Holly Bergren

Holly was my realtor when I sold both condos. One was a regular sale and the other, a short sale. She also helped me with the purchase of my second condo. Holly was extremely professional and expedited the entire buying and selling process. I appreciated this especially with the short sale. When selling, she suggested many helpful ways to stage my home to encourage more offers. She also was extremely honest when it to setting the asking price. When I was a buyer, Holly was able to find several condos to fit my wishlist in my price range and desired neighborhood. Holly was always accessible, and immediately returned my emails or phone calls. I am very happy to recommend Holly as a real estate professional.

When the time came to sell my condo, I set out to interview potential realtors. WIthin minutes of meeting Holly and MIchael, it was clear that they were my first choice. Both are wryly funny and warm.....professional without even a hint of "slick". I felt instantly comfortable and thoroughly convinced I was in good hands.By pure coincidence, my next door neighbor decided to sell at exactly the same time that I did. This gave me the ability to compare the work that my realtor was doing with the work of theirs. Holly and Michael smoked them at every turn.Starting with the marketing materials. The photos of my condo looked like they came straight from the pages of Elle Decor...while my neighbor's looked like the interior of a creepy transient hotel.The showings started almost immediately. Holly gave me priceless advice on preparation, timely advance on each showing, and either she or Michael was present for every single one. These are not just "key lock box" on the front door kind of realtors.The place was under contract with less than 10 days on the market.Then the unthinkable happened: the buyer's financing fell through two weeks before we were scheduled to close...the result of complete mishandling by their realtor and lender. I was heartbroken....and TERRIFIED because I had already purchased another property.Holly and Michael were unflappable. They gave me good counsel, sober reassurance, and displayed complete determination.....we were back on the market in a matter of hours. To make an (already) long story short, they sold my condo (for the second time) to the very next person that looked at it......FOR MORE MONEY!!!! WHAAAAAAT?????Crazier still, my condo sold for $20k more than the condo next door!!!If you feel compelled to interview a bunch of real estate professionals before choosing the one that's best, then by all means do that. But you could also save yourself a lot of time and trouble and simply enlist the help of Holly and Michael. Pretty darned positive you would never regret that decision.

I've worked with Michael directly (and Holly indirectly) on a purchase of one condo and the sale of the same condo. They are extremely detail-oriented and very knowledgeable about Chicago real estate. They will walk you through the entire process, which can become quite onerous at times, but working with them makes it easy. My last place sold in a very short time, and I think that has very much to do with Michael and Holly's efforts. Sometimes real estate agents can be a mixed bag, but if you work with Michael and Holly you'll know you're getting top-notch representation from people who truly do care. It sounds cliche, but they really do go the extra mile for their clients. Cannot recommend them highly enough.

My wife and I have been privileged to work with Holly and Michael on multiple transactions, the last of which involved the sale of our Lakeview condo and the purchase of a home in the north shore. Because of Holly, what could have been a time-consuming, tedious process of buying and selling to make more room for our growing family became quick and easy. Holly understands the Chicago-area markets on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. She listens carefully to her clients, pays attention to details, anticipates problems, analyzes carefully, responds quickly, provides valuable and practical insight, and clearly enjoys her profession. We held Holly and Michael to a high standard and without question, they delivered.

I worked with Holly (and Michael) to sell my condo in Buena Park/Uptown and it was a great experience. Holly was unlike a couple of realtors I had worked in the past - she was easy to talk to, very responsive, explained each step of the process, and available 24/7. My condo was only on the market for two weeks (Jan 2014) before I accepted an offer. I would highly recommend this team to anyone selling their place in Chicago!

Holly and Michael listed my condo in Chicago last year. It was rented and I lived two thousand miles away. They went out of their way to work with the tenants on showings and took care of everything I could not do. Their service is fantastic. Not to mention, they recommended the exact right listing price. Highly recommended.

