Shelley Goddard - Highland Park Real Estate, North Shore & Chicago Real Estate

Both Lindsay and I were blown away by Shelley's dedication to helping us find our dream home! We just can't imagine having gone through the process with anybody else.

Shelley leaves no detail of a potential transaction unturned and makes sure that her clients come FIRST every step of the way. We learned so much about the house buying process which is a result of Shelley's unparalleled knowledge of the industry as well as her willingness to teach us everything we needed to know. So in our opinion, it's a simple decision – if you are in need of a real estate agent, then you Go With Goddard!

Buying your first home is like riding an emotional roller coaster- or at least this is what it was like for my husband and me. We were all over the place with our searches- we were looking at homes in 8 different towns and all different styles. While this sounds absolutely insane and exhausting, Shelley was able to help navigate us through the process. She was incredibly patient with us, while also very committed to helping us find our dream home. She shared her advice and expertise with us but allowed us the flexibility to explore all of our options. We probably saw over 40 homes with Shelley and while we began to lose patience Shelley was able to ease our frustrations with her encouragement and faith in the process. Of course she was right, we held out and Shelley helped us find a home that met 99% of our parameters, which was more than we had hoped for. She was a great guide in the process, very efficient with her work and incredibly responsive to all of our needs as clients.

Shelley went above and beyond what we would have expected from a Realtor and we would highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell a home.

Shelley was the perfect realtor to work with in searching for our first home. She is thorough and clear, always taking the time to explain everything in detail in a way that we would understand--which was especially important with regard to contracts and other aspects of the process that were totally new for us. Shelley is efficient and wonderfully communicative, very quick to respond to texts and emails. She always followed up proactively on questions she didn't have answers to with additional research, trips to City Hall, or whatever investigation was required to deliver efficient responses to our inquiries. In this and every way, Shelley went above and beyond her role as realtor, serving us also as our personal advocates. Shelley turned our home search from an overwhelming and tedious task into a fun and exciting process, culminating in numerous celebratory treats upon closing. And most importantly, it was abundantly clear to us throughout our time with Shelley that she was personally invested in finding us a perfect home to suit our needs and desires, not just a house that would work for us.

"Thank you for all your help and the great knowledge you brought into the process of selling our mom's townhome. You provided my family and me with a service that went beyond our expectations. Thank you!"

"Shelley Goddard is like no other Realtor I've ever used previously! I first met Shelley 18 years ago when she was my daughter's 5th grade teacher in Lake Forest. As a teacher, her students thought she was fun, exciting, creative and tough, but most important….fair. Shelley brings this skill set to her real estate business. She creatively advertises your property, fiercely negotiates a contract and is a pleasure to work with. As a teacher, the parents were ALWAYS informed of their child's progress. As a Realtor, Shelley is probably the most communicative Realtor I have come across. Whether it's a call to let you know, there is nothing new to report or the latest feedback on a recent showing, Shelley will tell it like it is, show you what and how to get your home in the best possible condition for a quick sale or rental, and get you the best price possible in whatever type of market we are in. She stays with you every step of the way, makes you feel as though you are her only client, is always available for you and has incredible and reliable follow up and follow through. She makes the transaction a pleasant experience since she is used to handling all types of personalities as she did as a teacher. Everyone one I have spoken to says the same thing…."You will be very pleased if she takes you as a client."

"Shelley is a true master of her craft who willingly goes a step beyond what one would expect. It was a delight having her on our relocation search. She is in a class by herself! Thank you for helping us persevere!"

Both my husband and I feel compelled to write about our experience with Shelley. It is important to write about an agent who goes out of their way for their clients and Shelley is truly one of those. From the first time we met with her we felt she truly had our needs in mind, way beyond her own. She explained the process we went through and was always there for us, from the very beginning. This was a process that we had never anticipated. With her guidance and her unbelievable concern, even to the point of coming over to help us begin to pack up our unit, we got through it. No one had ever heard of a Realtor doing this for a client! Shelley never ever lost touch with us as we went through this process and always took our calls, answered our emails and explained and answered all of our questions in a timely and educated way and never ever let us down in any way. I strongly feel that whoever is lucky enough to have Shelley as their personal agent is getting exactly that............PERSON..ALL.

Shelley is more than just a realtor - she became a teacher, a friend, and a confidant as I went through the process of purchasing my first home.

One of her passions is working with first time buyers. She educated me about every single step of the process and was always available to answer my questions. Although she always let me make my own decisions about whether to short list a property, she also made sure that I was aware of what work needed to be done and things were not always as they appeared at a property.

I always felt like I was Shelley's most important client, even though compared to many of her other clients, I'm certain my budget was quite modest. To me, this speaks to Shelley's focus on the long-term relationship vs the immediate commission she'll earn. This type of service seems rarer and rarer in today's world, but Shelley excels here.

Although the State of Illinois allows realtors to represent both buyers and sellers in the same deal, Shelley does not do this because she believes that she can't fully represent anyone's best interests by doing so. This gave me complete confidence as we were in the search and negotiations processes. She was a tough negotiator who got me an incredible deal - 30% less than the seller was originally asking.

