!! Not only is he a pleasure to work with but THE CASH REBATE IS TRUE! I received a percentage of the commission earned by Lucid as a closing credit. In my scenario, it totaled about $1,400!!! Thank you!! With the competitive market, it took me over a year to finally find what I was looking for when it came to my first home purchase. Marco is very savvy about the market and home ownership in general, and offered great advice throughout the entire house-hunting process. He also made thoughtful suggestions so that my offer was the strongest it could be (most of the houses I bid on received multiple offers and there was no opportunity to counter). There is no doubt he has a wealth of experience. Marco is also responsive and reliable, and has established warm and professional relationships with other agents and real estate professionals (lawyers, mortgage brokers, etc) making him a great person to represent you. I can't say enough good things about my experience with Marco at Lucid! read more

I'm a first-time homebuyer, so I don't have any experience to compare to, but I can't imagine how Denise, Gary, and Jay could do their jobs any better. Denise drove me and my girlfriend to showing after showing in the Loop, West Loop, and South Loop area. It took about a month to find the place I eventually bought. Denise was extremely patient as I determined my priorities and learned the ropes of the home-buying process. She's a great listener, but isn't shy about giving her opinion either. Her guidance really helped me make a decision. I also appreciated that she attended the closing. Gary helped me define my initial search, and responded to my emails almost instantly whenever I had a question. Jay is new to the team but he attended the inspection with me and accompanied us for a few of the showings. All of them have a great attitude and are more than competent at their jobs...and they do it all for a discounted commission! I considered Redfin before I decided to go with Lucid, but Lucid actually gave me a bigger rebate than Redfin would have, and I believe I got the same level of service I would have gotten from a "full price" realtor. I can't think of a reason to use any other agency. read more

My agent at Lucid Realty is Denise Mitchell and she delivers. She pulled off an impossible feat by getting me the house I wanted in my price range in a market which heated up rapidly and became cut-throat competitive. She never lost patience when my offers failed on numerous homes due to bidding wars. She stuck by me when I ended up buying a short-sale which took almost one year and had several complications. She is also brutally honest. She isn't going to sugar-coat things or try to "sell" you like other agents. She truly wants you to end up in the home which is right for you so you will be happy forever. Thank you Denise, and Gary and Sari too. read more

House-hunting can be a tedious process - I cannot emphasize enough how lucky we were to have Denise as our agent. We started our search for our perfect Chicago home in four different neighborhoods: University Village, East Pilsen, Bridgeport, and Beverly. University Village was our top choice but home prices in the area for a 3bd/3ba were a bit out of our comfort zone. Denise was so patient with us as we went on numerous viewings - she gave us solid advice that really helped us to reevaluate our priorities. Denise is a lifelong Chicagoan that understands all the idiosyncrasies of each neighborhood, which is key when searching for a home in the city, home prices fluctuate from one block to another in a single neighborhood. She was always direct and HONEST about each home. We never felt rushed or compelled to buy a home we didn't like - she always gave us ample time to decide while realistically explaining how some homes quickly go under contract so we would have to act quickly if we wanted the home. A home we bid on received multiple offers but we won out due to Denise's strategic negotiating tactics. Luckily, when the seller started to demand more - we became uncomfortable and Denise quickly killed the deal because she didn't want us to overpay for a house. She was always so supportive - luckily a much nicer home came on the market 2 days later and she helped us negotiate the asking price down to a much more realistic offer. After 10 months, we found our dream home in University Village one block from Taylor Street. We've been here for almost 2 months and have never been happier about our decision. Choose your agent just as carefully as you choose your home. If you want a great agent to help you find the perfect Chicago home - then call Denise at Lucid. They even sent us gift cards to Bed, Bath, and Beyond after we closed on our home - a great gesture that was throughly appreciated. read more

