Chicago Real Estate Artists - Michael Vrielink

We worked with Michael for over a year to find our
house.  While I had purchased another
condo before, this was the first house my husband and I bought together.  
Since this would be the house that we started a family in,
we took our time and searched high and low for the perfect place.  Michael was very patient with us and worked
very hard to do last minute showings and be available when we needed him.  While most of the time we would identify the
houses from searching that we?d like to see, he also would periodically send us
suggestions based on what he knew we were looking for. 
We put offers in on 3 houses, the final one being the house
we purchased.  Each time he prepared a
thorough analysis of the area to help guide us in what we was a fair
offer. 
Michael is a very thorough agent and has now become a
friend.  He works very hard for his
clients.  If you need to buy a house,
call him.  You won?t be disappointed!

Michael Vrielink provided exemplary customer service.  His personable manner, depth of knowledge, and tireless energy create a winning combination.  This was the sixth time my wife and I have bought a home (in three different states) and it was by far our best experience.  Michael listened carefully to our interests and focused our search quickly after a few neighborhood tours helped us target our search.
When we interviewed Michael and he said he would provide all the tools and information we needed to make our decision, I wasn?t completely sure what he meant.  When we began to work together, it became clear.  First he is an advocate and coach.  He plainly related the pro?s and con?s of each neighborhood and each property we considered (always with professionalism).  He offered sales history data, web site resources with pertinent information, and his own insights and perspectives.  He wanted us to find a property that met our
needs and requirements AND was a smart real estate purchase.
Second, Michael conducts a small ensemble.  Michael recommended other key players for us to consider?people he collaborates with frequently?and the complete team worked together brilliantly.  Our attorney, mortgage broker, and home inspector all were outstanding and they interfaced with one another seamlessly.  We selected them all from among Michael?s recommendations.  Their close working relationship with Michael paid dividends several times when we needed?and received?special consideration that ?regular? clients
would not have received.
Third, Michael was constantly focused on our needs and priorities.  I didn?t think service like this existed anymore.  It does.  Michael?s personal service is extraordinary.  One example sticks out.  We were scheduled to tour properties with Michael at 9:00 AM one morning. 
We knew that he was going to be seeing a client late the previous evening.  In addition, he had an early morning appointment before ours across town.  Despite the squeeze on his time, Michael made sure to check for any new listings before he left his house that morning. 
He found one that fit our profile that had just come on the market and he made an appointment for us to see it as part of our tour.  How glad we were that he made this extra effort:  within an hour after seeing that property we placed an offer on it (and eventually purchased it).  That property is located in a highly desirable neighborhood and within just a few hours there were five showings already scheduled after ours.  After receiving our offer, the seller negotiated a contract with us and cancelled the remaining showings.
After we secured a contract, Michael shifted gears and provided service that was absolutely concierge-like.  He just took care of stuff.  Called the right people, made all the necessary arrangements and ran interference on a host of issues that needed attention.  Knock-out!
Icing on the cake:  Michael?s generous fee rebate.
We enthusiastically recommend Michael to be your real estate partner.

Up until this past week, I was a first time home buyer and now have a condo that is perfect for me. Though I am a VERY picky shopper, Michael exceeded my demanding expectations in every way.  Some ways he's great:
 - Is very knowledgeable: knows so much about neighborhoods, things to look out for regarding the build and layout of the home, etc.
 - Is very mindful of personal preferences and applied his expansive knowledge and expertise accordingly
 -  Has the utmost integrity in his work and was willing to talk me out of enticing situations if there were any risks or hidden downsides.  He is not an agent looking for a quick purchase or sale.
- Made me feel like his only customer-responding to every question quickly and thoroughly, giving updates even when not asked for.  I seriously wonder if he ever sleeps!
 - There is only so much knowledge I could gain from researching things online--he was so patient and very good at explaining various aspects from beginning to end.
 - Multiple times went above and beyond in his service: revisiting the condo when I wasn't available to take pictures of an an appliance I was concerned about; picked me up and dropped off for showings; and most importantly, got me in last minute to have the first showing of a gorgeous condo with a great price--which I now own!
I am so happy with my condo purchase, and he made the whole process stress fee and even fun.  I cannot think of even one thing that he could have done better, and that's saying a lot from a highly critical consumer like me.  Wholeheartedly give him my highest recommendation!

Michael with Chicago Real Estate Artists helped me find the perfect condo to buy! It's a buyer's market and there are so many different types of condos in lots of neighborhoods. Michael and I had in-depth discussions about what I wanted and he then provided honest, unbiased information on every property we visited. I never felt any pressure with Michael, and felt that he really wanted me to be happy with my home purchase. He was always on time and very prepared. He was knowledgeable about every aspect of real estate in the city. He even assisted with finding a sublet on my apartment so that I could move into my condo sooner!

Moving from one city to another, we had to travel to Chicago numerous times in order to navigate the market and see all the inventory. From the very beginning, Michael treated us like we were his only clients, and set aside huge chunks of time so that we could take extended showing tours, even on back to back days, when we were in town. When we weren't in town, Michael stayed in close touch, providing thorough research and promptly answering each and every question with great detail (and patience).

Unlike most agents who will only show you maybe 5-10 homes and expect you to choose one, Michael preferred to give us a full sense of our market so that we could fine-tune and make a smart decision when the time came. Also, he was never pushy at all -- in fact he was quite the opposite. Although we had a moving deadline, Michael wanted to make sure that we explored every option (temporarily renting, etc) so that we didn't rush into a decision. He also worked very closely with our mortgage lender at A&N Mortgage to ensure that all questions and concerns were dealt with well before they could potentially become problems.

