Jason is a great real estate agent! He helped me find a wonderful Chicago apartment off of the MLS…read more He is always quick to setup appointments to see prospective properties, which is crucial because properties can go fast in Chicago! He also very savvy and his experience in real estate helped as he suggested ways that I can negotiate my lease terms which I did not think of.

We worked with Leslie to sell our home in Irving Park. She took what can be perceived as a very…read moreoverwhelming experience and simplified it in a way that was easy to understand and navigate. Leslie is extremely organized, a great communicator, and was present at every showing. She was also an excellent advisor for helping us navigate a multiple offer scenario to ensure we were getting the best price possible for our home. 100% would recommend working with her and her team!

Lauren and Leslie helped us find our dream home in Brookfield! They both worked around the clock to…read morefit showings into our schedule and help us iron out all the details to close on our new home. They had answers to all of our questions and walked us through every step along the way. We couldn't have asked for a better team! Thank you so much Lauren and Leslie!

My husband and I worked with Matt's team to sell our South Loop condo. Matt himself came to see our…read moreproperty for the initial meeting and we had a great impression of his expertise in the Chicago real estate market. From start to finish, his team is very professional and incredibly well organized. We were kept up to date for each showing and provided with immediate feedback. Matt also has a list of preferred partners such as attorneys that we used and had a great experience with. We also appreciated how reachable Matt was and felt that he had an appropriate level of involvement throughout the entire process.

As first-time home buyers, we could not have asked for a better experience working with Matt and…read morehis team. During the initial phase of the process you could tell Matt intimately knew the neighborhoods we were looking in and precisely what to expect from each property we toured. We valued all his expertise and insights about each building we expressed interest in. Any questions we had along the way were responded to very quickly, whether it was email, talk, or text. As far as his negotiation skills, we won the very first bid we offered! Throughout the closing process we appreciated the constant communication and organization of his team to achieve a seamless 30 day close. There's no question Matt is a master at his craft and we would easily recommend him and his team for all your real estate needs.

We had another flawless experience with Jim Flanders, this time while selling the same home he…read morehelped us buy 6 years ago. We have kept a great relationship with Jim through the years, and my husband has worked with him on buying and selling some of our investment property. So when it came time to sell our city home in Logan Square as we made the move to the suburbs, we knew Jim Flanders was the one to help us do this. We were building a new construction home in the burbs, so we had a lot of lead time in knowing that we needed to list the property. This was a tricky balance since we didn't want to list the home too quickly (and risk selling it and being homeless for many months until our new house was ready), but we didn't want to miss the peak market season during the summer months and wait until the fall or winter to list it. We also have 2 toddlers at home, so the idea of having to keep the house "showing ready" for an extended period of time was daunting. In a perfect world, we would be able to get under contract quickly with a buyer, but negotiate a later close date and get the best of both worlds. Jim helped us do a walkthrough of the house and pointed out the things he recommended we do to get the house in showing form (painting the walls, caulking some areas, clearing out toy congested areas) but only focused on what he felt would actually make a difference rather than asking us to invest a bunch of money in things that ultimately do not help sell quicker or at a higher price. Jim helped guide us in our timing, thanks to his knowledge and understanding of the market. We listed on a Wednesday in July, and decided to have an open house that very weekend. Jim came and managed the open house for us and the first couple to see the home made an offer that same day. They did not have a real estate agent, and Jim led all the conversations directly with the buyer and negotiated the terms and conditions for the contract. He was able to negotiate a 90 day closing, which gave us plenty of time to stay in our home and enjoy it before needing to vacate. The best quality about Jim Flanders is his easy going personality and honest approach. He always has your back and wants the best for you. But he is not pushy. He will not talk you into doing yourself a disservice just to get a quicker commission. He truly wants to advise you and guide you to get the best results possible and his patience is incredible. He will be there as many times as you need him for as long as you need him, to make sure everything goes smoothly. It was one thing for us to have the utmost trust in Jim, but the most impressive thing was how much the buyers also trusted Jim. They opted not to get their own real estate agent and were fine working directly through Jim (even though he was representing us, the sellers) because they also could feel that Jim had everybody's best interests at heart. This is where Jim Flanders really sets himself apart from other realtors I've worked with. He forms relationships, not just with his clients, but with the opposite clients as well. He took time to have many phone conversations with the buyers to put them at ease, talk through the inspection findings, and negotiate our terms. They trusted him so much that when it came time to close, they didn't even ask for a final walk through of the house before closing. We couldn't have asked for a smoother and less stressful process of selling our home. We got the price we wanted, the closing date we wanted, and all the negotiations and conversations were easy and friendly.

