Kelly Carlson Homes

holiday decor got me good this year!!
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As the spring market (finally) seems to have come to a close, I’m reflecting back on some very special moments with my buyer clients over the last few months. The final walkthrough: AKA that last look at a home before getting the keys! What isn’t pictured…are the countless offers that get submitted before finding “the one.” There were many chilly spring weekends packed with marathon showings, followed by tight deadlines and quick decisions for my clients, only for me to receive a call from the listing agent that the sellers went with another offer (that was probably cash and $75k over asking 🤯). Sharing difficult news with my clients never gets easier, but across the board I can say that every NO in this case led to the best possible YES. The ups and downs in real estate are inevitable, but reminding myself of these moments is all the perspective I need. Cheers to all for trusting the process ♥️
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🥂 to Jimmy & Lisa, Downers Grove’s newest residents! This was a special one, getting to help a college friend and his awesome wife find their perfect home in the western suburbs. We toured the property on a cold, snowy Saturday afternoon in January…not the most pleasant time to be house shopping tbh 🥶

It most definitely paid off, with a leap day closing for extra luck. Selfishly, Brian & I are so happy to have you guys just a few towns over!! Cheers to you two and many memories ahead 🫶🏻
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Everything you need to know about buying your first home!! From Renting to Owning returns on February 1. Eventbrite link in bio :)
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When little corners of the home start to come together 🫶🏻
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As I tearfully packed up our condo and we said goodbye yesterday, it hit me how much life has happened over the 4.5 years we lived here. This home held us through the seemingly mundane moments and big life changes…moving in together for the first time and learning how each other loads the dishwasher (spoiler: I was wrong!). Hosting a 30-person Friendsgiving and learning to cook a turkey on the fly. Hunkering down during the early days of the pandemic and deciding it was a good idea a couple weeks into quarantine to get a dog. Getting married, renovating, supporting each other’s careers, and navigating our twenties together. This condo was a sanctuary to come home to on good days and bad, and this phase of life will be one we tell our future children about…when we were cool city kids 🤩

clients: it’s almost time for my annual pie pop-by! One of my favorite traditions has become running around the day before Thanksgiving delivering pies to my clients. Your support and referrals to your friends + family mean the world to me - so this is one small way to thank you. 🫶🏻

I’m ordering pumpkin pies from , a Western Springs classic. Shoot me a DM if you’ll be around for a pie on the 22nd! 🥧

In the spring of 2022, I helped the sweetest buyers purchase their vintage Foursquare home built in the late 1800s located in the coveted Lakewood-Balmoral Historic District. I met these clients at an open house I was hosting down the street. The sellers bought the house I was hosting an open house for. It was truly a match.

Yesterday, I visited them to catch up and see all of the updates they’ve made since closing last year. With an eye for design and a love for color (she’s even helping me with ideas for my home!), my client transformed the living room into the coziest space that immediately draws you in - even adding back in a fireplace that had been removed. Their home is sanctuary and is where they’ll be welcoming their first child soon. Moments like this are the ones that remind me of how incredibly lucky I am to walk in this space with individuals & families during some of life’s biggest changes ♥️

October marks 3 years since I decided to leave consulting for a career that has helped me grow into the happiest version of myself. These last few years in the city have been a special time…building a real estate career from the ground up and going from rookie of the year to 30 under 30. I couldn’t have done any of it without the support of E&V.

When Brian and I decided to move back to the western suburbs, it became apparent to me how important it would be to work for a brokerage with a hyper-local presence. I’m so excited to share that I’ve joined in their Western Springs office. I love that I can walk there from my house while having offices all over Chicago to continue to serve my city clients. Plus there are some amazing perks for my clients - I can’t wait to share more!!

New email is kellycarlson@atproperties, everything else is the same.

For all of my fellow suburbanites, I’d love to show you my shiny new office and treat you to BB’s 🍩

At the beginning of this year, Brian and I talked about moving by summer of next year. Fast forward to the spring market, and I had several clients looking in the western suburbs, where both of us grew up and envisioned finding a home. Which led me to *casually* start looking for us.

Over the next couple of months, we had put in a few offers (unsuccessfully) and after losing out on a house that we really liked, I was discouraged but trusted that our home was out there…we just had to be patient!

June 14 marked 4 years since Brian and I moved in together and into our condo. This 1928 English Tudor popped up in the private network and as soon as it hit the market, I snuck over that afternoon to preview it with my mom. We debriefed over a glass of wine at Davanti Enoteca, and I called Brian to take the Metra out to Western Springs after work that evening. Keenly aware of the other buyers there, we put in our offer late that night - I also wanted to make sure it was time stamped June 14 for good measure 😉

The next day, on my way to an inspection, we found out that the seller had accepted our offer. Had the “oh crap, this is real” moment followed by so much excitement.

We closed earlier this week and I’m still in awe and full of gratitude that we get to be a part of this home’s history. I could not be more excited for this next adventure with you, ♥️

POV: you’re 29 and your idea of an exciting afternoon is a trip to the local 🤪

But in all seriousness, it’s a great spot for historical paint colors and wallpaper - both of which I am excited to incorporate into our new house (coming soon!)

Pax’s reaction to the release of the special edition of …clearly not as enthused as I was😛

Announcing the 2023 Class of 30 Under 30 These bold and bright rising stars are the future of the real estate profession.

Spring recap: selling suburbs. I love love historic charm but there are definitely upsides to buying newer/updated aka less surprises 🙃 personally, my husband and I are trying to decide if we are team reno or team move-in-ready. As I tell my clients, when you know - you know. Trusting the process that this will ring true for us too!!

2023 buyers, this one’s for you! On Thursday, I will be co-hosting another webinar with Jennifer Sobocienski of Wintrust Mortgage. We created this virtual event to educate first-time homebuyers whether someone is ready to buy in the next few months or planning for the future. We would love to have you! Link in bio to register. ☺️

If someone had told me when this photo was taken (2021, first full year in real estate) that I’d be up for 30 under 30, I genuinely wouldn’t have believed it. The last few years have been filled with so many highs but not without moments of self-doubt (to my husband, thank you for being my rock). Yesterday, I found out I made it into the National Association of Realtors 30 Under 30 Class of 2022 as the web choice winner, securing the most votes out of the 50 finalists. I called my mom and asked her if I was in a simulation. Words fall short of expressing my gratitude, but thank you for taking the time to vote and for cheering me on these last few years. 🫶🏻

P.S. shoutout to the incredible network that helped bring in over 5,000 votes!!! 🤯

Spring social was a success!! Shoutout to this crew (and everyone not pictured) for willingly spending their Friday night with me at a workout class…this is our late twenties lol.

A huge thank you to for a killer class and to my sister who drove in from Champaign to be here. 🥲

As I look ahead to turning 29 next week, I’ve been thinking a lot about this last year - and if I could describe it in one word, it would be transformative. Definitely not without its challenges. I’ve come to realize that a career in real estate is full of ups & downs and there is so much that is outside of our control (such is life 🙂). But I am constantly reminded of my opportunity to serve others in a way that is deeply rewarding and personal.

Seeing as I’m entering the last year of my twenties, this was the last chance for me to apply for the National Association of Realtor’s 30 Under 30. I filled out the application around the holidays when business was slow. Completely forgot about it until last Friday when I received an email that surprised me to my core: I had been named a finalist. To all of my clients, friends, and family who have supported me on this wild ride, thank you thank you thank you. ♥️