Connie H. Engel – Prudential Rubloff

I had preconceptions about realtors not earning their compensation before I started working with Connie. After she helped me find the ideal investment property I was looking for, I thought she EARNED EVERY PENNY. Very hard working — saw many properties that were VERY interesting in a tough market. Very honest, diligent — always «on top of it». She also made incredible recommendations of mortgage broker (Michael got it done fast!), attorneys (Gail’s the best!), inspectors and a few tradesmen to help with minor stuff. «One stop shopping» here! An excellent representative of my financial interests and a great person to work with in general. I refer her highly and often.

This may sound like a cliché, but Connie truly helped us find our dream house. She met with us several times and kept in close contact to ensure she knew what we wanted, and she worked diligently to help us find the right place. She sent us listings only for houses that we would like, not ones that just happened to be available. And when we found listings that seemed to have potential, she honestly evaluated them to see whether they’d be a good fit. We never felt she was pushing us in order to make a sale — we always felt that she had our best interests in mind, and she capably and efficiently helped us find the perfect place for us. I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone looking for real estate help.

I was referred to Connie about seven years ago when I purchased my first home. After working with her a few times since, I can honestly say that Connie is great at what she does. Not only is she a great Realtor but she is a good person and is compassionate to the stresses a home buyer/​seller experiences. Her service is so personal that she drove me around the city several times to show me different properties. When I found one, she brought me into her home and introduced me to her family before we signed papers. I’m confident no other Realtor offers the level of personalized service and companionship that Connie offers. She is a true professional and has built a team around her to make sure every step throughout the process is seamless. I would recommend Connie to anyone I know that is purchasing a home in the Chicago area.

Connie aided my husband and I as first time home buyers. I had met her at an open house in April, where she took the time to answer my questions even after the house already had multiple offers on it and there was no chance of us buying it. She continued to send listings over the following months, but not a barrage, just enough to keep in touch. In one house we looked at she went straight to the basement, looked for and found moldy baseboards and after that refused to even consider it as an option. When I contacted her a couple months later about getting serious to purchase, she was prompt to reply, showed me two houses the next day, and took hours to help my husband and I put an offer together that weekend. Connie is honest, never pushy, and took the time to thoroughly explain every step of the home buying process. If you need a Realtor who communicates well and looks out for your best interests, email Connie.

This is my first ever review on Unilocal.I’m writing because I’ve now relocated and purchased a home in three different cities; and I’ve experienced how challenging it can be to find an incredible real estate agent. If I can speed-​up or ease that process for others, fantastic.
Connie was «assigned» to me when I did a corporate relocation from New York to Chicago in 2004. I dreaded getting «assigned» someone instead of hand-​picking an agent. My file landed on Connie’s desk, and I quickly figured out that even if I had more time… or more local contacts… or more familiarity with Chicago… I still couldn’t have picked a more efficient, market-​knowledgeable, skillful realtor.
I had no knowledge of Chicago neighborhoods, so I explained to Connie the community I was leaving combined with the qualities I was hoping to find in my new zip code. I didn’t realize this until after living in the city for 5 years, but Connie cut through the clutter and took me to areas/​properties that best matched the intangible «feel» that I was seeking. She kept asking the right questions to make my house hunt efficient.
As any corporate relo client will tell you, it’s never a clean promotion to the new job: you’re always juggling old job + new job while simultaneously trying to sell an old house in one city and buy a new house in another city. Connie worked creatively and around my demanding work hours to get me into the right properties. I also came to trust her guidance on quality of construction and which properties would hold value over time. I needed to balance quality of life in a new neighborhood with quality of investment potential, and Connie got that. Not only did I purchase my Chicago home through Connie’s work in 2004, but when I needed to sell (again through a less than desirably timed corporate relocation) I went back to Connie to sell the property for me in Q3 of 2010.
Trying to sell a home around Labor Day in 2010 was a recipe for disappointment: weak housing market + end of summer timing with limited «lookers» + poor lending environment. While neighbors on the block struggled to move their properties, Connie sold my house. Twice. (One offer fell through, so Connie found back-​ups.)
Connie’s read on buyers is incredibly accurate. When she leaves a showing with a sense about whether an offer will come, her assessments are surprisingly accurate. Her guidance to me on questions to ask developers while considering new construction properties was education that stuck with me even to my next move into another state.
Connie is a clear communicator. That’s important when deals can quickly get complicated and get expensive. She won’t always tell a client what they want to hear: that respectful candor combined with her experience delivers service to a client that is far above the expected.