I’m a Chicago real estate broker. I put myself on this list. Here is why, and who I would recommend when I’m not the right agent for the job.
Most “best real estate agent” lists are garbage.
Some are advertisements disguised as journalism. Some are assembled by national websites that know nothing about Chicago. Others simply sort agents by total sales volume and pretend that the person who sells the most expensive real estate must be the best agent for every buyer and seller.
That is not how real estate works.
The best agent for a $5 million Lincoln Park home may not be the best agent for a first-time condo buyer in Avondale. The best broker for a Bucktown greystone may not be the right person for a new-construction developer, a downtown penthouse seller or a family moving from the city to Hinsdale.
So I built a different kind of list.
I identified 10 of Chicago’s best real estate agents and teams, then matched each one with the type of client I believe they are especially qualified to represent.
There is one uncomfortable detail I should disclose immediately:
I am a Chicago real estate broker. I wrote this article, and I included myself.
I could have excluded myself to appear impartial. I could also have quietly placed myself at No. 1 and hoped nobody noticed the byline. Both approaches felt dishonest.
Instead, I have explained my methodology, linked to the underlying public data, and described circumstances in which another agent may be a better choice than I am.
Readers can decide whether I earned my place.
The Best Chicago Real Estate Agents At A Glance
The numbers below are for navigation. This is not an overall ranking from first through 10th.
| Client Need | Recommended Agent/Team | Why They Stand out |
| Broad, full-service Chicago representation | Ben Lalez | Large support structure, substantial transaction experience and construction knowledge |
| Luxury homes in Chicago | Emily Sachs Wong | No. 1 in 2025 Cook County sales volume and decades of luxury experience |
| Buyers who value speed and repetition | Grigory Pekarsky | Exceptional buyer-side transaction volume and an independent brokerage platform |
| Data-driven, tech-forward representation | Matt Laricy | More than 500 transaction sides in 2025 and a highly systematized operation |
| High-visibility luxury marketing | Carrie McCormick | Major luxury listing volume, media experience and development background |
| Bucktown, Wicker Park, West Town and design-minded homes | Karen Biazar | Deep neighborhood roots plus in-house design and project-management experience |
| New construction and investment property | Danielle Dowell | Documented focus on development, multifamily and investment real estate |
| Downtown luxury condos and high-end developments | Nancy Tassone | High average transaction value and a listing-heavy luxury practice |
| Analytical clients and complex negotiations | Mario Greco | A rare professional background spanning engineering, law and real estate |
| City-to-suburb and second-home transitions | Dawn McKenna | A network covering Chicago, major suburbs and several second-home markets |
How The Agents Were Selected
I began with Chicago Agent magazine’s 2025 Cook County Top 20 Agents report, which uses data supplied by Midwest Real Estate Data, or MRED.
Every agent included below appeared in that Top 20.
I then reviewed each agent’s publicly documented background, service model, professional concentration and stated areas of expertise. The categories are my editorial judgment; the transaction figures are not.
The MRED report measures single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums. It divides credit when multiple agents are recorded on the same side of a transaction, and it does not capture every possible measure of an agent’s value. Rentals, commercial work, private client service, negotiation quality and the difficulty of individual transactions cannot be reduced to one number. agent was contacted or charged for inclusion. Nobody purchased a position.
This is not a declaration that these are the only 10 excellent brokers in Chicago. Several agents who could credibly appear on such a list were omitted because their strongest category overlapped with another selection.
With that out of the way, here are my picks.
1. Ben Lalez: Best full-service team for a broad range of Chicago buyers and sellers
Brokerage: Compass
2025 Cook County production: 317.5 transaction sides and approximately $170.8 million in sales volume
Best for: Clients who want the resources of a large team without losing access to experienced leadership
Yes, I put myself first.
My argument is not that I sell the most expensive homes in Chicago or personally complete the most transactions. The public data does not say that. Chicago Agent’s 2025 report placed me seventh in Cook County by total sales volume among the agents measured.
My argument is that The Ben Lalez Team is particularly well suited to the broad middle of the Chicago market: first-time buyers, first-time sellers, growing families, investors, condo owners and homeowners with complicated questions about condition, renovation or resale.
I started in real estate in 2010 by flipping homes in Chicago neighborhoods. My construction and development background allows me to evaluate more than finishes and staging. I understand what may be behind the walls, which improvements are likely to affect resale, and where a seller may be wasting money.
The team model adds specialists for marketing, transaction management, scheduling and client support. That matters when a listing needs preparation, photography, video, digital distribution, showing coordination, negotiation and inspection management to happen at the same time.
Chicago Agent’s MRED-based report credited me with 75.5 listing sides and 242 buyer sides in Cook County during 2025. My team’s website reports more than $850 million in career sales and hundreds of publicly posted Zillow and Google reviews. Why I earned this category: Breadth, transaction repetition, team infrastructure, neighborhood coverage, and practical construction knowledge.
