The real estate market is constantly evolving, and the experience of buying a home this season might look completely different from what’s ahead in the next. That’s why staying informed is essential. To help you prepare and navigate the process with confidence, we’ve created a comprehensive Seasonal Buyer’s Guide.

This guide is packed with valuable insights into the current real estate market, practical tips for buyers, and expert advice on how to successfully manage every step of your transaction. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned homeowner, this resource will help you understand market trends, set realistic expectations, and make informed decisions to get the most out of your home-buying journey.

Explore the guide today and arm yourself with the knowledge to turn your real estate goals into reality!

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Winter 2025 Buyer Guide

Curious about the latest trends and insights in this season's buying market? Dive into our comprehensive guide here!

Passion & Expertise

Our goal is to provide you with the most personalized service possible, meticulously designed to help you navigate the process of buying your dream home. We are dedicated to understanding your unique needs and preferences, ensuring that every step of the journey is tailored to achieve your ultimate home-buying aspirations.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa Wenzel was very quick professional, knowledgeable, and document-oriented. I saved a few thousand during the time of placing the offer since I relied on her professional opinion. She was a very quick email, text, and phone responder. I already added her to my Power Team for future business. Dariusz Goraczynski SKL-US Investments.Inc Ps. Lisa was already recommended to my family members.

— Dariusz G.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa is truly a professional when it comes to selling your home yet also caring on a personal level. She spent as much time as needed with us and made the experience much more seamless. I highly recommend her services and trust her to get the job done. Our home was sold in one day and she did provide the insight/guidance needed to accomplish that- truly amazing!

— Christine S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

A friend recommended me to Lisa and her team, and they were awesome through the whole process. Super helpful in finding and evaluating properties with us, and everyone they recommended around the transaction (lawyer, mortgage agent) was top-notch. It was awesome to have such a great team during a super stressful time (thanks to COVID).

— Bill P.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I loved working with Lisa! She made such a great effort to customize her search to what exactly I was looking for. She took time to show me around, explain the pros and cons of each place, and focus on the things I wanted/needed. The communication throughout the entire process made me feel comfortable and always in the loop. It moved so quickly and so efficiently, I would definitely recommend it to other...

— Tori S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa has been my real estate agent for 8 years. I first moved to Chicago in 2014 and she helped get us into our first rental. After a year we moved and used Lisa to buy the house we currently live in. She went to bat for us and got us a great deal on the house and made buying it smooth and easy. A few years later our Uncle moved to Chicago and again we called Lisa to help him find a home. She did a wonde...

— Eric D.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Melissa was incredibly kind and patient throughout the whole process. She stuck with me through over 30 properties. Unfortunately, I started the home-buying process at the peak of the market and my budget was too low. This didn't stop Melissa as we saw dud after dud. She stuck with me and we eventually found my future home! Thanks again Melissa for all your patience.

— Matt H.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Melissa was wonderful to work with! Very professional and patient. She also provided great direction when needed. Would definitely recommend her to other prospective buyers or renters.

— Jason D.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Melissa Mathis and the team at Wenzel Select Properties made my journey to homeownership possible. She is very knowledgeable and professional. I couldn't have asked for a better realtor to work with.

— Benjamin

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Melissa Mathis is the best! We were looking for a home in Downers Grove and her knowledge of the community was so valuable. We were first-time home buyers and it took over a year and a half for us to find something that was in our budget which we loved - Melissa was patient with us throughout the entire process! She answered all our questions and was always available. I don't know what we would've done w...

— Veronica K. & Max S.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

She was great and there when needed.

— Roger C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

You are the best! You did the job of the attorneys the bank people, the appraisal guy and anyone else! You did it all and your constant faith helped you through that painful short sale process! You are simply the best as Tina Turner sings!!!

— Galina B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa answered my e-mail request for help in finding a rental house in the Downers Grove area. Upon our arrival Lisa had a number of places for me to look at and she was very helpful. She drove me around and found us a place in just a few days. She was professional and friendly and I feel I have made a friend for life.

— Beverly R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa is very knowledgeable about real estate and knows how to discuss matters while making the client feel equally involved in the process.

— Matt & Julie C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

When we were looking to buy our first house neither of us knew a lot about the process, and we didn’t know how to find a good realtor. One day we came across the Wenzel Select Properties site. We decided to meet with Lisa, and that was the best decision we could have made. She was exactly what we needed. Lisa was upfront and honest about what she saw in the houses. She was tireless in helping us find the...

— Anthony & Rebekka C.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I met Lisa several years ago and was immediately impressed by her enthusiasm and her entrepreneurial spirit. Recently I had Lisa help me with a condo I had to sell, and was very concerned about how long it would take in today’s market. Lisa offered a realistic plan to getting it sold, to include working with a professional stager, and within three months of having it listed we had a solid offer, despite...

— Marianne Y.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I have had difficulty renting my condo in the past, but this time because Lisa was in charge, the condo was rented in less than a month and for a 2-year lease. Because I live out of state, Lisa worked closely with me to get the condo ready – new paint throughout and everything sparkling clean. When we had an emergency due to leakage, Lisa was at the condo within an hour to correct the problem. I highly r...

