Big Shoulders Realty

04/20/2026

Today, Big Shoulders Realty turns 20 years old! Happy birthday to us!

06/07/2025

Chicago friends!
FREE STUFF!!!!
Below is a brief list of stuff we need OUTTAHEEEERE. Big Shoulders Realty office has moved from Jefferson Park to Evanston and we have taken all of the lovely mid-century modern and machine age furnishings we can possibly stuff into our space. We've also had a few sales and sold some things, and we donated a bunch of items to West Town Bikes, BUT, there are still more choice items and you deserve them in your life....if they work for you. So....free to a good, or medium, or for that mater, bad home:

2 lovely Steelcase desks (HEAVY AS ALL GET OUT AND YOU need to get them out of there if you want them. Bring your burliest friends and a few tools)
1 giant horizontal file similar to what you'd see in a teacher's office
2 rolling chairs
1 mid-century modern folding table
1 AV cart
1 small round conference table
4 green and black conference chairs
various office supplies
various kitchen/bath supplies

Definitely first come first serve, and everything YOU want needs to be moved out of there by YOU and your crew (if needed).
GET IN TOUCH! Comment or message me. AND THANK YOU!

05/22/2025

After 19 years working from our office in Jefferson Park, which we have enjoyed since our founding on April 20, 2006, Big Shoulders Realty has moved. Our new location is:



825 Chicago Avenue, -5, Evanston, IL 60202



We loved our old home, and enjoyed our landlord, the neighborhood and the neighbors, as well as a location equidistant to us, Carrie and Lee. But…circumstances have changed a lot in the last nearly 20 years, and things have changed a lot recently too, and this move made sense for us looking forward to the next couple of decades.

In this move, we are in a much smaller space than before, and while we enjoyed the trappings of our machine-age office, we are fully packed in our new space. Here are some quality pieces that we are letting go of dirt cheap. BE AWARE….some of them are heavy and bulky and the purchaser is fully responsible for the move of these pieces. Pictures are here:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dizBgQktkTxAVNnQ6

Description and prices. Absolutely first come first serve, cash only. Deals if you buy multiple:



Two Steelcase desks - $250 each (HEAVY!)

2 rolling office chairs – one needs one wheel fixed and should be re-upholstered, the other needs to be re-upholstered - $25

1 gigantic horizontal wall hanging file, like you might see in a school office - $50

4 science class chairs – $100 for all

4 conference room chairs - $200 for all

1 round conference room table - $50

1 mid-century modern folding table - $50

2 cool old office lamps - $25 each

1 pair of Advent 5002 speakers – $100

1 Gaggia espresso machine - $75

1 Bunn commercial coffee machine - $50

1 neato old stapler - $25

1 Bulman giant paper roll holder/cutter (WITH PAPER!!!!) - $50

1 – Cinelli Proxima Trophy complete Campy 11 speed bike - $400 - https://www.chicagovelo.com/the-loaner-bike-program-recyclery/cinelli-proxima-trophy/



Dozens of large archival storage boxes, hole punchers, office paper, thumbtacks, in/out boxes, highlighters, telephones, calculators, pencil sharpeners, bathroom and kitchen supplies that we will happily part with to customers that buy anything from the above list!


Post here or write [email protected]

03/31/2025

Big Shoulders Realty is hiring experienced residential real estate sales brokers. We are a small brokerage founded in 2006 on the northwest side of Chicago. We offer a competitive and simple compensation package which is 100% commission based. Our agents receive 70% commission rate on all agent-originated deals and a 50% commission rate on all company originated deals. There is no commission cap, desk fees, office fees, E&O contribution, required hours or meetings. We are strictly a sales brokerage, almost all of which is residential and we do not do leasing, rental or property management.

The ideal candidate loves being an agent, but does NOT love the rigors of working in a larger business or corporation. They value their independence and are able to operate their business professionally. They support their clients through every step of the search process and through the entirety of the transaction. They believe in the core mission of representing their client and are committed to the Illinois Human Rights Act, Fair Housing Act and the Equal Housing Opportunity laws.

Requirements:
Minimum of 3 years’ experience as a real estate sales broker or equivalent
Minimum of 10 completed transactions that can be verified in MLS records
Must have a valid driver’s license, auto insurance and a vehicle
Must be a licensed Illinois Real Estate (sales) Broker
Must be a member in good standing, or join MRED MLS
Must be a member in good standing or join NAR, IAR and CAR

Please send email to [email protected] with your resume and 3 professional references. Big Shoulders Realty is an equal opportunity employer.

09/04/2024

1922 house in Homewood

06/06/2024

New on the market! Darling cottage with two stories of updated living space nestled between Humboldt and Garfield Parks. With four bedrooms (two on the main floor, two on the lower level), two full bathrooms, and both a large living and family room, there's more room than meets the eye. Nice kitchen with adjoining dining and a great back porch is wonderful for hanging out with friends and family. Priced at $259K. Call Carrie for more details or a showing. 773-531-3401

04/23/2024

As the inventory of homes for sale creeps ever lower, and competition for those homes increases, I find my buyer clients asking me why this is happening and if it's ever going to get better. This article discusses the causes but unfortunately doesn't offer up a lot of solutions. Basically we need rates to come down, but that is only part of it. Before the escalation in rates we were starting to see a trend of Boomers deciding to age in place, remaining in homes that traditionally were sold off after families were raised and space demands lessened. This has been escalated by the mortgage rate trap. We also need builders to get on building new homes because we keep making more of ourselves and we need to house all the humans, but the interest rate increase and the shock of materials inflation has discouraged that as well. It will be interesting to see how future economic conditions play out--eventually the pendulum has to swing.

On a scale not seen in decades, many Americans are stuck in homes they would rather leave.

04/10/2024

Just listed--1530 S. State #909, a gorgeous real loft in the South Loop with a postcard perfect skyline view, listed at $529,000. Two beds and two baths set in an expansive 1800 square feet, with an elevator that goes right into the unit from either the lobby or the heated garage parking ($40K extra). Set in a full amenity building in a great neighborhood, this is a knockout. Check out some more photos here:

https://transmitterimages.hd.pics/1530-S-State-St

And be sure to call Carrie at 773-531-3401 for your showing!

08/14/2023

I learned a new term today: pluvial flooding, which is flooding that results from rainfall, and not an overflowing body of water. This WBEZ article is a pretty good explanation of why FEMA doesn't consider much of our area a flood plain, when clearly flooding is an issue.

I often tell my clients it's not a question of "if" a basement gets flooded, it's when.

According to the First Street Foundation, 172,000 properties in Cook County — including 79,000 in Chicago — have a high risk of flooding.

06/08/2023

Coming soon! This cute and affordable three bedroom brick bungalow in Humbodlt/East Garfield (it's right on the cusp of both). It features refinished hardwood floors, updated kitchen and bath, and a great back porch to hang out on. While the bedrooms are definitely cozy, there is room to expand in the tall staircase accessed attic. It sits on a double lot that could be your own urban farm or croquet court or place for your pool. Whatever--you do you! Call Carrie at 773-531-3401 for more details.