Urbis Realty Group

When my husband and I were toying with the idea of buying our first home, we thought, ehhhh, we’ll just meet with a realtor and see what’s up. Even though she hasn’t lived in Chicago for years (*SOB*), Colleen C. still maintains my go-​to gal for references for almost all things Chicago. So when Colleen told me to call Grace, I called Grace. We weren’t really on the market yet, but my husband and I are two people who like to be prepared.
Grace took the time to sit down with us before she even showed us any properties to really suss out what we wanted. We went into the process with one idea that we quickly realized probably wasn’t the best investment for our family. Grace was able to make sure that we were not only getting a home that we wanted, but also one that would serve our needs for the long-​term (something we truly appreciated.) She kept us focused, helped us create a system of what houses we wanted to look at, and enabled us to really be productive in our search.
Grace is friendly, thorough, and responsive. I can’t tell you how much we appreciated all of these aspects as we waded through the process of buying a home. We found our home the first weekend we looked, which was WAY sooner than we had intended. We were wholly unprepared, so there were many moments of panic. She kept us calm in the midst of various freak-​outs, and held our hand through the entire process. She knows Chicago amazingly well, and can give you tips about any ‘hood. (For example, she’d know to suggest we do a drive-​by on a particular block rather than waste our time going to see the house.)
Most importantly, she is trustworthy and a terrific negotiator. On our very first day looking, we found a house we really liked well within our budget. She could have had an easy sale, but she did some extra legwork not only kept us from buying the wrong house, but kept digging ’til she found THE house. And when we found that house, she didn’t stop until she had the signed contract in hand. She worked incredibly hard to make sure that we found that special home, something for which we will be eternally grateful.
I can’t recommend her highly enough!

Grace at Urbis Realty Group is our new best friend. We were looking to buy our first house, and were relatively new to Chicago, so basically we had no idea what we were doing. We initially started our search with another realtor, but we quickly became frustrated with how he was never available, kept trying to steer us toward neighborhoods and houses we had already told him we weren’t interested in, and generally just didn’t seem to be working very hard on our behalf. So we went to Grace instead, and she is truly fantastic.
Over the course of several months, Grace worked extremely hard to help us find a place that would be right for us. She sent us hundreds of listings, and showed us a good 50 houses or so in person. She always listened very carefully to what we were looking for, and tried to find us exactly that, though she also gave great suggestions since we were still new to the city. She was very knowledgeable, and very patient with us. She also worked very hard for us, and was our strongest advocate throughout the process, making sure she was getting us the best deal for our money. Being first-​time homeowners, I was extremely relieved to have someone on our side who knew what she was doing and wasn’t afraid to give us honest advice. She never pushed us to look at houses that we thought were out of our price range, nor did she try to get us to close as quickly as possible. She just helped us find exactly what was right for us.
In the end, we bought a lovely house that is absolutely perfect for us, for a fantastic price, and we couldn’t be happier with our experience with Grace. We have no intention of leaving our new house anytime soon, but if we did, Grace at Urbis Realty Group would be our first stop, without hesitation!

Soooo, Nick F up/​down there with the first review for Urbis Realty Group? Yes, he’s my guy. I live in this house with him that he bought… through Grace at Urbis Realty Group.
And I can attest, he’s everything he says he is (a very challenging client/​negotiator). He never settles (is this a compliment to myself? Not on purpose!)…and he’s demanding. So when he asked me for a reference for a realtor to find our first home together in Chicago, I looked no further than Grace… a personal acquaintance of mine, knowing she’d not only impress him with her knowledge, but be able to handle him with… err…grace! And to put it mildly, she is a HOME RUN.
She knows the city of Chicago like the back of her hand. From neighborhoods right down to block-​by-​block. She knows the market, how to look at properties as a buyer/​investor, is punctual and professional. We spent countless afternoons driving around Chicago looking at house after house after house after house after house after house after house after house. She sent us thousands of properties. She took me out on my own when he was out of town. Neighborhoods from 4700 S to 5700 N. All over the city, top to bottom. Last minute trips to see a new listing. Always available when she said she’d be. Hundreds of phone calls, tons of research.
And now we live in one! One we really, really like. That we got a great deal on, and that Grace made happen. It wasn’t easy and I’m sure it couldn’t have been easy on some days (we got outbid on our first one, the contract fell through on the second)…but she’s truly a gem, and will do you solid if you choose to enlist her as your buying or selling agent. I say this with 100 percent certainty.
Her work ethic and professionalism set her apart from 99 percent of real estate agents. It’s not super flashy, and her face won’t be plastered on billboards everywhere… but what you’ll get is someone honest, hardworking and diligent expertise in your corner without any of the BS associated with this profession.
I can’t say enough good things about her and Urbis Realty Group…

I am your average realtor’s nightmare. I am stingy. I am not
impulsive. I am not particularly trusting. And I am really thorough.
So it is not terribly surprising that in my 10 year stint in Chicago,
I have churned through about 5 different real estate agents.
Grace is #6 and I am happy to say that there will not be a #7. Here
is why you should make her your real estate agent.
Our partnership lasted over a year, during which, we viewed thousands
of properties (online), visited probably 100+ in person, wrote up 3
contracts, went through 2 different lawyers, and finally made 1 great
purchase. During those 14 months she not only didn’t complain but was a really strong real estate agent. Here are her major strengths:
* Local Knowledge — She knows Chicago, its neighborhoods and relevant trends
* Trustworthy — In those 14 months, she had numerous chances to steer
me toward the «quick» transaction, but she never did. She ALWAYS gave
me advice that was in my best long term interest.
* Negotiations — very strong… in all 3 of my transactions
she fought for that extra thousand, found areas of leverage and didn’t let me overbid.
* Punctual /​Thorough — you might be amazed at that many of her peers
lack these basics
* Property Management — she used to be one. This is really valuable
when evaluating older properties. I know much more than I did thanks
to Grace.
* Passion — She is really into real estate. She was always willing to
talk through the various properties and neighborhoods
* Process Knowledge — When she took the test, I think she really paid
attention. she always knew the rules and processes better than
whoever we were dealing with.
She is part realtor, part property manager, part psychologist, but
mostly she will be your partner (get it?). If you are looking to buy (or sell) property in Chicago, you should hire her.