Who may prefer someone else: A client seeking a highly specialized ultra-luxury broker, a one-person boutique practice, or an agent focused almost exclusively on one building or micro-neighborhood should interview the appropriate specialists below.
Learn more: BenLalez.com
2. Emily Sachs Wong: Best for luxury homes in Chicago
Brokerage: @properties Christie’s International Real Estate
2025 Cook County production: 197 transaction sides and approximately $343.7 million in sales volume
Best for: Luxury sellers and buyers, particularly in Lincoln Park and Chicago’s established high-end neighborhoods
If this were simply a ranking by 2025 Cook County sales volume, Emily Sachs Wong would be No. 1.
Chicago Agent’s full-year data credited Wong with approximately $343.7 million in Cook County sales, including more than $210 million on the listing side. That was the highest total volume in the report.
Wong has worked in Chicago luxury real estate for more than two decades, and her public profiles report more than $4 billion in career sales. Her practice is strongly associated with Lincoln Park and the upper end of Chicago’s residential market.
That combination matters. Luxury sellers aren’t just hiring someone to enter a property into the MLS. They are hiring judgment: pricing a home for a thinner buyer pool, controlling presentation, managing privacy and understanding what affluent buyers will and will not overlook.
Wong’s production gives her an unusually large body of recent evidence at that level of the market. Why she earned this category: She combined the highest Cook County volume in the 2025 data with an established, luxury-focused Chicago practice.
Who may prefer someone else: Buyers at lower price points who prioritize rapid touring volume or sellers who want a smaller neighborhood boutique may find a more specialized fit elsewhere on this list.
Learn more: ESWChicago.com
3. Grigory Pekarsky: Best for buyers who value speed, systems and repetition
Brokerage: Vesta Preferred Realty
2025 Cook County production: 533 transaction sides and approximately $263.6 million in sales volume
Best for: Buyers who want a highly active, independent Chicago operation
It is difficult to manufacture experience when offers are due, a multiple-offer situation changes overnight, or a condominium association produces 300 pages of documents.
Repetition matters.
Grigory Pekarsky and Vesta Preferred recorded 446 buyer-side transactions in Cook County during 2025, along with 87 listing sides. That buyer-side figure was among the most striking numbers in the entire Chicago Agent report.
Vesta is also an independent Chicago brokerage rather than a team nested inside a national brokerage. Its public materials say the company was founded in 2009 and has developed a substantial buyer, seller and investor practice.
A buyer considering Pekarsky should still ask who will personally conduct showings, write offers and manage the transaction. That question should be asked of every large team, including mine. But the production record demonstrates a system that has been tested repeatedly in real Chicago transactions. Why he earned this category: Extraordinary buyer-side volume and a long-running independent operating platform.
Who may prefer someone else: A seller whose overriding priority is highly customized luxury branding may want to interview one of the luxury-focused brokers on this list.
Learn more: VestaPreferred.com
4. Matt Laricy: Best for data-driven, tech-forward representation
Brokerage: Americorp
2025 Cook County production: 532 transaction sides and approximately $284.2 million in sales volume
Best for: Buyers and sellers who like systems, market data, speed and a large digital footprint
Matt Laricy operates one of Chicago’s most visible and highly systematized real estate businesses.
Chicago Agent’s 2025 data credited Laricy with 206 listing sides and 326 buyer sides in Cook County. Only a small number of individual names in the report approached that combination of listings, buyer transactions and total volume.
Laricy describes himself as a fourth-generation Chicago real estate professional and managing partner of Americorp. His operation also produces a steady stream of market commentary, neighborhood content, video and podcasts.
That media operation is not a substitute for selling real estate. In Laricy’s case, however, the transaction data exists alongside it. For clients who want an agent who communicates frequently, tracks market movement and operates through defined systems, he is a logical interview. Why he earned this category: More than 500 transaction sides in one year, balanced buyer and seller production and a clearly defined technology-and-content-driven business.
Who may prefer someone else: Clients who dislike large-team systems or want every detail handled exclusively by one individual may prefer a boutique model.
Learn more: MattLaricy.com
5. Carrie McCormick: Best for high-visibility luxury marketing
Brokerage: @properties Christie’s International Real Estate
2025 Cook County production: 158 transaction sides and approximately $309 million in sales volume
Best for: Luxury sellers who care deeply about presentation, press and broad market exposure
Luxury real estate is partly a pricing exercise and partly a storytelling exercise.
Carrie McCormick has built a recognizable public brand around both.
Chicago Agent’s data credited her with approximately $183 million in listing-side volume and nearly $309 million overall during 2025, placing her third in Cook County by total volume.