It's hard to know where exactly to begin. We had such a wonderful, pleasant experience with Lucid. The entire team and our specific agent, Seng, were very responsive from day one. Every call and email was answered/returned within an incredibly reasonable time frame (and I mean almost immediately or within 15 minutes usually). For the purchase of our previous home, we used a different realtor, but found they did not fit our needs for the purchase of our second home. Hence, our internet search leading us to Lucid. Here's the deal, we were looking in a very specific neighborhood that fed to a very specific school. We knew every home available for sale in the neighborhood and had seen most via open houses on our own. Once we found our home, we needed an agent to submit the offer. Lucid has an AMAZING rebate structure for this very scenario. It equated to us paying an hourly rate for their time (which ended up being chump change compared to what we got in the form of a rebate) on the offer/closing and us receiving the entire buyers commission as a rebate. Lucid gets it. They get paid for their time - you get a rebate. It's my understanding they have different models, depending on your experience as a buyer and where you are in the process. I'm sure they are equally as fair on the seller side, but can not speak to this personally. Bottom line - they are a FULL SERVICE agency with an amazing rebate structure. They do not send you out with a junior agent (which was the experience with our previous agency) and give you their full attention and expertise. If you are looking in Chicago or suburbs, you are making a mistake if you don't call these guys. Do yourself a favor, look them up...read their reviews...call them. They have a model/structure for you. I don't know if we'll be moving again, but if we do...I know who we're calling. read more

Denise Mitchell did an amazing job helping us buy our new house in Lakeview. Just before closing, there was a leak at the property that did a lot of damage. It was a stressful situation, particularly because the sale was being handled by a relocation company and it was difficult to get the information we needed. When our bank suddenly insisted we schedule a second home inspection to ensure the water damage had been repaired, we contacted multiple inspection services, but no one could come to the property quickly enough to meet our bank's deadline. Denise connected us with a wonderful home inspector who worked us into his schedule within one business day. Denise also did a great job coordinating with the seller's agent and really went the extra mile in helping us get updates on the repairs and get access to the property on very short notice. She made herself available any time we needed something and even drove me back to work after one of our many mid-day meetings at the house to check on the repairs. Also, I can't say enough good things about Lucid's rebate program. At the time that I'm writing this (April 2017), the rebate was considerably better at our price point than the rebates offered at other discount brokerages we considered (including Redfin). Even better, the level of service was every bit as good as what we would have received with a traditional, no-rebate brokerage. read more

We were Portage Park homeowners who were moving to be closer to family. Marco was the newest of the four realtors we interviewed. He believes the trend up Milwaukee Avenue from his old neighborhood (Ukrainian Villiage), the proximity to transportation, and the improvements all around the area made Portage Park a good investment. He moved his family to Portage Park to back up that conviction. Marco was the fourth of the realtors we interviewed, and believed the others undervalued a home that we've been upgrading for decades. We trusted his judgement, liked the way he planned to analyze the web traffic, use social media, and the pricing guidance he offered. We thought Marco was the right fit for us. He held four open houses, and a couple who came to the last one are now calling it their home. We contacted other well known realtors in Portage Park. We are pleased with his effort, and the results Marco got for us. Contact me privately to discuss our experiences further. Thanks Marco !! read more

We are from out of the area and really wanted an agent with experience, knowledge and a personal touch. We were referred to Lucid Realty and Marco back in 2014 to buy a place and he proved to be the perfect agent for us. His knowledge, patience and commitment to making sure we got the best place back then was just the beginning. Throughout the years, he has always been available to help us with any question or service that we have needed and when it came time to sell, he guided us perfectly in getting the property ready for sale. If you want an agent that goes above and beyond, and truly listens to your needs, we would not hesitate to recommend Marco at Lucid Realty! read more

I sought out Lucid Realty when looking for an alternative to the ridiculous flat-commission real estate agent model when starting to sell our condo. Gary Lucido has shown some rare (in this industry) outside-the-box thinking and offers various options including discounted commission and a pay-as-you-go model similar to how you would retain the services of a lawyer. I went with that model and it worked out GREAT, saving about half of what the commission would've been. It works best for a seller who wants to be very involved and is motivated to sell quickly... if you're paying your realtor hourly, you're not going to want to have 40 showings over 6 months to try to find the perfect buyer. I worked mainly with Marco, and he was very knowledgeable, clear and concise with his advice and guidance, and has a very pleasant demeanor. I hope more people start looking for alternatives to the commission model rather than just complaining about them, and I hope other realtors take notice and release the stranglehold they have on the buying and selling of homes. And if you are sick of the idea of just writing off 5% just because, you should give Lucid a call. read more

I have been working with Marco M from Lucid and he has been top notch. He has a construction background so brings a wealth of knowledge to the inside of a home. He is able to give valuable feedback on say the condition of the HVAC, electrical and how much it would cost to upgrade different features. He has been very patient with us and does an excellent job. Keep up the great work Marco! read more