This was our third real estate transaction with Holly and we would give her our highest recommendation. Having worked with her as both a buying and selling agent, we found her to be an effective, reliable, dedicated, professional advocate, helping us to get the price we wanted each time. Holly has an uncommon ability in the field of Chicago real estate to be a firm negotiator for her clients without pressuring them to spend more or sell for less than they are comfortable; plus, she's an incredibly kind person and was truly a pleasure to work with. She is extremely knowledgeable about the Chicago area and did plenty of research to help us find the right property to buy or the appropriate listing price. Holly was always available by phone or email when I had questions, which was invaluable during a few complex negotiations. If I ever plan to come back to the Chicago area, Holly will be the first person I'll call to help me find a place to live.

Over the past fifteen years I have sold two homes, purchased four homes and rented properties through Holly Bergren and Michael Kreuser. They are both intelligent, incredibly responsive and know the market. Holly pays amazing attention to every detail and gives appropriate guidance when needed. She has always provided excellent referrals for legal and mortgage brokers as well and works very professionally with both. Holly and Michael are also ALWAYS on time! I could not recommend them higher. They are both wonderful to do business with.

Holly and Michael have helped me buy two homes in the last 8 years with great success as well as helped me rent my condo twice to great renters! I have also referred my friends to them because they are extremely helpful, fast, and was able to get exactly what I wanted. I would highly recommend them for buying, selling or renting.

Michael Kreuser was extremely helpful in selling our home in one week! Michael is very professional and gives you honest information. He has excellent communications skills and was very flexible around our busy schedule.

I was completed converted from a skeptic to a believer when it comes to the importance if hiring a good agent. Holly's knowledge of condo regulations, lending guidelines, and more was critical to getting my place sold quickly and at the asking price. I cannot imagine an agent being more responsive than Holly to my inquiries. I won't even consider using anyone else when I buy or sell a home in the future. This is the perfect real estate agent.

I come from a family of seven children. Our brother who lives in Peterson Woods had passed away this spring. When it was time to sell his home, we not only needed someone from the area who would help us to come up with the best price for his home, but we also needed a team who would help us through this sensitive process. When you are dealing with an Estate you are dealing with a lot of emotions. We had those emotions times seven (with our mom). Michael and Holly were very professional on giving us a very thorough Market Analysis. Which made it very clear and easy coming up with the right price. They also helped us stage his home. So that it still showed well while we were sorting through personal things. Their Marketing strategy was very hands on and high end.They were always there for showings in order to answer any questions the buyers might have. They know that area! They also helped us with scheduling and meeting vendors for appointments. Which really helped us out since none of us were from the immediate area. My siblings loved getting immediate feedback after each showing. That was very important to them. His home sold in just a few weeks at a great price. We couldn't have picked a better team.

Very highly recommended! Holly has my highest professional recommendation. She helped me purchase my home and sell same home thirteen years later, and has helped several very satisfied friends in between. In the purchasing stages, Holly's knowledge of Chicago areas, and her ability to identify suitable properties is amazing; in the selling process, Holly provides sound pricing / "staging" advice and works very hard to bring in only qualified buyers. Holly is generous in sharing her experience and background to address full range of issues (think tiresome condo boards, smoke alarms, you name it!), making everything about the buying and selling process as streamlined easy as it can be.

Holly Bergren has been my realtor - both buying and selling a condo when I moved to Chicago from out of state and then later buying a house in the city. I couldn't have asked for anyone better. She has an incredible ability to understand clients' needs and desires and does whatever it takes (within reason of course) to meet them. There is little she doesn't know about the Chicago market and when selling is diligent in coming up with different approaches to get listings out to potential buyers. More importantly, she is very trustworthy - a critical characteristic in this type of business venture. Whether buying or selling you can depend on Holly to be open minded, straightforward and honest and always dependable, working hard to meet your objectives. I highly recommend her.

Michael was incredibly helpful in finding me my new condo! He really understood what my "must haves" were and found places for me that were a good fit and within my budget. He never tried to persuade me to make an offer on anything and was really open-minded about pointing out both the pros and cons of every place we saw. He was incredibly patient and accommodating - we saw quite a few places, some more than once, before I was really to make an offer.He walked me through every step of the home-buying process and had lots of great contacts for my mortgage, home inspector and realtor. After moving in, he was a great resource for finding a great painter and a handyman.This is the second time I've used Bergren & Kreuser to find a home in Chicago and I would absolutely use them again. If you're looking for a thorough, kind and honest realtor, I'd absolutely recommend them!