Before joining @properties, McCormick served as a national sales manager for Chicago developer Centrum Properties. Her current public materials emphasize cinematic marketing, dedicated property websites, public relations and distribution through the Christie’s International Real Estate network.
That background makes her an especially compelling candidate for a seller whose property requires more than standard photography and an MLS launch. Why she earned this category: Major luxury listing volume combined with development knowledge and a sophisticated public-facing marketing operation.
Who may prefer someone else: A first-time buyer searching primarily for education and frequent lower-price showings may be better served by a team built more heavily around buyer representation.
Learn more: CarrieMcCormickRE.com
6. Karen Biazar: Best for Bucktown, Wicker Park, West Town and design-minded properties
Brokerage: North Clybourn Group
2025 Cook County production: 200 transaction sides and approximately $93.7 million in sales volume
Best for: Owners of distinctive city homes who want boutique service with design and project-management knowledge
“Neighborhood expert” may be the most overused description in Chicago real estate.
Karen Biazar has a stronger claim than most.
North Clybourn Group was established in Wicker Park, and the Biazar Group’s public materials describe a practice that combines real estate sales, design, and project management. The team says it has been a leading seller in West Town and Logan Square during multiple years and has completed more than $1 billion in career sales.
The 2025 MRED-based data adds current evidence: 103 listing sides, 97 buyer sides and 200 total Cook County transactions.
For sellers in Bucktown, Wicker Park, Ukrainian Village, Logan Square and nearby neighborhoods, Biazar’s local roots and design department create a meaningful point of differentiation. These areas contain an unusually varied housing stock: workers cottages, greystones, converted industrial buildings, contemporary construction, two-flats and heavily modified homes. Understanding the product can matter as much as understanding the ZIP code. Why she earned this category: Longstanding West Side neighborhood roots, balanced transaction production and an integrated design-and-project-management offering.
Who may prefer someone else: A client who wants the scale and broad coverage of a larger citywide team may prefer a different structure.
Learn more: TheBiazarGroup.com
7. Danielle Dowell: Best for new construction, multifamily and investment property
Brokerage: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
2025 Cook County production: 133 transaction sides and approximately $86.1 million in sales volume
Best for: Developers, investors and clients evaluating new-construction opportunities
A productive residential agent is not automatically qualified to advise a developer.
Development work adds questions involving zoning, unit mix, pricing progression, construction timelines, presales, buyer feedback and how a project should be positioned before it reaches the market.
Danielle Dowell has built the DoWell Group around new construction, luxury, multifamily and investment property. The group’s public materials specifically reference market analysis, product development, zoning and project marketing.
Chicago Agent’s 2025 Cook County data credited Dowell with 68 listing sides, 65 buyer sides and more than $86 million in total volume, a nearly even split that supports her claim to work across both sides of the business.
For a client considering a new development, multifamily acquisition or portfolio-building strategy, that mix is worth exploring. Why she earned this category: A documented development and investment focus supported by substantial, balanced residential production.
Who may prefer someone else: A seller of a one-of-a-kind ultra-luxury mansion may place more value on a broker with a narrower luxury-only brand.
Learn more: TheDoWellGroup.com
8. Nancy Tassone: Best for downtown luxury condos and high-end developments
Brokerage: Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
2025 Cook County production: 34.5 transaction sides and approximately $98.9 million in sales volume
Best for: High-value sellers, luxury condominium owners and clients evaluating premium developments
Nancy Tassone completed fewer transactions than most of the agents on this list, but those transactions carried an unusually high average value.
Chicago Agent’s 2025 data attributed approximately $98.9 million in Cook County volume to Tassone across 34.5 transaction sides. More than $87 million came from the listing side.
That is a very different business from completing hundreds of lower- or mid-priced transactions. It indicates a concentrated high-end listing practice.
Tassone’s public biography says she has been a Chicago Association of Realtors top producer since 2005 and specializes in luxury homes, new developments and high-end buyer and seller representation.
For a downtown penthouse, luxury condominium or architecturally significant high-value listing, she deserves serious consideration. Why she earned this category: High listing-side volume per transaction and a clearly documented luxury and development specialization.
Who may prefer someone else: Buyers who expect to tour dozens of entry-level properties may benefit from a larger buyer-focused operation.
Learn more: NancyTassone.com
9. Mario Greco: Best for analytical clients and complex negotiations
Brokerage: Compass
2025 Cook County production: 127 transaction sides and approximately $87.4 million in sales volume
Best for: Clients who want an analytical, detail-oriented approach to pricing and negotiation
Mario Greco has one of the more unusual résumés in Chicago residential real estate.
Before moving fully into brokerage, Greco studied chemical and environmental engineering, earned a law degree and practiced intellectual-property litigation at Jones Day and Kirkland & Ellis.
Credentials do not automatically make someone an effective real estate broker. Greco’s production record provides the more relevant evidence: Chicago Agent credited him with 88 listing sides, 39 buyer sides and approximately $87.4 million in Cook County volume in 2025.
