Melissa goes above and beyond, she has navigated difficult sellers, HOA, and Management Companies…read moreto ensure that tight and nearly impossible timelines were made possible.

Melissa talked us through all the ins and outs of first-time home buying. Everything went smoothly,…read morewe understood what we were getting into, and greatly appreciate her de-stressing a complicated and important process.

We strongly recommend working with Stephanie Cutter and her team…read more She's helped us buy two condos and sell one. In each case she listened closely to our needs and provided the expert guidance, advocacy, and resources we needed to feel confident in our decisions. Not only is her team excellent, but she has an extensive network of contacts that she willingly engaged and connected us with to consult on everything from mortgage and legal questions to contractors. She has also been there for us in several important moments in between, like when we needed an expert perspective on some complicated HOA dynamics. And we really appreciate the resources on home ownership she and her team share regularly. To say she goes above and beyond is an understatement, and she is also one of the kindest and smartest people we know. She will absolutely be our first call if we ever decide to move again in the future.

Stephanie helped my wife and I with our move from Florida to Chicago. Although we only had a…read moreweekend to look at properties, she created an agenda of listings for us to view and adjusted in real-time based on our interest. Thanks to her help and experience, we were able to find a condo we loved by the end of the weekend. Afterwards, she helped assist with the closing process making it absolutely seamless. Cannot recommend working with Stephanie enough for any of your real estate needs in Chicago!

Excellent service from Marjorie and Henry. Almost all other agents will quit finding you a place…read more No pressure to pick a place. They use the Zenlist app which is fantastic and light years ahead of the archaic MLS website. I'd recommend them to others just on this feature. I needed a special accommodation, a regular 120V (Level 1) power outlet for my car. Doesn't seem like a hard accommodation, however almost all 3rd party owners/managers/agents are just an example of pure laziness. They do not understand at all, repetitively say they don't have Tesla chargers (never asked for 240V (Level 2)), or ask for photos of what a wall outlet looks like. Some advice for other electric-hybrid owners: I recommend if you need a place for your hybrid/EV to just aim for a place with a garage. Better that you drive by the unit to see if they have an outlet if outdoors. Generally you'll get more movement if you request a tour but then it's a waste when they get back after that tour, that they won't install an outdoor outlet (like for lighting decorations). I've done this for a few moves. You should clear the power access terms out in your lease, in writing. Protections if any access is blocked. Ask for install if you do an extended lease. They won't do this, then what if an indoor outlet breaks, will they refuse? Thirteen years after the first plug in and to have this much trouble is unreal. Retrospect, do not entertain any management entity that refuses to answer any questions prior to app fee. However that's if you have time to keep looking. Get info on all fees, and all questions answered prior. Some places bring up surprise fees after, wanting both a fee and sec. dep. One place did a bait and switch, claimed yes you could overnight charge, and after approval said you cannot charge here.

Marjorie Allabastro and her brother Matthew are nothing short of the best real estate brokers I…read morehave ever dealt with. My background is in real estate law, and so when it came time to engage brokers to purchase our first home, my past experience made me wary and suspicious of brokers, but Marjorie and Matthew almost instantly dissolved all my concerns. They are conscientious, knowledgeable, and diligently fierce advocates for their clients. It is hard to know where to start in terms of heaping on the praise. When we started working with them, they spent a great deal of time and care asking about our unique needs, desires, and aversions. They listened closely and were able to craft tours all over the city showing us buildings that aligned with our goals. Marjorie and Matthew have a tremendous knowledge of the city, and we never took a tour with them without learning something new about the areas we were visiting. Further, with a family background in construction, they also have a deep knowledge of the ins and outs of a building and were able to alert us to possible hidden issues we would not have noticed on our own. They were absolutely invaluable resources in this and many other respects. Throughout the very stressful process of buying our new home, Marjorie was always available to us even at very odd hours. In fact, I have secret suspicions that Marjorie may never actually sleep! She was generally responsive within minutes of a phone call, text or email. She went out of her way to make sure we were aware that informing us and advocating for us were her primary goals. Our seller turned out to be a very difficult and problematic individual, and closing was fraught with issues. Where every other broker I have dealt with would be impatiently drumming their fingers and waiting for their commission, Marjorie and Matthew instead continued to staunchly support us and advocate for us. We could not be more grateful that we had them at our sides during this stressful process. Well after closing Marjorie continues to reach out and send us helpful insight and information and offer support. We will be forever grateful to them. There could truly be no better in this business. I wholeheartedly recommend the Allabastros without qualification or reservation. They will easily meet and exceed all expectations.

I contacted Heather about one of her agents, Craig Frazen, who was the listing agent of a house I…read morepurchased. Heather DID respond to my email, but was very defensive about her agent. I expressed some concerns about how the deal was made including the agent misrepresenting the square footage and condition of the house. Apparently there is no agreed upon standard for square footage and it's not the listing agent job to carefully check the size or condition of the property. Knowing this is the biggest purchase of someone's life the whole laissez-faire attitude leaves something to be desired. Sure, it's buyer beware, but when/how to ethicals come into play? We didn't have that conversation because she was too busy cheering for Craig! In Heather's own words "shit happens" and that about summarizes her objectivity about one of her agents and the real estate market in general. The seller's 100 percent mis-represented the house and Heather's point was that's not Craig's fault, but being rather careless about how he advertised the property left me wondering how the transaction could have been better. Heather was too busy defending Craig to actually consider that. And because of that I would not use either one of them for my next real estate transaction.