Holly and Michael made selling our house much easier and less stressful than I had anticipated. From our first meeting, Holly was extremely professional and prepared and inspired my confidence. (We dealt mostly with Holly.) I was especially impressed by the full-color booklet of comps she brought along to our initial meeting. Holly was highly responsive throughout the home-selling process, responding quickly to emails and exhibiting great patience with us as first-time sellers. She also was helpful in suggesting trusted contractors when we decided to have some work done before listing the house. Holly also navigated our complicated four-person home-ownership situation smoothly and gracefully.Holly and Michael exhibited a high level of sensitivity in dealing with our tenants, who had lived in the house for a number of years. She was considerate and respectful, always alerting them well ahead of time of showings or other activities that might cause inconvenience. She also was flexible and respectful in dealing with their pets.Throughout the process, I always felt that Holly had our best interests in mind and that she was doing her best to ensure a successful sale. She was helpful, honest, gracious, knowledgeable, and reassuring. Ultimately, we were very happy with the results and the price we got for our home. I would highly recommend Holly Bergren and Michael Kreuser to anybody seeking a recommendation!

As a first-time buyer, buying a condo was really intimidating, but Holly held my hand throughout the entire process. After explaining the process to me in detail, she found some great places for me to look at. And once it was finally time to make an offer, she was there every step of the way and beyond.With Holly I really felt like I had an advocate on my side, and she was very responsive to all of my questions and requests. Also, all of her referrals (e.g., an attorney, inspector) worked out well for me too. The whole process was super smooth, and I really have Holly to thank for that. Even though I started out feeling intimidated, buying was really a seamless process for me.

Holly and Michael helped us sell our Bowmanville condo and find our dream home in Mayfair. Holly helped us find the perfect home that had absolutely everything we wanted. She is friendly, supportive, and I never felt pushed to make any decisions before I was ready. When it came time to sell, Holly was so helpful in letting me know the optimal way to set up my place for showing. She and Michael personally oversaw the photography and I sold within 2 weeks with 3 offers. The negotiation process was the smoothest I have experienced and I think all parties came out happy. Holly and Michael were perfectly responsive and really helped us at each step of the process. I couldn't be happier with my new home.

Holly Bergren was a terrific resource and realtor for our family, both in representing us as a buyer, and when it came time for us to sell our condo in Chicago. She is amazingly responsive and conscientious and trustworthy, and she went above and beyond to help us when we unexpectedly needed to relocate; she helped us not only find tenants, but also helped us successfully determine the right time to sell. She was also expert at negotiating the politics of an owner-operated condo association during our sale process. We'd highly recommend Holly and Michael!

As a nervous first-time homebuyer hitting the market under unusual circumstances, I needed a real estate agent I felt I could trust and with enduring patience to sherpa me through the process. Holly explained the home-buying process and timeline in detail, in terms that didn't overwhelm me, and never grew impatient with my repeated questions. By our third house-hunting trip, Holly intuited not only my property must-haves, but also my specific tastes; she was able to narrow my broad search down to properties that particularly suited me, saving us much time and showing me properties that I wouldn't have ordinarily considered. Holly was confident and knowledgeable in both the worth of a property and how much the seller would negotiate, and got me into my dream home for below listing and for less than I budgeted. I had dreaded the home-buying process and put it off for much longer than I should have. I wish I had met Holly years ago.

My husband and I worked with Holly to purchase two properties and we highly recommend her services as a realtor. She combines warmth and friendliness with top-notch professional expertise; she made a nerve-wracking process far less stressful and even enjoyable. Thanks to her negotiating skills and in-depth knowledge about housing values in our area, we felt confident navigating the offer phase and then managing all the details right through closing. We especially appreciate Holly's practical, down-to-earth advice, given that buying a home is a very emotional decision. We would use her again without question, and recommend her to any one entering the market to buy a new home.