Nathan Binkley – @properties

I cannot say enough about how great Nathan is and how positive an experience it was working with Nathan to purchase our first home. My wife and I had close to zero idea what we were doing but knew it was time to buy as we are having our first child and Chicago rental prices are getting outrageous. We got the recommendation for Nate from my wife’s friend who had just bought her first house with her fiancé and had nothing but good things to say. Upon our first meeting with him at a coffee shop, we knew we liked Nathan and wanted to work with him as he was incredibly friendly, professional, and sincere. During the next 3 months, Nathan saw about 25 properties with us and put in 3 offers with us. The home buying process is an emotional roller coaster, especially in hot markets like the neighborhoods we were looking in, but through the whole process Nathan kept us incredibly informed, calmed our nerves, and never made us feel any pressure. We were blown away by the service that Nathan provided – he actually made the whole process fun! He KNOWS the market in Chicago, and has the home buying process down – he even hooked us up with great lenders and attorneys so that we basically had to make zero hard decisions except for which home we wanted. The culmination of the whole journey was when Nathan found a «pocket listing» that turned out to be the perfect house for us and eventually became our home, which we absolutely love. Thus, we can honestly say we would not have found our home if it wasn’t for Nathan, because the house never even hit the market! He even went and toured the place while we watched over Facetime because the pocket listing came to his attention while we were away on vacation. Above and beyond the call of duty! I was doubting that we would ever find a great house that we could afford in the neighborhood we consider home, Bucktown, but Nate made it happen.
I honestly can’t think of a single negative thing to say about the experience of working with Nathan. He texted us daily through the WHOLE process, answered all questions via text/​phone/​email pretty much immediately and provided useful information that was understandable to us newbies. On top of all that, he is really funny and positive. And an added bonus is he is one super stylish dude, which lets you know he has a good eye for aesthetics ;) We now consider Nathan a friend of ours, not just our realtor. If you are looking to buy a house in Chicago, WORK WITH NATHAN. You will not be disappointed.

As a first time buyer very green to the market, I couldn’t have asked for a better broker or experience than I received working with Nathan & @properties. He made the intimidating and scary navigation of the Chicago real estate market so easy to understand through his approach and taking the time to explain the details in a way that anyone would understand.
It was amazing to see how knowledgeable he was about not only the marketplace, but each neighborhood, building, and unit we looked at. Nate never ceased to amaze me with how much research he did/​knowledge he possessed with every unit we went to see. He was able to answer each question, even those very particular ones about the unit that the listing broker often didn’t know or had to look up, showing he really put in the work to understand the property prior to going to the showing. He really takes the time to educate his clients, holding an informational meeting session right off the bat to help you better understand all the experience to come when buying in Chicago.
I had a very particular aesthetic I was looking for and requirements in a condo and Nathan showed an unwavering patience, taking the time to personally show units at the drop of a hat, responding within minutes to each request. Early in my search, I found a place I really liked and we wrote an offer that the seller accepted. While still under the Attorney Review, we found out some not so good information about the health of the building and Nathan was beyond supportive, providing sound advice as to what he would do in the situation and helped me understand the cost/​benefit if I wanted to move forward. I ultimately decided that it wasn’t a good choice given the many unknowns and risks I would be assuming with future special assessments so we ended the A/​I period and I continued my search. After finding the condo that I ultimately ended up buying, Nathan showcased an incredible amount of knowledge regarding the different options to writing a really competitive offer that ended up beating 4 other offers to win me the condo. I have no doubt that his strategy in writing our offer is what made us win in the end.
I’ve been exposed to other brokers on the listing side during my search and it is clear Nathan really is the best in the business. No one I’ve met come close to Nathan’s professionalism, dedication to his clients, and vast amount of knowledge he possesses about the Chicago marketplace & real estate industry. Nathan bent over backwards to make my experience as easy and seamless as possible and I have no doubt he does the same for all of his clients. He has an undeniable passion for the industry and an uncanny ability to educate his clients to make a very complex industry seem so simple. Beyond his vast amount of knowledge in real estate and the Chicago market, he has a down to earth personality and amazing style (I mean… top 3 best dressed brokers in Chicago!) that you don’t find in other brokers. While I’m elated to have finally find my dream home, a part of me is sad for the experience to be over knowing I won’t get to continue working with Nate on a daily basis. He is really the best of the best and I’m sad there aren’t more than 5 stars to rate him on, as he truly deserves more!

Nate Binkley might just be the best real estate agent in Chicago. After all was said and done with my closing, I now believe I struck gold when I chose him as my agent. He had superb knowledge on all the development work being done in the several areas that we visited and how that would affect property values over time. He always responded quickly via any method and adjusted to my schedule so we could see places. I was a first time home buyer who knew basically nothing about home-​buying. He advised me on everything front to back from getting a loan to closing the deal. I bought an amazing, highly sought after top floor timber loft in Wicker Park for a great price. Nate provided excellent strategy and this is what got my offer accepted at an awesome value before other buyers even had a chance. Nate had a positive attitude and a great personality which made him fun to work with as well. Very thankful to have him as my agent and I will definitely be working with him again in the future when the time comes!

My husband and I have worked with many realtors in varies cities/​states over the years, and Nathan was by far the best in every way. His work ethic, responsiveness, attention to detail, and knowledge of the Chicago market and individual buildings is incredible. His personality and appreciation for our business made him such a pleasure to work with. I cannot recommend him highly enough! I would especially encourage people who are relatively new to the Chicago market to take advantage of his vast wealth of information and advice. He found us the one home my husband and I could agree on. =) Many thanks for making our home-​buying experience as painless as it could possibly be!