My experience working with realtors from this business was deeply disappointing, and frankly…read morealarming. When corresponding with representatives from this firm, I encountered repeated issues with disorganization , lack of responsiveness, and poor attention to critical details. There were also situations that raised serious concerns about professionalism and ethical judgement. Purchasing property requires trust, competence and transparency. Unfortunately my experience reflected the opposite. I often felt that I needed to double-check information, due to the frequent errors on their behalf, and advocate for basic standards that should be routine in this profession. I strongly recommend that potential clients proceed with caution and carefully verify all information provided.

After 42 years in the same small town, I found myself moving to Chicago to start a new job. I was…read moreat a loss perusing websites and walking around neighborhoods trying to find the perfect condo to rent. Friends told me about Samantha and encouraged me to contact her. I was wary about using a realtor initially, but Samantha asked me to send her a prioritized list of what I wanted in my new home and she began sending me listings - this showed me that she listened to me. After seeing about 15 condos, my priority list shifted and Samantha took it all in stride. Beyond her exceptional responsiveness and willingness to show me properties all over the city, her extensive knowledge of the neighborhoods and good restaurants was out of this world! Samantha is so personable and loves the uniqueness of Chicago: She often took pictures of the architecture, vintage appliances, and fun details (a Koi pond with a waterfall at one condo!). I cannot recommend her enough!

Samantha's the best! She was really attentive to our needs and our communication style. Our…read morehouse-hunt came about somewhat unexpectedly, she definitely took a lot of anxiety and uncertainty out of the process. Sam had excellent insight into areas of consideration in our search and helped guide us into making the best decisions to suit our lifestyle. She referred us to other qualified professionals throughout. Thanks, Sam!

Terri is amazing! She really knows her stuff and knows the city of Chicago - she helped my husband…read moreand I find our first home within only a month of working together. Terri came to us through a recommendation from a friend, and I plan to recommend her to friends who are looking to buy in Chicago.

Had a bad experience with Terry as the listing agent on my home. She wasn't very attentive to my…read moreneeds and seemed more interested in getting the deal done quickly to get her commission. She made some last second changes to the deal so that she could get it done fast without discussing with me, even though it costed me money, so be wary. During this deal the buyer agent told me some of Terry's practices were unconventional and not standard. Also, things weren't done in a timely manner and any delay with the listing and processing of paperwork was always her "assistant's fault." Overall, clear lack of professionalism.

I first met Karen a little over three years ago when I started researching my first condo. I had…read moreworked with a few other Realtors, but never felt like they understood what I was looking for, or were interested in building a long term relationship with me as a client. Karen was different - she treated me like one of her clients looking for a million dollar condo and commission to match (I definitely was not)...To top it off I had a very small neighborhood I was open to viewing (maybe a square mile). Along with her patience with me as a first time buyer, Karen provided excellent real estate advice and referred me to fantastic colleagues to provide lending and real estate law services. Karen helped me find the perfect place and I couldn't be happier. I would highly recommend Karen for any real estate needs.

A coworker recommended Karen to me when I began my first condo search in Chicago and was…read moredissatisfied with the pushy realtors I met. I cannot be more thankful. She has spotted special assessment level defects that I would never have noticed and that might not have been in board meeting minutes, helped imagine renovations, given sage advice on issues critical to long term value of the condo, and been excellent during negotiations. All while making me laugh, feel comfortable, never smooth talking, and leaving the impression that I was her only client. My partner said, "You get the sense that she doesn't need the money, that she does real estate because she loves it." He's right and it'sobvious. After a friend went on showings with Karen and me, he left his agent after the contract expired and started with Karen. At first I doubted the value of a real estate agent because these days the internet has a wealth of up-to-date listings, past sale data, and other relevant information about buildings and the units themselves. Those data have certainly helped me in my search. However, working with Karen, it's clear no DIY research online can return close to the value she brings in terms of dollars and the security that someone highly competent is double-checking and questioning my decisions.

I cannot recommend Annie enough; she's everything you could want in a real estate agent and more!…read moreMy husband and I were first-time homebuyers relocating from out of state, navigating the entire buying process from across the country, and Annie made it such a smooth, stress-free experience. From the very first time we met her, we felt an instant connection and knew right away we were in great hands. She's incredibly knowledgeable, gave us thoughtful advice throughout and was truly a lot of fun to work with. I also want to give a huge shoutout to Liz in her office, who kept everything organized and clearly outlined each step, making it easy to understand exactly where we were at every stage. I highly recommend Annie to anyone looking to buy. You'll benefit from having her in your corner!

Annie is the best! She is an absolute expert on the market and her approach is candid, thoughtful,…read moreand thorough. She was looking out for our best interests at every turn, and was so patient in guiding us through every step. 11/10 will be a repeat client!