Because Shelley is a North Shore resident and specializes her business here as well, she has a vast network of professionals she can recommend from mortgage brokers, attorneys, home inspectors, appraisers, etc. who are all at the top of their game. I used a number of them and was absolutely thrilled.

Bottom line: I would recommend Shelley to anyone looking to buy or sell their home, especially first time buyers. I will definitely use Shelley again in the future.

Shelley helped me buy my first home and was very helpful through the whole process. She thoroughly explained situations and issues that may come up so we could avoid any speed bumps. Shelley stayed on point with all parties involved to ensure a successful close.

Shelley sold our home in Lake Forest in an extremely difficult market. I say Shelley sold it because I give her 100% of the credit. She nutured us through the entire process and understood that it was very emotional for us after 22 years. She was there for us every step of the way, including negotiating the very best price for us. She advocated for our interests every step of the way and was totally professional, including dealing patiently with our very UNreasonable relocation company. I highly recommend her to anyone who is serious about selling their home.

We were in awe of Shelley's ability and commitment to selling our property, particularly in light of its City of Chicago location, and her primary focus of North Suburbs/Lake Forest vicinity.

Selling a home is both an emotional and financial transaction; add to that the experience of selling a family-owned property, and there are instantly numerous clients involved whose expectations need to be managed, and whose opinions need to be "heard." Shelley Goddard was able to do just that. Her natural business acumen and attention to detail resonated with our entire family -- earning our respect, confidence, and trust. Shelley understands that caring for her clients means honest dialogue, and she is able to walk the fine balance of telling a client not just what he/she might want to hear, but what he/she needs to hear in order to more quickly -- and more lucratively -- sell a property. Her efforts were diligent and gracious in every step of the process, from staging the property to her post-showing follow-up with prospective buyers' agents to assess not only their interest in the property, but to also provide insight into how the property showed in a competitive marketplace. We directly attribute the sale of our home -- in the most challenging of real estate markets -- to Shelley Goddard's communication and organizational skills, innate business sense and command of market realities, and her ability to nurture client and industry relationships.

We will enthusiastically encourage anyone we know (who is a worthy client) to Go With Goddard when selling or buying a home.

We recently sold our house in Lake Forest, IL with the help of Coldwell Banker Agent Shelley Goddard. It was truly a good decision to work with her.

She was extremely professional and made us feel that she really cared about our experience. Selling our house that we had raised our family in was very personal and she understood that. In this market, selling a house can be stressful and Shelley was able to help us get through the process.

Each step of the way she was thorough in attending to details that helped market our property and present it at its best to the potential buyers. Shelley rolled up her sleeves and helped us organize and stage our house to maximize its best qualities.

She was excellent negotiating our sale and we were always confident that she was doing the very best for us. She advised us on all our options and helped us make good decisions

Shelley was a strong advocate for our interests, not just someone who wanted to make a sale. She always kept us informed, so that we knew exactly what was happening through out the process.

Overall, we had an excellent experience working with Shelley. We couldn't have done it without her. It will be our pleasure to recommend her to our friends and associates.

"My husband and I worked with Shelley for almost a year in our quest to find the perfect home that would fit our needs and budget. During this time, Shelley was thoroughly professional, always returned our calls and set up appointments in a timely manner, and managed our real estate needs efficiently and effectively; most importantly, Shelley always kept our best interests in mind. I would, without hesitation or reservation, recommend Shelley to those who wish to sell their home or purchase a new one. She listened to and addressed our needs and parameters, is generous of heart, hardworking, and went above and beyond to ensure that our real estate transaction went smoothly and was a positive experience! Thank you!"

"Shelley is an extraordinary real estate agent. She is energetic and enthusiastic, and caring. As our real estate agent, Shelley noted what we wanted as consumers and didn't waste our time trying to sell us a house that wouldn't fit our lifestyle. Shelley was sensitive to our needs as new residents of Illinois and provided all the information and assistance we needed to set up household with our three school-aged children in this new community. Shelley is a wonderful asset to the real estate industry and her clients."

"Shelley is the perfect Realtor - smart, efficient, thorough, and a pleasure to work with. My house sold in 72 days - amazing!- Thanks to Shelley!"

"I recently purchased a property using Shelley as my agent. She exceeded all of my expectationa and met every need that I had throughout the entire transaction. The process of shopping for properties, selecting them, making an offer and purchasing the property went very smoothly, thanks to Shelley's expertise and exceptional service. She was always easy to reach, quick to find answers or information, and a strong advocate for whatever was in my best interest. My own mother was a high performing real estate agent for fifteen years and Shelley out-performed even my own mother!"

Shelley provided my family with prompt, professional services in order to locate a home for us. She was extremely attentive to our needs and was always available to help us at short notice.

"Shelley's ongoing communication is remarkable. She is professional and effective, even in difficult situations."

"Shelley is creative, motivating and very dedicated."

"Shelley is an insightful, caring and special person."

"Committed, creative and sensitive, Shelley is always a bundle of energy and eager to assist in any way she can."

"We wanted to thank you for all of your hard research in finding us homes to potentially purchase. Your thoroughness and professionalism was impeccable and much appreciated. We enjoyed having you as our agent and hold onto the great ideas you passed on to us. We will definitely refer you to friends and family who may be looking to buy homes. Many thanks!!"