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For Joanne DeSanctis Kirk, becoming a real estate broker was a natural step from her prior career experiences. She gained most of her outstanding people skills as a recruiter at some of Chicago’s largest law firms. She built her profile in design and project management skills renovating several speculative properties as well as three of her own. As a co-owner of a local home performance and insulation company, Joanne gained first-hand knowledge of building science and construction practices while putting her business and marketing skills into practice.
Joanne’s experience with renovations and construction science makes her a natural fit for investors looking for a real estate broker who knows what to look for in an investment property. Her development experience has also given her in-depth knowledge of Chicago’s neighborhoods and their housing stock. When choosing a real estate broker, knowledge is everything. And Joanne has a wealth of tools at her disposal to help you find the right property.
Joanne has also been on the buyer’s side of several real estate transactions and understands the struggles buyers typically go through. She loves that every client and every transaction are different and derives joy from helping people navigate the process to start their next adventure. She truly enjoys being a resource to her clients. Joanne will be that person you keep in your contact list because “Jo would know someone.”
Joanne moved to Chicago shortly earning her Bachelor of Science from Marquette University. She loves the city and has been here ever since. She enjoys Chicago’s diverse culture and especially appreciates the broad world view her daughter experiences growing up here.
Joanne prides herself on being an integral part of her community. She has volunteeed for local charities and non-profit boards, including leadership positions with Friends of Prentice Women’s Hospital, the Lincoln Park Zoo Auxiliary Board, the Junior League of Chicago, and the National Association of Law Placement.
In recent years, Joanne has given 3% of her commission to charity. For 2021, Joanne is donating to Humble Design Chicago. Joanne’s especially proud of her time mentoring and training younger women in her life. She’s proud of building a solid business from absolutely nothing within a few years and hopes others will see her as a role model and follow in her footsteps to success.
For Joanne, the best advice she received came early in her career. She had only been at her new job at a law firm for a few weeks and felt frustrated that she did not know everything and was still finding her way. The senior attorney she worked for said, “You can never compare five weeks to five years.” And now that Joanne has been in real estate for much longer than five years, she is proud to offer everything she has learned in her vast experience to her clients.
Joanne was a dream to work with! Although the 2022 housing market was insane Joanne gently brought us back down to earth when we were getting caught up in the frenzy. As first time home buyers there was so much we didn't know and Joanne was very patient and knowledgable. She always did her due diligence on neighborhoods and comparable properties to ensure we were getting the full picture of a property. If there was something she didn't know she always promptly followed back up with us with the answer. She was available when we needed her and also had great references when additional expertise was required.
If real estate were an Olympic event, Joanne would be a repeat gold medalist. Her knowledge of home quality and value, understanding of the Chicago market, extensive network, and innovative marketing strategies are outstanding. Joanne's attention to detail, excellent listening and communication skills, and hustle and tenacity are surpassed only by her integrity and honesty. Because of the uniqueness of our home, we knew the selling process would not be a sprint. Thanks to Joanne's steady pace, constant encouragement, and ability to respond to changes in the course, we made it to the finish line with amazing results!
Joanne was instrumental in getting our home sold. An unexpected job opportunity took us out of town, and Joanne knew exactly how to price for the best results. She knows the neighborhood and keeps on top of all the sales, even the ones that are not on the MLS. Joanne guided us on what to fix and how to arrange our home to photograph well. When we hit a bump in the road with our buyer's financing, Joanne was constantly available and unflappable throughout the process and through the closing.
Wow! When starting our home-selling process, we were totally lost as first-time sellers. Joanne brought her experience and skills to our condo and we were immediately impressed and trusted her with the entire process. Joanne made the right calls on everything: unit staging, list pricing, attorney letter advice: Joanne consistently provided clear and logical guidance that always seemed in lock-step with our expectations as sellers. Joanne's expertise rewarded us personally as we received an offer, at full listing price, after only 5 days on the market. For the buying process, Joanne diligently fielded our ever-changing opinions on houses and what we were looking for in a house (translation: we really had no idea what we wanted until we saw it!). While looking at houses, Joanne's past experience with flipping/contracting gives her a leg up in pointing out major red flags in properties. Joanne's prowess in placing a competitive offer for our new home led to us winning a 5-way bidding war for the house of our dreams. Joanne's contacts for home inspection, lawyers and lending are also incredibly professional and on top of the entire process. We will not hesitate to partner with Joanne again, and she is highly recommended.