— The Sheaffer’s

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa and her staff had done a wonderful job of assisting us with putting a home on the market – then when the market tanked, she worked with us to place a renter in our property in record time. She is excellent with follow thru and communication.

— The Svehla’s

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa Wenzel is an outstanding and wonderful realtor to whom I would recommend to everyone because she has not only helped my husband and I search for our first home, but has become such a great friend to have. In the past two years, she always is available if you have any questions or if you just want to call and just talk to see how everything is going. She definitely deserves and outstanding award for ...

— Roberto & Celina P.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa did a fabulous job in helping me secure a rental property in Chicago, a city in which I had never lived in before. I had a comprehensive list of requirements and features that were important to me. Lisa helped me to find a place that satisfied each of my search criterions and did so under an extremely tight deadline. Lisa also was extremely effective in the negotiation’s process. Lisa is optimistic,...

— Andrew B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

In today’s housing market, selling a home seems like an impossible task. At least it was for our first realtor, but having switched to Lisa, we saw an immediate change. She worked much harder and was more dedicated to selling our home. This was refreshing experience and gave us hope that we would actually sell our home after it being on the market for a couple of years. I don’t think we could have sold o...

— Jason B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa, Thank you very much for the time and effort you put into helping me find my first place. It’s been a long journey, but the end result is better than I could have ever imagined. Your skills as a realtor can only be matched by your generosity as a person. I am so glad we met all those years ago and I felt such an immediate connection. It is one that will last for many more years. Thank you also for t...

— Lea M.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

We bought our first home with the help of Lisa and things just went so fast. We put our offer in and it was accepted immediately. Our closing was complete within two weeks and in the house quicker than I could imagine. Thank you Lisa for a great job. We love our house!

— Debbie R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

When we decided to purchase our first home together, we immediately chose Lisa Wenzel and Wenzel Select Properties. We felt confident our needs as buyers would be addressed during the entire process. Lisa was extremely knowledgeable and professional. She understood the market and found compatible listings based on our needs. Lisa displayed superior negotiating skills which concluded in a mutual agreement...

— The Corey’s

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I contacted Lisa from Georgia when I found out I would be attending school in the Chicago area. She was such a pleasure to work with. When none of the properties worked out from the first day of showings, she set up some last minute showings before we flew back to GA. When we found a place, she took care of everything and kept in constant communication. I would definitely recommend her as an agent, very ...

— Jeb & Lindsey B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa was great. Got us a great house and showed my wife all around the area.

— Alan R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa, I wanted send you a note about how pleased I was with your companies guidance in the sale of my home. It was with your expertise that within days of me saying “I need to sell my home quickly” you did it within 60 days. Again thank you and I will always recommend your company.

— Mark & Diane F.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa, thank you for getting our home sold on Thomas Avenue. We really appreciated all of your good help and all of your up to date communication throughout this transaction. Hopefully someday our paths will cross again!

— Carol F. | Edward Jones Trust Company

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I really don’t know how to thank you for working so hard to get me this condo at this unbelievable price!!!!!!!! I’m all about moved in to my new place, I changed it a little bit in my way. I am so happy and thank you again and again. I will always remember you and pray for you. God bless you.

— Atika D. & Noureddine O.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa was in control of the process from the very beginning. She responded to our calls and emails promptly regardless of the time of day, or day of the week. We received an offer within a week, and Lisa expertly guided us through several rounds of negotiation. Lisa won our confidence with her energy, commitment, and knowledge; we would highly recommend her.

— Susan A.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa helped my wife and I find a rental property in the Chicago area. We moved from Texas and had no idea where to start looking. Lisa was very helpful in helping us select the right suburb to suit our preferences, and found us an amazing place we can call home for now. Since she was such a great help, and a lot of fun to work with, we will be contacting her when we are ready to purchase a home in the fu...

— The Galazin’s

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

As first time homebuyers we started our journey unsure of exactly how the whole process works. Thankfully we were introduced to Lisa with Wenzel Properties and she helped us get rolling on finding a home just right for us. After providing our criteria we were set up to use Wenzel Properties' online system which allowed us to review and select homes we were interested in. We even received email alerts whe...

— The Panknins

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

You are the best! You did the job of the attorneys the bank people, the appraisal guy and anyone else! You did it all and your constant faith helped you through that painful short sale process! You are simply the best as Tina Turner sings!!!

— Galina B.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

Lisa answered my e-mail request for help in finding a rental house in the Downers Grove area. Upon our arrival Lisa had a number of places for me to look at and she was very helpful. She drove me around and found us a place in just a few days. She was professional and friendly and I feel I have made a friend for life.

— Beverly R.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

I met Lisa several years ago and was immediately impressed by her enthusiasm and her entrepreneurial spirit. Recently I had Lisa help me with a condo I had to sell, and was very concerned about how long it would take in today’s market. Lisa offered a realistic plan to getting it sold, to include working with a professional stager, and within three months of having it listed we had a solid offer, despi...

— Marianne Y.

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