We cannot recommend Jim more highly. He is a consummate professional, honest, thoughtful and…read moreoutrageously knowledgeable about the Chicago property market. We took the plunge this year and started the search for our first home. Jim was incredibly generous with his time working with us, and helped us figure out what we actually wanted and where we would be happy. In May, Jim showed us a home we fell in love with and he guided us through every step of the process, from winning the bid, inspections, closing and held our hands every step of the way. Knowledge and professionalism aside, Jim is just a legend and we just enjoyed hanging out with him and having the chats at showings. The second we get a sniff that any of our friends or people we meet are looking to buy, we instantly stop the conversation to tell them 'YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH JIM FLANDERS'. Thank you Jim.

Neal is a pleasure to work with. Throughout the entire process of selling my condo, Neal was…read morediligent, acted with integrity, and overall exceeded my expectations. He went above and beyond to make sure the selling business was successful. He fought fairly on my behalf and was kind and very personable. He was easy to communicate with, responsive, and always gave great guidance. He was knowledgeable and supremely helpful in every step of the action. Neal was a fantastic partner in my condo selling process. His expertise on the market is outstanding, also he used his strong negotiation skills to get the best price while making things easy on me. I was very lucky to have been able to work with him, and I highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a property.

REVISED 9/22/07 Apartment & Home Seekers is a good service…read more However, DO NOT LET THEM PUT YOU IN A PURI OWNED BUILDING! The Puri's have this company fill their buildings for them and are THE worst managers I have ever experienced, and I've had some bad experiences in this city. Refer to my review of Puri Management. We're in the process of taking them to court to get part of our security deposit back that they deducted unfairly from. I just used this service to find my new apartment and thought it was wonderful. I have to admit that I've never been a fan of rental agencies that take you around and rip you off on apartments that you could find for cheaper on your own. However, this place was different. They don't have a huge selection, but they've got the real deals. They don't try to waste your time and show you apartments they know you don't want or can't afford. Here's my experience. They showed us a place where the owner was not advertising anywhere else. So we wouldn't have found it anywhere. It was right around the train line which was exactly what we wanted. They were completely honest with us about what was going to be new and old in the apartment. AND, it was cheaper than other 2 bedrooms in the area. I highly recommend giving this place a try if you want to move to the northern Chicago area.

After seeing multiple friends find their homes with Seth there was no question he was going to be…read moremy realtor. He was, a continues to be a year later, a true partner on the emotional and logistical journey of buying a single family home by myself. While I'd been watching the market for years and thought I had a good idea of what was out there he listened to my ideas and pushed me to be open to others I hadn't considered. Seth meets you where you're at and doesn't push you toward something not right for you. During open houses he both climbed into attics and under porches to inspect structure as well as offered ideas of what could and couldn't be renovated in a space. He is not the type of realtor that is focused on surface or decorative accents because he knows what is cheap vs expensive to change and doesn't waste your time discussing pull knobs or paint color. Seth answered 2am rambling emails about my feelings on a property or neighborhood and offered advice on when it was worth waiting it out instead of jumping in with an offer. His straight talk on the reality of the tough market was invaluable. During the whirlwind of the offer and closing process he provided multiple recommendations for professionals I needed from lawyers to sewer inspectors, keeping the process moving while I flew around the world on business trips. What do you do when a seller's attorney requires earnest money by physical check within 24 hours and you're halfway across the county without your checkbook? Seth rode through the bumps in the process with me. All of his recommendations have proved excellent, and continue to serve me today. Lastly, in the spirit of meeting me where I'm at, Seth and I both completed the entire home buying process by bicycle. Like the beautiful vintage bungalow he helped me buy, it just felt right.