Joanne helped my husband and I buy our first home together. Before we started looking, Joanne took the time to sit down with us to understand what our wants and needs were in terms of features and location. She was very knowledgeable regarding the entire process, and was quick to respond when we had questions. Overall, I was very pleased with Joanne and will be recommending her to others.
I can't say enough about how supportive, organized, and thorough Joanne was with the entire process of selling our home. She kept all of us focused on selling even during the pandemic. Her responsiveness to our calls, texts and emails in solving issues kept us moving forward. She sold our home last week. We couldn't have done it with out her dedication, knowledge and patience.
Joanne is amazing!! She embodies the perfect combination of high-end polish and real estate wisdom, from the artistic and glamorous side to the financial details as well as the nitty-gritty construction and mechanical aspects. From the get-go, Joanne applied the perfect balance of gentle encouragement and optimism throughout the daunting process of getting our home prepared for listing. Once we were listed, she flawlessly juggled a complicated showing schedule during COVID while wowing potential potential buyers with key details, resulting in two offers within 30 days. She steered us through with grace and calm, keeping the conversation positive and productive with our buyer's broker. Through all of this, Joanne helped us find our new home, constantly offering a variety of ideas and suggestions and giving us the time to make the right decision. Needless to say this process also went well, and we successfully closed two deals on the same day. Not an easy feat, but Joanne got it done! We cannot recommend her enough. Literally, the best.
Despite the market being bananas Joanne was a tireless support and advocate through the whole home-buying process. She took the time to understand what I was interested in house-wise, was always incredibly responsive, and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend working with her to ANYONE.
We had a great experience with Joanne from start to finish. She paid attention to our "must haves" while also being honest about what was worth our time. She accompanied us to showings which made us feel much more comfortable when we were ready to put an offer on something. She was always available via email, text, phone or even in-person! We ended up with the perfect first home thanks to Joanne.
We had a great experience with Joanne from start to finish. She paid attention to our "must haves" while also being honest about what was worth our time. She accompanied us to showings which made us feel much more comfortable when we were ready to put an offer on something. She was always available via email, text, phone or even in-person! We ended up with the perfect first home thanks to Joanne.
There is a reason why #JoWouldKnow is trending! She is phenomenal! Joanne is not just along for the ride collecting a commission while you do all of the work looking for a place. Instead, she listens to your wants and needs and then searches for the perfect fit for you. With other realtors, you just get an automated email list of properties fitting your budget and size. Letâ??s face it, those suck and never are good matches. Joanne is so involved in the market that she has either seen every listing or knows about every listing and will alert you of listings that truly meet your wants/needs. In the event that there are multiple listings that fit your particular criteria, she has builderâ??s knowledge to distinguish between the construction quality. With Joanne, you not only get someone who lives in the city and knows the market but you also get someone who listens to you and uses a discerning eye to find you the best possible home. I have been lucky enough to work with her to sell a home and buy a home. When selling my home, she brought material over to stage it and educated me on the comps. In less than 24 hours, I had two offers - one over ask! When buying a new place with Joanneâ??s help, she always made herself available (a rarity with other realtors), had references for mortgage brokers and real estate lawyers, and truly helped me find the perfect place (and paid less for it)! She is truly your secret weapon for buying or selling and I will always be grateful for her.
Joanne was a dream to work with! Although the 2022 housing market was insane Joanne gently brought us back down to earth when we were getting caught up in the frenzy. As first time home buyers there was so much we didn't know and Joanne was very patient and knowledgable. She always did her due diligence on neighborhoods and comparable properties to ensure we were getting the full picture of a property. If there was something she didn't know she always promptly followed back up with us with the answer. She was available when we needed her and also had great references when additional expertise was required.
If real estate were an Olympic event, Joanne would be a repeat gold medalist. Her knowledge of home quality and value, understanding of the Chicago market, extensive network, and innovative marketing strategies are outstanding. Joanne's attention to detail, excellent listening and communication skills, and hustle and tenacity are surpassed only by her integrity and honesty. Because of the uniqueness of our home, we knew the selling process would not be a sprint. Thanks to Joanne's steady pace, constant encouragement, and ability to respond to changes in the course, we made it to the finish line with amazing results!
Joanne was instrumental in getting our home sold. An unexpected job opportunity took us out of town, and Joanne knew exactly how to price for the best results. She knows the neighborhood and keeps on top of all the sales, even the ones that are not on the MLS. Joanne guided us on what to fix and how to arrange our home to photograph well. When we hit a bump in the road with our buyer's financing, Joanne was constantly available and unflappable throughout the process and through the closing.
