Story of The Sale

Sold From Across an Ocean - 1107 Grant Street, Evanston

1107 Grant Street, Evanston | Sold for $1,450,000

Some client relationships start with a referral and grow into something much longer.

We first connected with this family in 2017 through a friend's introduction. They were ready to sell their Evanston condo and find a real home, and we helped them do both. 1107 Grant Street was where they landed - a place with a screened porch overlooking a sweet backyard and neighbors who became part of their lives. They adored it.

Seven years later, life pulled them in a new direction. Family was overseas, and they made the decision to go be close to them. That meant selling the home they loved, and doing it from Europe.

We coordinated everything on the ground while they were abroad: decluttering, staging, showings, and negotiations. The entire process, start to finish, before they had even booked their flights home. By the time they arrived in Evanston for their scheduled move, the sale was done. They came back to pack, not to manage a transaction.

Listed at $1,050,000, the home went under contract in just a few days with 10 offers and sold for $1,450,000 - nearly $400,000 over ask.

They told us more than once how smooth the whole team made it feel.

1006 Ridge, Evanston

1006 Ridge, Evanston | Sold for $1,712,500

Some homes are more than addresses. They're anchors to a neighborhood's story, witnesses to a city's evolution, and keepers of the families who shaped them.

1006 Ridge is one of those homes.

Built in the early 1920s within Evanston's Ridge Historic District, this jumbo bungalow had been home to only three families over the past century. Our clients bought the home in 1995 and spent the next thirty years thoughtfully restoring it while raising twin daughters. Every decision honored the home's original character, from restoring stained glass that had been stored in the basement to salvaging original doors for the second-floor addition.

When the time came to pass it to its next chapter, we knew this wasn't a typical sale. It was a responsibility.

To tell this story properly, we started at the Evanston History Center, uncovering the significance of the Ridge Historic District and what made 1006 Ridge special: it's a strong early example of a Chicago Jumbo Bungalow, sitting on an 8,700-square-foot lot with a rare green Ludowici tile roof known since the 19th century for its beauty and longevity. That research became the foundation of everything that followed.

The home was in remarkable condition, beautifully restored with period-appropriate details. Our job wasn't to transform it. Our job was to tell its story to the right audience - and find that audience even when the calendar was working against us.

We listed and sold 1006 Ridge between Thanksgiving and New Year's, one of the slowest windows of the year for real estate. Through targeted marketing that reached buyers who understood exactly what this home was, we closed at $1,712,500.

933 Maple to 2011 Cleveland, Evanston

933 Maple to 2011 Cleveland, Evanston | Sold for $905,000

Some moves take years to unfold. Not because clients can't decide, but because they know what they want and they're willing to wait for it.

We met our client three years ago at an open house. She lived at 933 Maple in a beautiful 140-year-old home, but it wasn't quite meeting her needs anymore. Life was changing and her priorities were shifting. Unlike her experience buying Maple, where she felt rushed, this time she wanted to get it right. So we waited. We searched casually together, always looking but never forcing it. And while we waited, we prepared.

Years before we ever listed 933 Maple, we had professional photography completed and marketing materials ready. The pricing strategy would come when we listed, but everything else was in place. In a strong seller's market, most sellers won't accept an offer contingent on the buyer selling their home first. That meant our client would need to make a non-contingent offer on her next home. Because we had Maple ready to list the moment she found the right house, she could move forward confidently.

When 2011 Cleveland came to market - a sun-drenched 1950s ranch in exactly the right location - we moved quickly. Our client made a strong, non-contingent offer knowing we had everything in place to list Maple immediately.

Within days of going under contract on Cleveland, we listed 933 Maple. 55 showings in two days. 15 offers, each one above asking. We closed $155,000 over list. Our client never owned two homes at once.

16 Williamsburg Court, Evanston

16 Williamsburg Court, Evanston | Sold for $540,000

When we first stepped into this home, it was filled with memories and decades of belongings. The owner had passed, and his daughter found herself responsible for preparing her father's home for sale. She felt overwhelmed by the task and was unsure how to even begin.

That's when our team stepped in.

Over the course of months, we guided her through every step of the process from clean-out to closing. We connected her with Smith & Joans of Evanston, a favorite partner who helped her thoughtfully sort through her father's belongings - advising on what to keep, coordinating donations, and arranging for the removal of everything no longer needed. Our team coordinated contractors, selected lighting and finishes, managed paint and design upgrades, and made sure the home was ready to show.

Once refreshed, our partners staged the home to highlight its warmth, space, and natural light. The transformation was remarkable. The home went from dated and cluttered to bright, inviting, and beautifully market-ready.

After professional photography and a successful broker's open, the home drew multiple offers and sold for $540,000 - $40,000 over asking price.

