All About Our Crush...on Real Estate. All About Our Crush... on Real Estate THE MCLAUGHLIN TEAM, REAL ESTATE BROKERS Big hair and Big ideas Our story begins as most do with a burning interest in real estate. No, really! Even my Barbie Dream home had a for sale sign in front of it and of course an above ground pool because even Barbie knew you never get your money out of an in ground pool in the Midwest. Mike’s passion might have sprouted a bit later in life... maybe after we owned our first home . I grew up in a tiny Cap Code home in Oak Lawn, IL that was always in the midst of a new construction project & evolution’s of additions and modifications. My parents, Kay and Denny, truly taught me to put value in what you own and to treat it like a member of your family by maintaining and updating it. My Dad especially, being an Irish immigrant, took great pride in the fact that he owned a home that would begin his investments into American soil. Later he became a thriving entrepreneur, opening his own shop on 22nd and Michigan Ave., Chicago, called Chicago Power Steering. As his business grew, he knew the value of investing in real estate to build the future for his family so he purchased the building he had been renting and later bought the building next door. That continues to be my parent’s legacy to me. Mike grew up in Central Illinois and pretty much lived the idyllic childhood. Raised in a old Victorian home where children played on the sidewalk while parents read the paper on the front porch swing. Mike’s parents, Dan and Mary were educators but also found time to work on their old, beautiful gal; the yellow house on Delavan Street. They found a hobby in refinishing wood work to it’s former glory and hanging rich patterned wallpaper. Mike learned so much by watching his Mom & Dad especially when his Dad had to build sets for the high school plays he was directing. What about me? Well I took an interesting route to find my passion and calling. Having graduated from Lincoln College with an Associate in Arts Degree, theatre and music were to be my path. Performing in front of an audience, leaving it all out on stage was my very favorite thing to do. While performing in a college group called The Express, Mike and I began a friendship. In 1991, Mike and I ages 19 & 20 fell hopelessly in love and decided to get married and start our family. 27 years later, Mike and I are proud parents to Jacob (Architect and First-Time Home Buyer) , Mitchell (Singer, Songwriter and College student at Belmont University in Nashville) and of course our little Chicky, Aubrey Shea (our baby girl in 7th Grade at Hadley Middle School). Mike followed his parents footsteps and went into education. Our marriage and his career actually started our crash course crush in real estate. Over the course of our first 14 years we had bought and sold homes 4 times because of job opportunities. We lived in Bloomington, Il for the first 5 years, then Rochelle, IL for 2 years and finally moved to Homer Glen, IL for the last 20 years where we have owned 2 different homes. After a string of jobs for me, Chiropractic Assistant, Secretary in multiple locations, and of course the odd job performing in Dinner Theatre, I walked into a Real Estate Law Firm in Orland Park in 2001 and proceeded to learn about real estate from contract to closing during the most exciting, difficult and tumultuous time in the industry. I worked as a paralegal, assisting the attorney in all things real estate until 2006 when I decided to take a “time out” from working to have my last baby. I stayed home with my sweet daughter until mid 2008 when I began to study and take my real estate licensing test. I passed first time out with flying colors and immediately got to work. Of course at the time I started, I had no idea that it was the beginning of the great recession and short sales and foreclosures were a new adventure in our suburban market place. Never one to sit back and cry over spilled milk. I worked like crazy to help as many people as I could navigate the very difficult path of real estate. All the while Mike was moving up from teacher / coach to assistant principal to principal. We were growing and learning in so many ways. We had remodeled every single home we owned in one way or another, even going as far as gutting kitchens and baths. As I said, we come from sturdy, hard working stock, ready with a hand and always a new idea. Since 2008 I have been a continuing sales leader in any office I have been associated with. I have spent a lot of time volunteering with our local Board of Realtors assisting on the Grievance Committee and the Community Service Committee. I also acted as Managing Broker for 3 years, managing 40 agents with all of their training and transactions as well as doing my own real estate business until deciding it was impossible to focus properly on all of my clients, all of my agents and still have time and energy to give my family. Having gone back to focusing on our real estate business and nurturing it like my Dad did so many years ago with his own business, I fell inspired, strong and capable to assist my clients (most of whom often become our friends) navigate the landscape of what is possibly the biggest investment they will ever make. I have never felt more vital or more a part of something that matters before in my life. In 2014, Mike got his license and joined me in helping as many people as we can. He is still in education as an Assistant Principal in a Charter School in Chicago as well as manages our rental properties all the while helping me with showings and open houses ect. in his spare time. Over the years we have grown and focused our skills into a very consistent team, we are always looking to create value for each and every client. We are so very grateful and blessed for the family and life we live as well as for the business do. We look forward to continuing to learn, grow, and give both in real estate and in our lives. We hope that what we do touches the people we care about.See more…