I hired Lynn Briskin to market and sell my home. This review is specifically about deceptive marketing 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. read more

Lynn Briskin - @properties - Highlighted for clarity on the standard 5 page listing agreement. Completely buried in the fine print! - Real Estate Agents Near Me - Evanston, Illinois

We met Lynn in 2017 when we bought our condo. We were very pleased, so enlisted her help in selling the condo and buying a new home. First, just about her--extremely responsive, even when I was being annoying with many many questions. Very friendly, and really cares about her clients. We have really enjoyed working with her. Currently, she is very conscientious of COVID precautions. I, especially as a physician, was very reassured by this. Now specifically about the process: In terms of selling, we moved very quickly, got the house on the market quickly, and despite it being the middle of winter closed on an offer we were very pleased with. She guided us expertly through those negotiations and the circumstances particular to us. Katherine Hart, the lawyer she recommended, was also outstanding. In terms of buying, we were nervous--we wanted a single family home, were picky about neighborhood, but also cost. Lynn helped us find our dream forever home, on the actual single block we had fallen in love with years ago. She has many contacts in Chicagoland, and we also had other options with homes that were not yet listed, and things we likely wouldn't have seen otherwise. SHe guided us through negotiations, and got us a price we felt good about, and guided us through the whole inspection and review process, which on a house over 100 years old was an endeavor. We knew we were in good hands, and trust Lynn immensely. Cannot recommend her highly enough. LYNN IS AMAZING!! For a purchase as important as a home, don't go with anyone else. read more

I have worked with Lynn on multiple home sales and purchases. Most recently I purchased my third condo with her. I had very specific asks, and Lynn was patient and persistent in finding the right place for me. In the end, I was able to purchase a condo that wasn't on the market or the PLN based on Lynn establishing a strong relationship with the property manager at the building I was eyeing. I literally would not have been able to get the home I wanted without Lynn's help! read more

Lynn is a gem. I found Lynn on yelp after a less than savory experience with a different company, and she spent nearly an hour (if not more) on the phone with me discussing the process and filling me in on many (MANY) details that my previous broker had not. I never felt rushed or judged when we asked our bazillion questions, and we really felt like she was rooting for us to find the right home. She told us the truth even when it wasn't what we wanted to hear, and gave us her opinion when asked. She had knowledge about homes that was very impressive, and taught us things about types of flooring, scary asbestos or mold issues to be on the watch for, the list goes on. She also went with the flow when we extended our search from Evanston to include the city of Chicago and even parts of Oak Park as well. Lynn is busy and in demand, but when she was too busy to show a house, she was always able to find a colleague to take us on her behalf- and we actually ended up loving him too (yay Jon!)! All in all, if you are a first time home buyer, you can feel comfortable trusting Lynn to take care of you and make you feel comfortable in every aspect of the process. Not only was she a great agent/broker, but we think of her as a friend. Thanks for everything Lynn! read more

Lynn rocks the house! Well, my house. She sold our former place in six days, after giving me exact advice on how to get it ready for sale. Did you hear me? Six Freakin' Days!!! In this market? She is compassionate, thoughtful, funny, and knows the stuff inside and out. Then, she helped us get a new place, closer to my work, that I just love. We have an awesome new home and a resource whenever we need to relocate. If you need to buy or sell, Lynn is so great, you will seriously track me down and leave me a present for recommending her. By the way, I like slippers or chocolate. read more

Lynn is THE BEST. She helped me prep, list, and sell my condo in six weeks from the day it went on the market to close about a month ago. It was, in fact, on the market for one day before we had two offers. She was initially recommended to me by a coworker and friend that has also been thanked many times. As a first time home seller, I was dazzled by how quick and painless the process was (at least, on her end). At the start, she pointed out some items that needed repair (minor stuff that I could take care of easily), had photos and a listing ready the same week I was ready sell, and had it on the market immediately. She suggested aggressive pricing to move it quickly, something I was a fan of. Because she is based in Evanston, she brought in a local agent that works in the Irving Park area, both to help establish a reasonable list price and to bring buyers through. We ran in to some crazy stuff with the buyer's lender (I'd love to review them poorly, but I wasn't the buyer...) that she handled deftly. She also worked well with my lawyer and other involved parties. If only other people in the sale were as competent and on the ball as she was. She was also more than willing to answer my newbie questions about the selling process. Hopefully I'm not selling a place in the Chicago area any time soon, but I would happily recommend her to anybody. read more