221 Greenleaf, Wilmette

It’s always special when friends become clients and it was my pleasure to represent my friends in selling their longtime home. This has always been one of my favorite houses in East Wilmette. The sellers used to host the best 3rd of July parties – we would just walk out the front yard, go one house over and we’d have the best seats on the golf course to watch the fireworks with the Ba’Hai Temple in the backdrop! It’s one of those homes that “spoke to me” because it’s an “old house,” but was so thoughtfully renovated. It honors the character and charm from 1923 while providing all of the awesomeness we all want in a modern house- big open-concept kitchen with all the high end touches, huge family room and the best part is the stunning oversized yard with wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling French Doors opening to a cascading Bluestone Patio, custom firepit, grill station and lush landscaping...again, with unbeatable views of the Ba’Hai Temple.

It’s always hard to say goodbye to a family home, but the doors are opening to a new family who will get to enjoy the cherished memories created in this special Gillson Corridor neighborhood.

Thanks to a comprehensive pre-marketing strategy, which included getting photography and videography during the summers months, as well as working with top broker’s in the area for off market showings, we were able to secure a contract within one week of being on the market!

1100 Mulford, Evanston

This one was a special transaction… representing my old neighbors. I lived on the same block as these clients for my 14 years in South Evanston. This neighborhood, and the people who live in it, continues to hold a special place in my heart and I always love the opportunity to showcase this urban-suburban hidden gem of a neighborhood! This is the 11th sale for me on this block of Mulford and Harvard. Three of these homes I have sold twice in 12 years!

Selling 1100 Mulford was a full-fledged event. We started pre-marketing the house by collaborating with our artist client to hold an open house showcasing his artwork. It provided an opportunity to sell his artwork but also present the home to potential buyers. We collaborated with Evanston Made to cross-promote the event and were able to get lots of eyes on the home. Working with these clients started several years ago when they reached out to ask my advice on the best way to spend money on the home. I consulted with them several times over the last 6 years helping them decide on kitchen updates and adding more livable space to the 2nd floor of this Bungalow.

Because of this, our teamwork and collaboration netted them a whopping return on their investments. We listed the house for $699,000 which, by all accounts on paper, seemed high for this 3Br, 1.5 BA Bungalow. But the character, charm and energy of this house went beyond bed and bath count and buyers felt it. We had several offers and settled with a buyer who paid $780,000 ($81,000 over asking)!

2729 Illinois, Northbrook

Our clients reached out in early April letting us know they had decided to move back east to be near family. Both have full time jobs and 3 little kids, so the thought of preparing a house for sale was daunting to them. We laid out our process and let them know we could do as much or as little as they wanted. We provided them a room-by-room “checklist” of how and what to declutter. We also provided some ideas for how to maximize the interest and price for their home including changing out some light fixtures, doing some fresh painting and updating the countertops, backsplash, and sink/faucet. We told them we had people who could come in and do this for them and we would oversee the entire project. We guided them on the staging-no need to hire “stagers,” we used what they had in the house and just repositioned and edited furniture and brought in accessories. Our clients did their job-they worked so hard to declutter and we managed the process of the updates including the kitchen refresh and painting. Three weeks later, thanks to the incredible “buy-in” from our clients and the teamwork of everyone, we had the house ready for market. Reach out to us to see the unbelievable before and after photos. We listed the house for $749,000 and we were under contract the next day for $907,000. We were able to minimize the disruption for our clients and we were able to maximize their return. Side note- we represented them on the purchase six years earlier when they bought the house for $605,000!

The bottom line-don’t get overwhelmed at the task or prepping a house for sale and how much work needs to go into it. Leave the preparation to us!!!

1563 Dewey, Evanston

Our clients thought they wanted to move years ago, so anticipation of this, we had them spruce up their yard and exterior and we took photos when in the summer when the house looked best. The flowers were out, the exterior was freshly painted. Everything looked optimal! They ended up staying in their house longer than expected, but we held onto the photos “just in case.” Well… fast forward and their plans changed.. In January, they reached out to say they had a job opportunity and may be moving overseas. Selling a house in the dead of winter isn’t easy when you have to contend with snowy lawns and bare trees, but we had the summer photos we took 3 years earlier and were able to use those to help sell the house and maximize the price.

The bottom line-even if you are considering selling in the next year, it’s always a good idea to talk through the pros and cons of enlisting a seasoned broker now to help you through this process and help maximize potential buyer interest and your sale price. Reach out today to discuss. No commitment necessary. Just conversation!

42 Williamsburg, Evanston

42 Williamsburg, Evanston-We sold this house to our clients in 2019 for $407,500. We listed it for sale in 2024 for $649,000 and with multiple offers, closed at $730,000. Our clients did some great updates over the years including adding a new roof, painting the exterior, doing some much-needed landscaping and hardscaping and refreshing the inside. But when we met with them to talk about selling the house, we felt the kitchen (which hadn’t changed in decades) needed a little refresh. So, with their support, we brought in our crew to install a new fresh white subway backsplash. A minimal cost for a big bang.

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