I had bought and sold multiple properties and had disappointing or lukewarm experiences with national brand agencies and agents before meeting Gary Lucido and Denise Mitchell at Lucid Realty. This was hands down the best realtor experience of the 9 real estate transactions I've done. They offered a tailored approached to what we were looking to get our of our sale and a discount to the fairly steep sellers commission many brokers were looking for. Gary came to the table with the first thoughtful analysis of the market instead of just printing a stack of comparable listings in a fancy binder that other agents I interviewed brought. Gary refreshingly didn't have the fake, canned sales talk that so many agents came to the house with. Subsequent emails showed that he really thought and cared about what we were trying to accomplish and how we could temper that versus the market. Even before we signed a listing agreement with Lucid, we could tell Gary genuinely cared about the real estate market with an active passion that makes it more than just a job or a commission for him. We listed with them and had an active partnership through out the process. We got beautiful brochures and solid communication for all showings making the process as stress-free as possible. One of them was always there for a showing. They always tracked down feedback, some agents never make the effort, but Denise was always following up multiple times, if needed. They provided thoughtful analysis of web statistics and marketing timing. After getting some nutty offers from buyers and their agents (i.e. waiting for inheritances, 9+ month closings, fung shui analysis of the house and surrounding neighbors at our expense), we discussed renting the property for a year. Gary and Denise changed direction without issue making us landlords less than four days later and getting us an option to purchase a year later to go with the lease. When it came time to consider listing the property again, Gary and Denise were able to get us back on the market in less than three days with full marketing kits and online presence. We had a solid offer 20 days later. They handled so much more than we expected during the inspections and closing. Past agents we've worked with (who got some pretty hefty commissions) sent underlings who weren't professional, pushed back on us to take care of meetings, or never challenged the buyer agents requests or courtesy. Gary and Denise always were supportive and provided a balanced, expert opinion that typically came supported by a fresh review of data. Often times Denise had taken care of things with inspectors, attorneys and agents before we requested or even thought of it. As our wonderful tenants moved on, Denise helped them find the perfect new place for them and largely handled the business related to the end of our lease and in support. Our tenants couldn't say enough great things about Denise and her communications for showings and how much assistance she was able to provide them. Gary and Denise were a pleasure to work with and delivered across multiple categories with great professionalism. With a real estate market that has changed so much in the last decade, Lucid Reality has not just a great rapport and professionalism, but the modern perspective and technology savvy that supports the idea that each real estate transaction is unique and needs to be treated like one. We'd recommend them to any friend looking to sell or buy in the city or suburbs. read more

Knowledgeable and honest best describe Gary as a professional real estate agent. Gary offers his clients a savvy, no-nonsense approach. I have had the opportunity to work with Gary on a few transactions, both on his side of the table and with the other side, and I find his approach extremely professional. Long term, he knows that his clients' interests are paramount. I always look forward to working with Gary on a transaction. read more

I had been following the Chicago real estate market for some time before my wife and I decided to buy or first home in Chicago. During my research I became familiar with Gary and his data driven musings on the local housing market. Being a data junkie myself I decided to give him a call when we started shopping for agents to assist in our purchase. Gary pitched himself as a full service agent who was able to compete on price in an inefficient market. Unlike other agents he did not try to sell us on a brand recognition or a secret inventory of homes not on the MLS, he focused on helping us understand his ability to add value to our transaction. Fast forward two short months and we were closing on our new home. Gary personally handled our transaction and lived up to his promise of adding value at each step of the transaction. I can't say enough nice things about him both personally and professionally. For those who are shopping for an agent here are a few areas where I think he did a particularly fantastic job: 1) Valuation: I feel very confident in Gary's ability to help his clients understand what is driving the market in different areas of the city. His analysis will be backed up by data where possible. I don't think that most home buyers realize that agents (both seller AND buyer) make the most money when you close quickly and at the highest possible price. I always got the feeling that Gary was concerned with figuring out what the "right" price was, not closing a quick deal. I feel like he went out of his way to point out negative things about properties that we may have missed. If your agent is never pointing out negatives this is a very bad sign.... 2) Negotiation: Gary did a great job handling our negotiation. At the end of the day you pick the price but it is possible for your agent to help formulate a strategy for getting the best deal possible. I think Gary had some clear thoughts in our case and we benefited from his help. 3) Transaction Details: This is where Gary hit the ball out of the ballpark. Buying a home is a time consuming endeavor. If you are a busy person (who isn't) hiring a good agent can add significant value by allowing you to focus more on your day to day activities. Gary impressed us at every step with his insights, recommendations and assistance in handling even the smallest details with respect to our purchase. 4) Price: Gary's pricing speaks for itself. Everyone looking for a buyers agent should give him a call and compare to a traditional agent. Thanks again Gary! read more