Best decision I ever made. Nobody else will ever beat Lynn's experience, service and expertise. I will forever be grateful for what she did for me! She helped get my condo sold in one day. She always answered my questions and was very communicative as to what the next steps always were. I can't thank you enough! read more

Working with Lynn was wonderful. She's very experienced with Evanston & Chicago real estate. Considering it was my first time buying a place, she was patient and quite helpful in understanding the process. I would have to say that she really went the extra mile for me and also helped me make some great connections to continue the process once her part was done. Be sure to give her a call! - Andrew read more

Lynn was absolutely wonderful!!! We wanted to only live in Evanston, IL so we were searching for the perfect home for well over a year. When we finally found it, it was a short sale. We were also first time home buyers so we definitely choose a more difficult transaction for Lynn. For over a year she sent us listings and kept in contact with us. She taught us what the home buying process would be like as well. Once we found our place it took awhile to close because it was a short sale but Lynn was always updating us. She also introduced us to our lender and attorney. Everyone was absolutely wonderful. The transaction was smooth and easy and we were always in the loop. We got a great deal and we couldn't be more thankful to have had the opportunity to work with Lynn. If you are looking for a real estate broker look no further. You have to work with Lynn! read more

Lynn is is extremely knowledgeable about the entire process of home buying and selling. She is incredibly competent, professional, and prompt. She always took the time to explain everything in detail and answer all my questions thoroughly. She was a strong advocate for me when it came to negotiating with other side, and looked for win-win solutions with the sellers. In a competitive market with multiple offers on a property, she knew how to make sure I got the house I wanted. Lynn was also very patient during the many many months it took to found the right home for us. I would recommend her wholeheartedly. read more

My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Lynn when we were looking to buy our first home. Not only did she intimately know the area in which we were looking (Evanston), but she was also wonderfully honest with feedback about resale value and market value of the properties. Lynn helped steer us in the right direction and made the entire experience very pleasant. She was always in close communication with us, our mortgage company, and our real estate attorney and helped us close on time and with no reservations. I would highly recommend Lynn to any first time home buyer or for someone listing their property for sale! read more

Lynn was highly recommended to us, and she went above and beyond expectations. She helped us put together a list of must haves that didn't limit us too much, but also made sure we saw the kind of homes we might want to live in. Her communication was always timely and clear. When viewing homes, Lynn always asked the right questions and provided insight about things we never would have considered. Never once did we feel pressured to make an offer. It was clear that Lynn really cared about our decision and was doing her best to look out for us. Once we found our place, Lynn continued to offer excellent service. She is a pro at negotiation and got us a great deal. Lynn also has a great team of professionals that she recommended to get us through the process. She never once stopped communicating. For first time buyers this was a dream. We needed guidance through the whole process and she really helped us out. I can't even imagine going through this with anyone else. I'm truly excited about our new home, and I know that much of it is thanks to Lynn and her help. If you're a first time home buyer, or just in need of a trustworthy, caring, and helpful realtor Lynn is the best you can get. read more

Lynn is one of the most knowledgeable and passionate realtors I know. She's been in the business for quite some time and simply put, she knows a good home when she see's one. Lynn has a plethora of skills when it comes to buying or selling whether it's a luxurious home or a comfy abode. She will do whatever it takes to make sure all her clients are happy and completely satisfied. read more