Bottom line: Michael was friendly, efficient, extremely knowledgable, accesible, patient, thorough, and not aggressive (until it came time to negotiate with the seller, haha). We couldn't dream of a better Realtor to work with, and if we ever need to buy or rent again, we'll have Chicago Real Estate Artists on speed dial!

We have been fortunate to have worked with Michael for the past three years on various real estate transactions.  There is absolutely NO ONE better in representing the best interest of his/her clients, even if it means significantly more work for him, which it usually does!  He is proficient in the complicated world of short sales, foreclosures and will assist in any way he can to find the best value for your dollar.  

Michael is smart, savvy, extremely personable, genuinely caring and knows the market inside and out.  His approach is very friendly, kind and never, ever pushy which made us trust him thoroughly. He not only guided us throughout the entire process from start to finish, but what was more important to us, educated us along the way.  He is always one step ahead of you, which is so welcome when you have a busy schedule.  

We credit Michael with a smooth, stress-free home and condo buying experience. Bottom line, we have been nothing but pleased with Michael are always pleased to hear the same feedback from friends to which we have recommend his services.  You will never find anyone better!

Michael and Brady have incredible customer service and create a truly client-centered experience. We got along well with them immediately and found them to be very trustworthy. They are honest, communicative and pressure-free, and it was clear from the start that they had our best interests at heart, always helping us to find the best deal and the best situation for us, not rushing us to settle for something and make a quick sale.

That being said, they were extremely efficient. Since we were hoping to move within 2 months, they got things moving right away. We had a thorough consultation where they talked us through the buying process and got to know us and what we were looking for in a place. We saw almost 40 properties in a few days and got a firm handle on the market offerings in our price range and neighborhoods of choice. The high volume of short first visits helped us to quickly fine tune our instincts, so we were able to recognize quickly whether a place was a real possibility and worth a longer, second look. They asked great questions of the selling agents when we forgot to, and pointed out things that we would have missed.

When we decided where we wanted to make an offer, Michael was on top of it all the way. His response time is unreal, I sent him an email at 12:15am once, and he had my questions answered by 1am! He's raised the bar so high that no one else is going to be able to reach it again!

We had no experience with offer negotiation, but he coached us through it, giving great advice yet always giving us the final say, waiting for us to both sign off, and not pressuring us about anything. I had a mini freak-out about whether the area would be safe enough, and he offered to drive me around the surrounding blocks at night (I took him up on it), and very kindly reminded me that if I ever changed my mind for any reason, these were the steps we could take and this is how we could do it without losing any money. I couldn't believe he didn't even subtly pressure me about it at that point, after so many hours working toward that sale. Thanks to the nighttime drive and chatting with people who live nearby, I calmed down and we were able to proceed.

He even managed to swing a same day inspection through his connections immediately after we agreed on a price with the seller, since my husband and I were leaving the country the next day and wanted to take care of it asap.

To sum up, the experience was wonderful--smooth process, no drama--and I would recommend Michael/Chicago REA to all my friends and anyone looking to buy in Chicago. We love our new place and we got a great price, even better than what we were hoping for. My expectations for people I work with are extremely high and Michael consistently exceeded them.

We have been fortunate to have worked with Michael for the past three years on various real estate transactions.  There is absolutely NO ONE better in representing the best interest of his/her clients, even if it means significantly more work for him, which it usually does!  He is proficient in the complicated world of short sales, foreclosures and will assist in any way he can to find the best value for your dollar. Michael is smart, savvy, extremely personable, genuinely caring and knows the market inside and out.  He not only guided us throughout the entire process from start to finish, but what was more important to us, educated us along the way.   We credit Michael with a smooth, stress-free home and condo buying experience. Bottom line, we have been nothing but pleased with Michael are always pleased to hear the same feedback from friends to which we have recommend his services.  You will neverfind anyone better!

We had a solid idea of the location we preferred and had our list of "must haves". Michael listened and found many condos for us to consider. Because of our schedule and timing, I took the responsibility of narrowing the choices so my husband wouldn't need to view all of them. It was so nice to have Michael to rely upon and a second set of eyes and ears. Many times I was overwhelmed during a showing and Michael stepped up to ask good questions, point out details and was always taking notes on my behalf. I felt as though he was truly a partner in finding the best solution for our needs. He was always thinking, had a calm demeanor and was always a lot of fun to work with as well. He went out of his way to provide us with extra information and was always extremely responsive. When it came time for negotiations, he was absolutely relentless and got us the best possible deal. We have no regrets and are confident we made the right condo decision. We definitely recommend Michael. When the time comes to sell, we wouldn't consider working with anyone else.

Every once in awhile, you meet a decent, intelligent, pleasant, and fun-to-be-with person-I just didn't expect this from a real estate agent. Michael Vrielink is unlike any other Realtor that I dealt with so far. I went through several agents with disappointments and almost gave up on buying. Michael was persistent from the beginning-he asked so politely if we needed help and so we finally decided to meet with him. Ever since we met him, the entire purchasing experience was so pleasant that I would do this again just for the fun of it. He was always prepared, very knowledgeable, punctual-I have yet to beat him in time-and most importantly, honest. So often, I would get turned off by agents who play a game with dishonesty. He never pushed us into buying a property that we were not completely satisfied with. In fact, even at the very last moment before signing a contract, he told us that it's not too late to look for another house if we are not completely satisfied with it. From the initial meeting to the very end-in fact, he is still helping us purchase an extra parking spot-he has been there for us. He has also introduced us to lawyers and brokers that were very pleasant and experienced. Michael, you ROCK!! I hope we stay in touch for years to come. Don't blame us if you get too many referrals. :)

Again, you have to be ready and able to use the Zip website to do your buying research, but if that's your style, you'll find Michael to be a very personable agent to take you to visit properties, supplement your research and otherwise help you through the experience.