Jim Ongena – @properties

«I can’t say enough about Jim’s professionalism, knowledge, flexibility and support throughout the process of buying my first home. Jim went above and beyond to ensure I found the right home for me, from fully understanding my criteria before we began the search, to scheduling showings based on my tight deadline, to explaining every step involved in the process, to being there for closing, and beyond. As a first time home buyer, I was unfamiliar with what was involved in the purchasing process. I felt comfortable knowing Jim was looking out for my best interests at all times, and was willing to assist in every step to the absolute best of his ability. I’d highly recommend him to anyone looking to purchase a home, whether for the first time or tenth.»

I cannot say enough great things about Jim. As a first-​time home buyer relocating from the east coast, I had many questions and concerns. Jim was always available to answer my calls and emails and provide me with the information I needed. Jim is calm, professional, patient, and easy to talk to. He has such a positive attitude and is so attentive to the needs and concerns of his clients. His knowledge of the real estate market is impressive. I couldn’t be happier with my results and feel so fortunate that I found Jim. I highly recommend him to anyone who is looking to buy or sell property. Jim is the best!

We had the pleasure of buying our first house with Jim’s patience and careful guidance in the Spring of 2014. He turned the most important purchase of our lives into a positive, exciting experience, and we have happily turned that piece of real estate into our growing family’s home. Jim is professional, diligent, very thoughtful, and experienced. He champions the needs of his clients and provides the most incredible customer service. We wholeheartedly recommend Jim and will always be grateful for his part in making our dreams come true.

You have to stop by and see the place soon! I am loving it. How about that for your «love where you live» Ongena Group? Jim’s hard work and dedication to find me a place, was exceptional.

When we made the decision to sell our condo in this difficult market we knew to meet several realtors. We grew mildly discouraged as no one seemed to be a fit. That is until we met Jim Ongena. Jim is a very personable individual; a straight-​shooter who understands the system. He has a construction management background which allows him to understand the other side of real estate as well. We were immediately pleased with Jim’s work. poised and professional but with a great sense of humor when we needed it (after all, real estate is stressful). As expected, the selling market was tough. but not only was Jim able to sell our Streeterville condo, he found the top floor residence of our dreams in Bucktown. Throughout the entire process he was expertly knowledgeable and level headed (even at times when we were not). Jim is one hundred percent recommended by us and will be our go-​to guy in the future. Jim, thanks again.

We worked with Jim to purchase our first home and I highly recommend him. He was very knowledgable about the neighborhoods and extremely patient with us as we toured 30 – 50 homes (first time home buyer’s indecisiveness!). Jim is an honest guy who doesn’t try to sell you or sugarcoat anything — he’s there to support you and that’s exactly the type of person you want to work with when buying or selling a home! Highly recommended. He’s the only one we work with in Chicago.

Jim was my first realtor in Chicago and no doubt the person I plan to stay with for future home purchases. From the initial meeting where he took the time to learn what I was looking and hoping for, through all the home tours, Jim was knowledgable, honest, capable and focused. Jim and his team are a well oiled machine and really made it possible for me to purchase my first condo quickly and efficiently. I am happy to refer my friends and colleagues to him, and have only heard back positive feedback from them about working with Jim themselves!

Jim came highly recommended to me, and now I know why, he is the best! His experience with the market and expertise in construction and real estate were exactly what I needed during my stressful first time purchase. From the very first time we met, he always made me feel like a top priority. Jim was honest, insightful, prompt, patient, and actually fun to work with. I will continue to recommend him to friends and family.

I cannot recommend Jim enough. I purchased a home with his help in 2012 and since then have referred 4 friends to him, all of which have been really pleased with his performance. More recently, I sold said home in 2015 and didn’t know what to expect since my friends and myself only had experience with his help in purchasing a home and not selling it. Jim gave expert advice in helping us stage the home and prepare it for listing. The first open house resulted in over a hundred people coming through and multiple offers. The hard part was next– the buyers of our home ended up being insanely difficult and continuously lied about their financial state and put the deal at risk. Many times we were concerned whether we would have to re-​list the home. Jim was very patient with my thousands of emails and phone calls and was supportive during this emotional time. Ultimately — I believe it was his recommendation that saved the deal and brought us home to closing. Jim has always been very available and helpful, guiding both my husband and I through the murky waters of Chicago home sales. As someone who used to work in real estate, I can say with confidence you won’t be disappointed if you work with The Ongena Group for buying or selling.

Working with Jim was a great way to buy our first home. His negotiating skills and knowledge of the market allowed us to buy a home in a great neighborhood, way under market value. We almost didn’t even look at the home, but so glad we did.
Jim’s honest, professional and knowledgable and will help you find your perfect house!

I initially contacted Jim to educate me on the buying process for my first home, unaware if this was even in my realm of possibilities. Jim took the time to meet, learn about me and my situation, my wants and needs and was extremely thorough in educating me on the process. I was under the impression I would be overwhelmed and intimidated with the process; however, Jim was the perfect expert to have on my team. He was always prompt responding to my many questions, which were occasionally at all hours. Jim’s abilities never ceased to impress– from his construction background insight on how to maximize space in a stylish manner, insights as to which features I should invest in, to his relentless negotiation skills.
Honest, intelligent, professional, determined– Jim is one of the few who would go above and beyond for his clients.

Jim is the best Realtor that I have worked with in my 10+ years of dealing with real estate as a mortgage broker, appraiser and as a buyer/​seller. He is good at his job because he is extremely knowledgeable, which comes from his experience as a construction manager and as a seller for several large Chicago and national developers.
So with his experience we are able to really quantify how much extra bedrooms are worth, or how much having a bathroom in the wrong place is worth, or which developer is going to take away your view with their new project in the next year or so after you close.
It’s difficult to explain but once you have worked with not-​great or even average Realtors, you see how valuable someone like Jim is — there’s no reason to settle for less.

First, let us say what a pleasure it was to work with Jim. As first time home-​buyers, Jim was very patient with us and explained each step along the way. During our initial meeting, Jim was very honest about short sales and foreclosures, as well as regular sales, in order to give us accurate expectations moving forward. Looking back, this was one of the most helpful meetings with Jim. Second, while we knew what we were looking for (number of bedrooms, garage, etc.), Jim was astute in providing insight into observations we would have definitely missed (e.g., where the building was located, how it was built, etc.). One quality that we think distinguishes Jim is his honesty. For example, we looked at a place that was listed as two bedrooms, but upon walking through, Jim noted that the ‘second’ bedroom was actually a den according to building code — a point we would have not even know about. As a result, we realized that the place could have been listed for $ 25,000 more than its actual value. As a previous construction project manager, Jim’s knowledge and insight into building code and construction provides him a perspective that very few other realtors may have. Lastly, in the midst of our new condo purchase, we are thankful to call Jim a friend and look forward to working with him again in the future. Thanks, Jim for all your help!