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Tracey & Stewart
Personalized service and a personal relationship -
Tracey and her husband, Stuart, are natives of Northern Ireland. In their two decades in America, they have been residents of Ohio, Florida, and Washington before arriving in Illinois 12 years ago.
When they realized they would be moving to the Midwest, they decided to look at the suburbs of Chicago. Stuart's work would take him into the city often, so an easy commute was desirable. They also wanted a place great for families.
On a whim, Stuart stopped into a real estate office in Hinsdale. The first realtor he met was Colleen Wilcox. A no-nonsense type, Stuart felt he and Tracey could trust Colleen to find their home in Chicagoland almost instantly based on her ability to both listen and provide thoughtful advice.
That's how a professional and personal relationship between Colleen and Tracey began. Tracey explained: "Stuart and I were looking for a town with a short commute for him, It needed to be a community with good schools and a downtown that we could enjoy walking and eating out in local restaurants. We wanted a place that would be fun for kids to meet up and ride bikes to a friend's." Colleen's first inclination was to show them around Hinsdale, her home of 33 years.
Stuart and Tracey also were interested in looking at Barrington, Elmhurst, Naperville and Winnetka. Colleen set off with the couple on many house-hunting trips, with a baby in tow, each time they could visit. Colleen explained that she wanted them to have a good point of reference for comparing communities and home values before making their cross-country move.
As Colleen and Tracey talked, Colleen focus on schools. The oldest of their 3 young children was just in his early elementary years, and the youngest was 18 months old. Tracey remembers thinking that middle and high school felt far away but now is "so very grateful that Colleen brought them to her attention" and asked that they look up test scores.
With so many moves in their past, Stuart and Tracey can make comparisons between realtors. They say the difference working with Colleen is that she provided expert knowledge and professionalism and got to know them so well.
Colleen knew what each of their personalities was. She listened and was quick to respond to Stuart because she knew he was very busy.
Tracey, who is detail-oriented, said Colleen met her needs with a "softer and more reassuring approach." She needed Colleen's opinions on things more often. Tracey noted that having Colleen throughout the process "was a blessing, not just because of her expertise in real estate but as an experienced mother who had been through it all already! Colleen knowing what lay ahead for a young family was so helpful."
The clients finally chose Hinsdale. In her full-service way, Colleen introduced Tracey to clubs, friends, doctors and all sorts of places to enjoy. As Tracey said, "she turned out to be more than just an excellent realtor!"
After 12 years in their home — and a 4th child — they found themselves with "itchy feet," as Tracey put it. They decided this year was the time for another move. Having stayed in touch with Colleen on a personal basis, they naturally turned to her again. Even with their eldest off to college, they were ready for a step up and a change. Knowing Tracey and Stuart so well, Colleen found their new dream home was just a few blocks away.
Colleen then successfully marketed and staged their home and helped negotiate a price that was amenable to both parties. With her official to-dos completed, she put the clients in touch with sound legal counsel and contractors for work on their new home.
As Tracey remarked, "We couldn't have asked for more help in finding not one, but two new homes in this town, all thanks to Colleen.'
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Erin & Chip
A relationship. and a move, two years in the making -
The buyers' experience highlights Colleen's desire to get to know people, understand their likes and dislikes, and help anticipate future needs.
Chip, a financial advisor, first met Colleen through a networking group more than two years ago. He and Erin were not in any hurry to move and took their time thinking through what they wanted in a home. They enjoyed living in Downers Grove for years but bought their house before they had kids
Over the years, Colleen stayed in touch with cards and greetings during the holidays. She was aware of their long-term plans, and without any pressure, would send listings she thought might interest Erin and Chip.
ms spring, Chip and Erin told Colleen the time was right to get serious about a home in Hinsdale. They wanted to move and get acclimated before their oldest started school in the fall.
With her prior knowledge of their needs and wants, Colleen started looking at inventory in the area and found four homes worth exploring. They quickly settled on one that was just right, thanks to Colleen helping negotiate the price that met their budget.
With a new home purchased, the next step was quickly getting their current home staged and on the market. The buyers trusted Colleen so much that they left the sale in her hands. She closed on it in three days, and all while they were on vacation.
Colleen believes in staying available and being helpful long after a sale. She put the buyers in touch with stellar contractors and introduced them to people in town to help them settle in.
As Erin reflected on the experience, "All in all, instead of treating you like a 'transaction,' Colleen gives you a level of personal service that I can only describe as boutique, which is truly unique."
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Buyer
As our Realtor, Colleen Wilcox helped us find the right house, in the right neighborhood, and for the right price. She was patient as we looked at a number of homes over several months and cautioned us about making unreasonable offers. The best part about working with Colleen was that she was always available to answer our questions and give us good advice. We would recommend her to anyone. She knows the market very well and does her due diligence before we even get to the property. She sees all the important details of the house and is good at eliminating many of the houses that are wrong for us. She is super responsive, available, and patient. She knows how to negotiate honestly and effectively. Because of Colleen's advice not to settle for less than what we dreamed of, we are now living in a home that we love.
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Autumn W.
If you are looking for a great realtor, look no further than Colleen Wilcox. She will help you find the perfect home! She’s patient, responsive, and very knowledgeable about the market.
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Susan K.
Colleen assisted us as we downsized after living in Burr Ridge and raising our children in the area. This process can be both challenging and emotional and Colleen guided us through the process with an abundance of expertise and kindness. Her experience guided us as we prepared our home to sell, negotiated contracts and searched for our new home. She was extremely responsive to our needs and requests. Colleen is a true professional who exhibits character and integrity as she represented our needs in the process of selecting a home. She always takes into consideration both the investment aspect as well as the need to find a true "home." We were well represented by Colleen and are very grateful to have successfully downsized, now living happily in a smaller home.
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Buyer
My fiancé and I are so lucky to have found Colleen. She helped us find our first home! She listened to exactly what we wanted and helped us narrow our search. She gave us the freedom to find what we liked and was more than willing to show us any house whenever we wanted to. She was the most reliable person that we worked with through this journey. She negotiated for us and we are convinced she is the reason we signed a contract on our house even though we were in competition. Her genuine love of her job, quick response to phone calls and emails and compassion made our process run smooth as can be. She had our best interest at heart and her patience helped us not settle on a house. We would recommend Colleen to anyone who is looking for a home.
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Seller
Selling a home can be a frustrating scary stressful process, however Colleen was an absolute pleasure to work with in all aspects of the sale. Her guidance, connections within the community, overall knowledge of the market helped us determine the best time to list how to stage our home. Colleen was super professional my wife I felt confident we put our best possible foot forward. Colleen came very highly recommended within our community put our interests first, working around our new schedule with a newborn at home. Our house three days at full asking price. She went above beyond our expectations, we loved the results, we definitely recommend working with Colleen!
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Buyer & Seller
We were first referred to Colleen in 2011 when we relocated from out of state. She took the time to understand our needs and wants while providing a wealth of information about the market and the area allowing us to make a well informed stress-free decision. It was such a good experience we turned to her first to sell our home as we were again relocating. She did not disappoint. Our home sold in two weeks! Colleen is extremely responsive and always personally available. Her expert guidance in getting our home ready for market, timely feedback post showings, extensive professional and personal connections, and spot on advice during contract negotiations were invaluable.
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