We had a great first time home buying experience, and couldn’t have done it without Nathan. Moving from out of town our nerves were put to rest knowing we were in good hands. He helped educate us on the Chicago market as well as the basics of the home buying process. His knowledge of the market was invaluable along our search. Most importantly he listened to what we wanted and helped guide us to the place of our dreams. We couldn’t recommend Nathan more highly for house hunters in Chicago.

We could never have found such a perfect rental in the Loop if Nathan hadn’t been there to help us. My husband and I had numerous must-​haves for our rental, including a very specific location, move in date, a dog, and a need to do everything long distance! Nathan found us units that met all of our specifications, sent us videos of his walk throughs, and helped us through the leasing process. He is honest, friendly, and very helpful. He honestly could not have made a very difficult process easier, or been more pleasant to work with! Nathan was recommended to us by a friend who first rented, and then purchased an apartment with his help. We totally understand why after working with Nathan, and we’ll be calling him when we’re ready to buy, too!

We were referred to Nathan by a friend and we could not be happier with the referral! This was our first home buying experience and Nathan helped us every step of the way. From educating us on the market, helping us set expectations and making himself whenever and wherever we needed him– he is truly one of the best in the business. There was never a moment where we felt like he was trying to push us into something, or that he was too busy for us– we always felt like his first priority and he treated us more like friends than clients, which we so appreciated. He went above and beyond for us, which ultimately led to a very simple and stress-​free buying process. We are now in our very first home and we have him to thank for that!

I wandered into the @properties building randomly… hoping to get some help to find an apartment. The first staff I met with wasn’t super helpful, but Nathan was AWESOME. Despite primarily focusing on sales, he took time to help me understand the Chicago rental market. Within days, I had secured a place; and I had to do very little work.
— He is super patient and answers all of your questions
— He searches more efficiently than other brokers/​agents I’ve met with
— He is hilarious yet professional.
— He is very knowledgeable of the area I was looking in AND super smooth when it came to viewing the apartment (ie, a lot more helpful than the person showing the apartment).
— Knowing full well, he wasn’t getting much out of this rental in terms of commission, he still made me feel like I was his only client.
— I can’t wait until I am ready to buy property in Chicago, b/​c I’ve already found an agent :).
Yay, Nathan!

Nathan Binkley made looking for a first condo enjoyable and easy. He was a great sounding board for our initial preferences and helped us shape our priority list each time we went to see a place. He was available whenever we wanted to see anything and spent the time with us to talk through pros and cons after each showing. He also has a wealth of knowledge about neighborhoods, construction materials, and remodeling and you can tell that he is genuinely passionate about real estate. I will be recommending him to all my friends going forward along with you Unilocal reader!

Nate is a great guy! I came to Chicago two weeks before starting a new job, looking for a place to live. I walked around aimlessly for two days looking at random places that were overpriced and unattractive. I then stumbled upon @properties and walked inside for some help. Nate immediately came up to my girlfriend and I and offered to help us. We were only looking for a rental, so most real estate agents would have simply brushed us off as a waste of time. Nate was the opposite. He was more than helpful, telling us all about the different neighborhoods in Chicago. He showed me a number of units that we unfortunately lost out on due to high demand, but he never stopped helping me in my pursuit. Due to my time and distance constraint, Nate actually arranged to FaceTime me the viewing of two units, as I could not be there in person. I put in an application and finally found a wonderful condo in a great neighborhood. I will definitely be going back to Nate to help me find my next house or condo to purchase in the next year!

Nathan helped my fiancée and I out on a move to Chicago from out of state. Before Nathan was working for us, finding a place to lease was a nightmare. We had spent weeks trying to research places and schedule appointments with no success. After Nathan was helping us, we found a place within a week. He took care of everything and made the process seamless.
Nathan even went so far as to get our lease applications and credit scores run the day before we went to see a place that we were very interested in so that we could be quick to grab it. It worked and we are in that place now.
Even after we had the lease signed, Nathan continued to help us out and make the move from out of state easier. He continued to check in, and even made certain that the house was in move-​in condition before we got there by arranging for carpet cleaning when the landlord was being slow to act.
Nathan was incredibly available. He seemed to always be on his phone and would respond to our questions via email or text within minutes. I felt that I could really count on him.
Having worked with other real estate agents in other cities in the past, I very much appreciated Nathan’s professionalism, knowledge, and availability. I will be using Nathan for all future transactions and I would highly recommend Nathan to any friend who is looking to buy or sell property in Chicago.

Recently we had the pleasure of meeting Nathan while looking real estate. The circumstances were difficult and complicated, painful even, and Nathan never judged. Some of the parties involved were less than professional, but Nathan’s committment to problem-​solving never wavered.
He has the perfect combination of midwestern friendliness and smart professionalism, and I’d work with him again in a heartbeat.

Nathan Binkley, one word sums up his character… AWESOME!!! If you are looking for an Realestate Agent that is attentive, dedicated, responsive, and knows the market well, then Nate is your guy. My husband and I were in search for a new spacious condo to rent and we only had a couple of weeks to do so. Prior to having Nate as our agent, my husband and I had two bad experiences with agents that just didn’t care about us, their client. They didn’t follow-​up, they were hard to contact, it was obvious that we were not a priority for them. We had the total opposite experience with Nate. From the first day that he contacted us, he was extremely thorough in interviewing us to find out what we were looking for in terms of amenities, location, pricing, ect… The very next day Nate had six condos lined up for us to view. If we didn’t like the properties, he went back and booked more showings until we found that perfect place. He is honest, witty, professional, extremely knowlegable and just a down right exceptional agent. He will go the extra mile for his clients and we found a great home thanks to Nathan’s persistence. We will be using Nate in our future purchases and rentals. Thanks again Nate!!! Simply stated… you are the best.