Kathy Swanstrom was a 15 out of 10! She bent over backwards for us during our home sales and purchases. My long-time home sold on a fluke to someone seeking to move to the area and posting on a neighborhood Facebook page. My neighbors knew I was planning to move after my son graduated high school and told the buyer about my home. This caused my family to move 6 months earlier than planned. Even though I had a potential buyer, I still had to show my home. I was completely unprepared for this last-minute opportunity, and Kathy saved the day. She offered suggestions for things to take care of and what to leave as-is. She beautifully staged my home and educated me on the process of selling and buying a home in the pandemic market that we were in.
It was easy to sell my home, but finding one during the pandemic was much harder. Kathy worked tirelessly to find us a home that improved my downtown commute, was close to highways for my commuting husband and college students, and was in a walkable community. Kathy searched along the BNSF from LaGrange to Naperville, and the UPW from Elmhurst to Wheaton – a huge geographical area cover. She was on top of soon to be listings with me and my husband often being the first showing. Kathy worked tirelessly putting in offers on homes and to strategically to give us an edge, but deals fell through because we had to stay within our budget.
Looking for a home that met our priorities during the pandemic proved to be very stressful and challenging. We were down to the wire, 35 days from closing on the home we were selling, and Kathy found an absolutely lovely home in unincorporated Glen Ellyn. We were the first to see the home, and Kathy worked with the selling agent to put in an offer that day. She was also able to negotiate a closing on the same day of my sale closing.
About six months later, our family needed to move again for a job change. Kathy went back to work to find us a home in the area we needed to be in, again, under a time crunch. Kathy helped us find a lovely ranch home in a beautiful area with all of the things we were looking for in a very short period of time.
Through all of these deals, Kathy worked with us on our offers, many times late into the evening, and into the early morning hours. She helped us figure out the best way to position our offer and what price to go in at to give us the absolute best chance of the sellers accepting our offer over others. We felt like we were working with our best friend rather than a real estate agent. In fact, we spent so much time together during this process that we are friends!
Kathy helped us find a real estate attorney and ensured the closings were nearby, given our busy schedules. With my second home purchase, she helped me find an architect to help plan a kitchen remodel. Kathy also has an amazing eye for design and has helped me envision the potential a space has. Another aspect of Kathy’s service level to her clients is responsiveness. If I texted with a question or an update, she would often respond in 2 minutes or less.
When you choose to work with Kathy Swanstrom (and I HIGHLY recommend you do) she will contact you quickly and invite you to meet anywhere that’s convenient for you to discuss what you want, deal breakers, price ranges, neighborhoods, etc. After you finish, she will give you her opinion/feedback on what you said and ask follow up questions to suggest you check out things you might not have considered. Full service, white glove service, at its best.