We owe our forever house to Captain Realty. Seth and his partner Liz helped us play the long game…read morein a tight market and -- despite a very constrained search -- land the house that was right for us. As buyers in a competitive area (Bowmanville, Chicago), we were feeling some FOMO as the limited inventory sold for well over asking. Seth helped us stay patient, stay informed, and stay ready, while bringing clarity to what can often feel like a chaotic process. He walked us through the levers available to us when making an offer, framed our expectations realistically, and never pushed us beyond our comfort level. He kept us from overreaching on a house we didn't get, and later helped us recognize the value of an unusual opportunity that ultimately allowed us to stay in the neighborhood we love. On the selling side, Seth was incredibly helpful in preparing our place for market. Because he's primarily a buyer's agent, he was able to look at our condo through a buyer's eyes and give honest feedback about what mattered, what didn't, and where our effort (and renovation budget) would actually pay off. Beyond the transactions themselves, Seth is a great partner to have throughout the process. He's personable, easygoing, and brings some welcome levity to decisions that can feel high-pressure and high-stakes. He's generous with his time and experience, with a deep understanding of old Chicago houses and the character that makes them special. His advice didn't stop at closing, either; Seth's rolodex of trusted tradespeople has already proven invaluable as we settle into our place. If you're looking for realtors who understand both character and value, Captain Realty is the team you want.

Update on the review below: I ended up putting an offer on the house that John helped me find. He…read morewas a stellar negotiator. I can't even believe he was able to negotiate the seller down by $30,000! John is an amazing realtor. He works really hard for his clients. I have been looking for an investment property and John has been a wealth of information on how to go about doing that. He is extremely patient and never puts any pressure on me to make a decision. He's very knowledgeable about all aspects of real estate and is crazy responsive, often emailing or texting me back within minutes. I cannot say enough good things about John. I also know that he does a lot of leasing work and from what I can tell, he puts the same level of effort in for those clients as well. Use John for all of your real estate needs....I promise you won't be sorry.

I had the pleasure of working with John Li in purchasing a townhouse recently. He was attentive to…read morewhat i wanted and only showed me properties that met my needs. The process was quick and as a first time buyer, he was able to guide me through everything.

The depth and breath of Joe's professional expertise is matched only by his commitment to community…read morebetterment. He definitely knows the in and outs of Chicago's real estate market, especially throughout the Wicker Park/Bucktown area, and generously donates his time and experience to any number of neighborhood organizations and civic groups. I have collaborated closely with him through the Wicker Park and Bucktown Chamber of Commerce on many projects, initiatives, and activities. It's clear that his intense work ethic, leadership skills, and years of expertise all figure into the reasons Betancourt Realty receives so many referrals from satisfied clients, whether they are renters, buyers, or sellers. I have consistently referred him to my circle of clients and friends who are looking for space, and will absolutely do so in the future.

Awful. Terrible at communication and over complicated everything. Our apartment was broken into and…read moreJoe calls to tell us "well if YOU want to pay for the locks to be changed then fine." At the end of our lease, we were told by a realtor to leave our keys on the apartment counter so we followed. 2 days later, Joe sends a passive aggressive email saying, "if you don't get us the keys by tomorrow I'm going to have to change the locks and take it out of your deposit." When we tried to contact him, he hid behind his younger staff. Very unprofessional and pompous. Would not work with this company or recommend it to anyone.