I worked with Marco M. from Lucid Realty on my first time buying a house. He did a great job understanding my needs and also the sellers' needs, and this insight was critical to getting the house in a multiple-offer situation. Their rates are fair and upfront. read more

We worked with Gary for buying our very first home. He was amazing and extremely patient. We looked for apartments back in 2014 with Gary but dropped out due to personal reasons but when we started looking again in 2015 we knew Gary was the only realtor we wanted helping us. He was patient with us and gave great advice. He has been doing this for a while so he knows Chicago better than any real estate agent I know. As an architect I was specific and very detail oriented so he had his job cut out for him but he was patient and found us the perfect apartment in downtown. And Gary was there to guide us through all the processes until closing. We are extremely happy with service provided by Lucid realty. We had the pleasure of working with Denise for one of the showing when Gary was out of town and she was great to work with too. Thank you guys for helping us find our first apartment. read more

We worked with Eddie Nusinow when we bought our condo. This was our first home and from start to finish Eddie was patient and fought for our interests. His great communication skills allowed us to get under contract in a short notice. Eddie's lender (beat multiple brokers rate) and inspection recommendations were great and very affordable. In addition the commission sharing is a nice treat to get at closing. Eddie did his homework on the unit we wanted and brought many comparable units to analyze. We have learned it is probably a reality that no deal goes without it nuisances but for ours Eddie was right there by our side to address the situation. He never made us feel pressured. I would recommend Eddie and also do business with him in the future. I cannot think of any complaints, he always was able to accommodate our schedule. Thank you Eddie! read more

We've now bought and sold with Lucid and wouldn't go with anyone else. We were drawn in by the discount commissions when we were checking out realtors to sell our home and stayed with them for the purchase of our new home because of the exceptional service they provide. As for the discount, their commission was about a point lower than any of the competitors, which ultimately saved us thousands of dollars on the sale of our home. On the buy-side, their buyer's rebate meant that we got a check for about $1,500 out of their commission at closing. While you'd expect them to cut some corners to make up for the discounts, we found the opposite to be true. On the sale of our home, Sari Levy was in constant contact, did an exceptional job marketing the home both through convention methods (MLS, great pics, etc.), and some unconventional ones (targeted messaging, even Facebook ads). On top of that, Sari provided great advice, and stuck with us for months through the sale of a less than perfect home. On the buy-side, we found the home we wanted to purchase ourselves through searching online and questioned whether we even needed a realtor. On Sari's advice, we decided to go with another realtor at Lucid, Marco Mejia. Boy are we glad we did. Marco guided us through insisting that the sellers replace aging appliances, a tens of thousands of dollar price reduction (on a place we initially thought was priced ok), and various warranties that we never would have thought of on our own. Go with Lucid and you'll see what a good, professional realtor can do for you, and even end up saving some money in the process. read more

Lucid provides a valuable service in the real estate market where the fees agents charge are oftentimes not commensurate with the amount of work that goes into a deal. Gary and Eddie are honest, hardworking guys that care about their customers. They are professional and respectful of their client's money. I highly recommend them to someone looking for something different than the typical agent fee structure- especially on the buy side. read more

WOW. Sari was an all star realtor. I was a first time home buyer with extensive questions, specific needs, and under a strict time crunch. Sari was there for me even when the realtors usually took a "back seat" (attorney negotiations etc.). She was answered my questions at any time of the day whether it was 10pm or 7 am- What realtor is answering their phone at 10:00 pm? Sari is! Whether my questions were financing (which she never said "go talk to your mortgage broker"- she would say "hm, I'm not sure let me contact your mortgage broker and see what they say for your case"), neighborhood , resale , how to get my taxes lowered, mold, inspection, negotiating, paint colors, even down to what kind of dog food she uses, Sari was ALWAYS there with an honest answer. She never acted as if she wanted to make a deal- rather, she was trying to find a home that would work for me. She showed me homes that were worth while, in my ball park, and gave advice on what kind of home made sense for what I was looking for. She also went to bat for me on my now home- we had a tough seller yet Sari was there with a smile on her face and turned a grumpy seller into a sweet seller who was happy to negotiate! oh yeahh.... she also PAID US TO USE HER by giving us a rebate check!!! read more