Wow! When starting our home-selling process, we were totally lost as first-time sellers. Joanne brought her experience and skills to our condo and we were immediately impressed and trusted her with the entire process. Joanne made the right calls on everything: unit staging, list pricing, attorney letter advice: Joanne consistently provided clear and logical guidance that always seemed in lock-step with our expectations as sellers. Joanne's expertise rewarded us personally as we received an offer, at full listing price, after only 5 days on the market. For the buying process, Joanne diligently fielded our ever-changing opinions on houses and what we were looking for in a house (translation: we really had no idea what we wanted until we saw it!). While looking at houses, Joanne's past experience with flipping/contracting gives her a leg up in pointing out major red flags in properties. Joanne's prowess in placing a competitive offer for our new home led to us winning a 5-way bidding war for the house of our dreams. Joanne's contacts for home inspection, lawyers and lending are also incredibly professional and on top of the entire process. We will not hesitate to partner with Joanne again, and she is highly recommended.
Joanne helped my husband and I buy our first home together. Before we started looking, Joanne took the time to sit down with us to understand what our wants and needs were in terms of features and location. She was very knowledgeable regarding the entire process, and was quick to respond when we had questions. Overall, I was very pleased with Joanne and will be recommending her to others.
I can't say enough about how supportive, organized, and thorough Joanne was with the entire process of selling our home. She kept all of us focused on selling even during the pandemic. Her responsiveness to our calls, texts and emails in solving issues kept us moving forward. She sold our home last week. We couldn't have done it with out her dedication, knowledge and patience.
Joanne is amazing!! She embodies the perfect combination of high-end polish and real estate wisdom, from the artistic and glamorous side to the financial details as well as the nitty-gritty construction and mechanical aspects. From the get-go, Joanne applied the perfect balance of gentle encouragement and optimism throughout the daunting process of getting our home prepared for listing. Once we were listed, she flawlessly juggled a complicated showing schedule during COVID while wowing potential potential buyers with key details, resulting in two offers within 30 days. She steered us through with grace and calm, keeping the conversation positive and productive with our buyer's broker. Through all of this, Joanne helped us find our new home, constantly offering a variety of ideas and suggestions and giving us the time to make the right decision. Needless to say this process also went well, and we successfully closed two deals on the same day. Not an easy feat, but Joanne got it done! We cannot recommend her enough. Literally, the best.
Despite the market being bananas Joanne was a tireless support and advocate through the whole home-buying process. She took the time to understand what I was interested in house-wise, was always incredibly responsive, and very knowledgeable. I would highly recommend working with her to ANYONE.
We had a great experience with Joanne from start to finish. She paid attention to our "must haves" while also being honest about what was worth our time. She accompanied us to showings which made us feel much more comfortable when we were ready to put an offer on something. She was always available via email, text, phone or even in-person! We ended up with the perfect first home thanks to Joanne.
We had a great experience with Joanne from start to finish. She paid attention to our "must haves" while also being honest about what was worth our time. She accompanied us to showings which made us feel much more comfortable when we were ready to put an offer on something. She was always available via email, text, phone or even in-person! We ended up with the perfect first home thanks to Joanne.
There is a reason why #JoWouldKnow is trending! She is phenomenal! Joanne is not just along for the ride collecting a commission while you do all of the work looking for a place. Instead, she listens to your wants and needs and then searches for the perfect fit for you. With other realtors, you just get an automated email list of properties fitting your budget and size. Letâ??s face it, those suck and never are good matches. Joanne is so involved in the market that she has either seen every listing or knows about every listing and will alert you of listings that truly meet your wants/needs. In the event that there are multiple listings that fit your particular criteria, she has builderâ??s knowledge to distinguish between the construction quality. With Joanne, you not only get someone who lives in the city and knows the market but you also get someone who listens to you and uses a discerning eye to find you the best possible home. I have been lucky enough to work with her to sell a home and buy a home. When selling my home, she brought material over to stage it and educated me on the comps. In less than 24 hours, I had two offers - one over ask! When buying a new place with Joanneâ??s help, she always made herself available (a rarity with other realtors), had references for mortgage brokers and real estate lawyers, and truly helped me find the perfect place (and paid less for it)! She is truly your secret weapon for buying or selling and I will always be grateful for her.
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