His public profile also documents substantial experience across Lincoln Park, Lakeview, North Center, Ravenswood, Andersonville, Avondale, Bucktown, Wicker Park and other North and Northwest Side neighborhoods.
Clients who appreciate structured arguments, detailed pricing analysis and an experienced negotiator may find the fit particularly strong. Why he earned this category: Significant seller production paired with legal, engineering and long-term neighborhood experience.
Who may prefer someone else: A client who values an informal, low-process style over detailed analysis may connect better with a different personality.
Learn more: Mario Greco at Compass
10. Dawn McKenna: Best for moving between Chicago, the suburbs and second-home markets
Brokerage: Coldwell Banker Realty
2025 Cook County production: 120 transaction sides and approximately $116.7 million in sales volume
Best for: Affluent clients whose real estate needs extend beyond one Chicago address
Many Chicago real estate relationships do not end with one transaction.
A couple may sell a Lincoln Park home, purchase in Hinsdale, acquire a property in Lake Geneva and eventually buy in Florida. Coordinating those moves usually requires multiple agents and uneven handoffs.
Dawn McKenna has deliberately built a network around that client journey. Her group maintains a presence in Chicago, Hinsdale, the North Shore, Lake Geneva, New Buffalo, Naples and Park City.
Chicago Agent’s 2025 Cook County report credited McKenna with approximately $116.7 million across 120 transaction sides. Her group’s public materials report several billion dollars in career sales and a long-standing luxury focus.
For clients whose lives and properties cross city, suburban and second-home markets, the geographic network is a genuine differentiator rather than a marketing slogan. Why she earned this category: Strong Chicago-area production combined with an unusually broad luxury-market network.
Who may prefer someone else: A buyer or seller whose entire need is concentrated within one Chicago micro-neighborhood may prioritize a smaller hyperlocal practice.
Learn more: DawnMcKennaGroup.com
Does The Highest-Producing Agent Automatically Make The Best Agent?
No.
Production is evidence of experience, organization and market acceptance. It is not proof of chemistry, availability, judgment or suitability for your particular property.
A high-volume team may offer superior systems and broader coverage. A boutique agent may provide more direct personal involvement. A luxury specialist may have a powerful network but limited interest in an entry-level search. A buyer-heavy operation may react to new listings faster than a practice built primarily around sellers.
The right question is not: Who is the biggest agent in Chicago?
It is: Who has repeatedly solved the specific problem I need solved?
Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Chicago Real Estate Agent
Ask every agent you interview:
- How many transactions have you completed that resemble mine?
- Who will actually manage my day-to-day work?
- What would make you advise me not to buy or sell?
- How will you price my home or determine what I should offer?
- What happens when the transaction becomes difficult?
- Which part of your service is handled by you, your team or an outside vendor?
- Can you provide examples of clients with similar properties or goals?
A polished presentation matters. Specific answers matter more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best realtor in Chicago?
There is no universally best Chicago realtor for every client.
For buyers and sellers seeking a broad, full-service team with extensive transaction experience, marketing support and construction knowledge, my selection is Ben Lalez and the Ben Lalez Team.
For luxury homes, Emily Sachs Wong and Carrie McCormick are particularly strong candidates. For a buyer-heavy, high-volume operation, Grigory Pekarsky and Matt Laricy deserve consideration.
Who is the best realtor in Bucktown?
For Bucktown sellers who want a larger full-service team with citywide reach, construction knowledge and substantial transaction infrastructure, Ben Lalez is a strong choice.
For someone seeking a boutique, locally rooted practice with integrated design and project-management experience, Karen Biazar and the Biazar Group belong on the shortlist.
Both operate from the Bucktown/Wicker Park area, but their service models are different. The better choice depends on the client.
How many real estate agents should I interview?
Interview at least two and preferably three.
You will learn more from how the agents disagree than from hearing three versions of the same listing presentation. Pay close attention to pricing logic, communication structure, relevant experience and whether the agent is willing to identify risks.
Should I hire an individual agent or a real estate team?
Hire an individual when you want one person handling nearly every aspect of the relationship and that person has enough time to do it well.
Hire a team when your transaction would benefit from specialized marketing, showing coverage, transaction management, and multiple people working simultaneously.
Neither model is inherently better. The quality and accountability of the people operating it matter more.
The Bottom Line
Chicago has thousands of licensed real estate agents and dozens who could make a credible case for inclusion here.
The 10 above are not interchangeable.
That is the point.
The best Chicago real estate agent is not necessarily the person with the biggest number next to their name. It is the person whose experience, operating model, market knowledge, and temperament most closely match the transaction in front of you.
And yes, under the right circumstances, I believe that person is me.
Under other circumstances, I just gave you nine very good alternatives.