What an absolute pleasure Lynn has been to work with!!! My wife and I had been renting for many years, and decided that with interest rates starting to rise, it might be a good time to finally take the plunge and buy something already. A close friend steered us to Lynn Briskin, and from the very beginning she was a consummate professional. She listened carefully to what we said we were looking for, asked us to prioritize them from most important to least important, made sure we had contacted a lender to obtain a strong pre-approval letter, asked us about the terms of our current lease, and put all of our contact info into her phone immediately, so she could stay in close communication with both of us. We told her we had a few listings we really wanted to see, and she patiently went over them with us, and eliminated a couple of them for us by pointing out derogatory features we hadn't noticed. Then she went to work. Over the next 7 weeks we saw about 20 properties, and got a really good feel for what to expect in our price range. Lynn made sure that we were paying attention to the important features - location, floor plan, convenience to transportation, grocery stores, etc. and in the end helped us find an AWESOME new home! From there she guided us through the many details involved in the home inspection, attorney review, and lender procedures and we walked in to the closing feeling super happy about the whole experience. Thanks so much Lynn - you did a FANTASTIC job for us!!! read more

Lynn was extremely helpful throughout the entire home-buying process and went above and beyond the call of duty from the first time I called her office. My fiance and I bought our first home in May and Lynn was amazing to work with throughout the entire process. She thoroughly explained each step of the process and stayed in close communication with us the entire time. We will definitely work with Lynn in the future if we are buying or selling in Evanston/Chicago area. read more

Lynn was absolutely fantastic to work with. She was incredibly responsive to all our questions (and as first-time home buyers, we had a lot) and always made us feel like we were her only clients. She was very knowledgeable, gave great advice, and held our hands when we needed that. The market was competitive and homes were scarce, so it took a lot of searching and offering before we found our house, but Lynn was with us the whole way. Ultimately her eagle eye and deep knowledge of the market brought us to a house we might not have otherwise looked at--and it was the perfect one for us. We knew we were in good hands from start to finish. We hope to work with Lynn again someday! read more

I agree with the other reviews of Lynn's work. Wonderful. It was also my first time buying a home and felt like I magically stumbled upon Lynn. From the first steps until the end, I felt confident about the choices I was making because of Lynn's help. I didn't imagine feeling so at peace with everything. She showed us some great condos, was able to be available all the time, and really knew the areas we were looking at-Evanston, Chicago. Lynn is very profssional, but very personal. She really made the whole adventure fun. I will be calling upon Lynn again in the future and would recommend her to anyone in the market. read more

We could not recommend Lynn enough. We thought it would be difficult to find a home in our price range that had everything we needed, but with Lynn's constant and patient guidance, her intimate knowledge of the area market, and her sincere desire that we find a home we love, we could not possibly fail. Based on our reactions and feedback early in the search, she was quickly able to determine and articulate our needs better than we could. Lynn was so accommodating with our schedule, and throughout the process, she was quick to respond to our questions, kept us apprised of every detail, and was a pro at explaining things in layperson's terms. Even after our purchase, Lynn has been an amazing resource with any follow up questions about contractors and other information. She truly is a client-centered agent. read more

BE CAREFUL! Lynn Briskin required an exclusive rental listing for our unit in Evanston. In subsequent communications, in her own words to us, she said the unit is "a lovely home with great space, wonderful finishes and a superb location".....that is "fairly priced"....in a "strong rental market." However, Ms. Briskin said she showed the unit only twice in a period of almost two months. When I asked why she thought this was occurring, much to my surprise, Ms. Briskin immediately responded that I could go elsewhere, and she quit! She and her brokerage terminated the contract before its mutually agreed term of completion, without further explanation. They had tied up the unit for an appreciable period, and we had to start the process all over again. After Lynn. Briskin prematurely quit, her broker at Rubloff wrote us a letter to "serve as termination of our Exclusive Rental Agreement" and to wish us "success." Ms. Briskin's seemingly unprofessional and questionable behavior and one-sided, premature, unilateral contract termination without explanation could be a caution for others to BE CAREFUL. read more