Real estate is not one-size-fits-all, and neither is how I work. Here is what you can expect depending on where you are in your story.
WHO I WORK WITH
Senior Clients and Their Families
If you are an older adult beginning to think about what comes next, or an adult child trying to figure out how to help a parent make a move, I work on your timeline. I hold the CSA (Certified Senior Advisor) and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialist) designations and am a member of Compass Plus, a division focused exclusively on supporting older adults through real estate transitions.
Before real estate, I spent 20 years as a school social worker and special education administrator, and that shows up in how I work with families now. I know how to slow a conversation down, listen before I advise, and advocate for the person actually being moved. Downsizing means sorting through decades of memories, not just furniture, and I bring in the right people, whether that is an elder law attorney, a move manager, or an estate sale company, so no one figures this out alone.
Relocating Buyers
If you are moving to Chicago or the suburbs from out of state, or transitioning from city to suburb (or suburb to city), I help you figure out where you actually belong before you start looking at houses. I know both sides of that line from the inside, having grown up in Des Plaines and lived in the city for over 20 years.
The market here is hyper-specific to each neighborhood and each suburb, and what fits your friend in Naperville might be all wrong for you in Evanston. We will talk through commute, schools, walkability, and the kind of daily life you actually want, not just what shows up on a map. My job is to make an unfamiliar place feel like it is already yours.
First-Time Buyers
If you are buying for the first time, my job is to slow things down, not speed them up. I want you to understand what you are doing before you do it, and I want you to feel confident at every step, from touring homes to writing an offer to sitting through an inspection.
There is no such thing as a question that is too basic. You need a team you trust, meaning a lender, an attorney, and an inspector who will tell you the truth, not just what moves the deal along. I have told clients not to make offers on homes they loved and to walk away after a rough inspection, because protecting you matters more to me than closing quickly.
Sellers
If you are selling your home, I want you to walk away knowing you made a smart decision, not just a fast one. I use a phased marketing strategy, starting with a private exclusive period where we test pricing and gather real feedback before your home accumulates public market days.
From there we move to a coming soon phase that builds anticipation and gets your home in front of other agents, and finally to a full public launch designed to maximize exposure once demand is already working in your favor. I lean on tools like Compass Concierge to get your home show ready, and I will always give you an honest read on pricing, even when that means a direct conversation about what the market will actually bear.
Renters
If you are renting in Chicago or the suburbs, whether you just got here, you are between homes, or å are not ready to buy yet, I am happy to help you find a place that fits your life right now. Not every move has to end in a mortgage, and I never assume it should.
Depending on your search and timeline, I may work with you directly or connect you with someone in my network who focuses on rentals, so you are always in good hands either way. My goal is to make sure you land somewhere that works for this season of life.