Selected Success Stories and Reviews
Finding the Perfect Home for First Time Home Buyers
2900 Block of Eastwood in Ravenswood Manor
Single Family Home: Historic Classic Bungalow in Need of Rehab
Asking Price: $725,000
Final Sales Price: $670,000
Our client’s were first-timers in search of a solid and affordable home in great Northside area. Ravenswood Manor is a safe and quiet tree-lined neighborhood near the Brown Line and grocery stores, cafes, parks and restaurants. The schools are award winning. The challenge was finding something of substantial size to grow a family (under $1 million) that would not break the bank for rehab costs. Jeff recommended his own inspector for last 23 years to confirm the bones on this beauty were solid and helped negotiate a great price.
Helping an Investors Get Started in Chicago
1300 Block of North Bosworth in Wicker Park
Brick 3-flat for Total Gut Rehab
Asking Price: $775,000
Final Sales Price: $725,000
Our client was out-of-state investor with long history of success buying and flipping properties on East Coast. Hoping to do the same in the Chicago market, they hired Jeff to identify a suitable property and negotiate a lower price to make the deal make sense. Jeff toured the property with the clients and provided a detailed report which included his opinion on the after-improved value of the property to assist in negotiations. In the end, Jeff’s patience and experience proved helpful in negotiating $50,000 off the seller’s list price.
Client Testimonials
Very easy to talk to, and explained things in a way that made it easy for us newbies to understand. In addition to acting as our agent, he also helped us secure financing. He was also very quick to answer all phone calls/emails/text messages, which was extremely important.
Jeff was very helpful helping me buying my apartment in the north side of Chicago. It was the first property I bought in this country and I am very satisfied with my home now. I appointed Jeff as a buyer-only agent and he showed me three places on the first day we met, even before I signed the formal agent-contract with him.
Jeff is an invaluable resource. He knows what kind of damage to look for in a home, what kind of red flags to notice when it comes to condo associations, and a slew of other things that I wouldn’t have even thought to look for. Great guy, amazing agent. Absolutely give him a call.
My wife and I hired Jeff earlier this year to find a new home in the suburbs. We had a pretty complicated situation, as we can live pretty much anywhere in Northern Illinois, and weren’t sure where we wanted to live. Jeff helped us identify what was important to us, and also got us pre-qualified for our loan, so that we were ready to buy. Jeff was flexible and really easy to work with, and helped us find a great house in a hot neighborhood. Additionally, he helped us negotiate a price below what the seller was asking, and got us an additional $3500 closing credit, which is unheard of in this market.
I had an awesome experience working with Jeff. It was my first time buying, and he went out of his way to help me through the process, and never complained about answering all my questions! His network of attorneys, inspectors and other third parties necessary for the buying process was high quality, and I took him up on all of these recommendations. Jeff, along with the team he helped me to assemble, ensured a timely close and looked out for me every step of the way. I highly recommend Jeff to any buyer, particularly a first-time buyer
Jeff helped me find the right condo for my very specific needs last fall. His service is as good as it gets. You won’t go wrong working with Jeff.
Jeff was very professional in spite of the fact his firstborn was on his way! He managed to meet with us for a number of showings, coming all the way out to the western ‘burbs from the city. We really appreciated his feedback and comments about issues to look for in each of the properties. When we finally decided on a house Jeff was diligent with following up on a couple of issues with the selling agent. We really appreciated his insight, patience and professionalism.
Jeff is really great to work with! I worked with him to buy my condo, then again several years later to sell the condo and buy a house. He is very good at answering questions, and very responsive. He even arranged a last minute showing for me during the coldest day of the year! I very very highly recommend Jeff.
Jeff was a great agent! He provided valuable insight in terms of prices to bid, and helped narrow down our search in a useful way. Negotiations went better than we expected due to his advice.
He helped explain everything as we went along, and made sure we understood what the next steps were so there weren’t any surprises. He even helped us get in to look at a few locations we were interested in that had difficult buyers which I’m sure were not easy to set up. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and do some work on our behalf.
I have known Mr. Kropp for more than a decade and his business practice in the home buying market is superior. His professionalism and knowledge for the Chicago and surrounding areas is also unmatched as he has personally presided in the market for the last 30+ years. If you are looking for an honest, reliable business partner to trust with your time and assets, look no further than Mr. Jeff Kropp! You will personally thank me later and also will also become a personal friend of Mr. Kropp because that is how he does business!
Jeff came highly recommended from my brother and his wife, and when we first met with him he even remembered my brother from when they bought their house two years ago. Going into the process Jeff definitely retained that personal service throughout. He was very knowledgeable about the home buying process and did an excellent job managing expectations and emotions. He was very organized with the logistics, kept us on schedule, and facilitated all paperwork very well. It certainly reduced the stress of home buying and made buying our first home a very positive experience.
My wife and I were not sure where exactly on northside we wanted to live and in what price range. Jeff met with us over coffee and examined our finances (he is attorney and loan officer also) and helped us set our budget.
Jeff was a great help in finding a home in a very difficult market. Jeff is very patient, responsive and knowledgeable about all aspects of the process (search, negotiation, financing, etc.) and was a tremendous help. Jeff was also able to recommend a number of other service providers (e.g. home inspector, attorney) that I am also very happy with.
As first time homebuyers (in Chicago no less), we were overwhelmed by the whole process. We didn’t even know where to begin. Jeff made everything painless! He is very knowledgeable on the Chicago market and gave great advice throughout the process. He was quick, thorough and trustworthy. He thoroughly explained every step and every form. He also made great recommendations on an inspector and attorney. He is pretty much a one stop shop. I would highly recommend him when buying a home!
Jeff is a top-notch realtor who I highly recommended. He helped us buy a house in Park Ridge during a very competitive time when most houses were selling within days of being listed and sellers receiving multiple offers. We ended up with the house we liked the most. We also used him for the mortgage (we also got pre-approvals from other banks but the rate through his company was the most competitive). He’s very detailed and ensured we submitted all our loan paperwork on time. Overall very smooth process and helped us every step of the way from setting up search and showings, submitting offer, going under contract, and made recommendations for an inspector and closing attorney.
Jeff was knowledgeable, flexible, quick to respond, and helpful in explaining both the realty and mortgage sides of the process to us. Jeff’s connections came in very handy when he provided us with referrals for other vendors (such as our home inspector and attorney). He was great throughout the entire process, and has done a wonderful job of following up with us to make sure we’re settled in. I would highly recommend Jeff to any home buyer!
Jeff walked me through the process of purchasing my first home. He was knowledgeable, patient, and caring. He made my experience less stressful!