Jestine Lenckus brings a passion for real estate and a decade of experience in marketing and analytics experience to her job as broker at Better Homes & Gardens County Line, formerly County Line Properties. (Jim Slonoff photo)
Before Jestine Lenckus became a Realtor, she was a homeowner. While navigating the sale and purchase of several homes, Lenckus said she was left wanting to know more about the numbers behind her real estate decisions.
Now a real estate agent herself, Lenckus said she provides clients with the data and statistics she wanted as a buyer, along with a keen knowledge of the market and an eye for any property's potential.
"That's something I like to do for my clients," said Lenckus, who uses a decade of experience in search engine marketing and advertising analysis to compare price per square foot, appreciation and other statistics.
Lenckus said empathy and good listening skills, combined with her numbers skills, allow her to guide clients through the decisions, obstacles and emotions that come with any real estate transaction.
Fall typically is a slower time in the real estate market, but when Lenckus entered the business in November 2020, things were just picking up again.
"It was actually a very good time because people were looking more," Lenckus said.
With the initial uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic waning, people were once again attending open houses in search of homes in which to more comfortably endure the remainder of the pandemic lockdown and the years to follow.
"People wanted new spaces to spend all of their time," Lenckus said.
Lenckus said many of today's younger buyers are looking for a house that can serve their family as it grows.
"They are looking for their forever homes," she said. Lenckus said she helps buyers see how a home can be adapted to meet their needs, today and into the future. As an agent with Better Homes & Gardens County Line, she has access to a design center and to experts who can turn a homeowner's dreams into reality.
These days, there's not the need for open houses that existed when Lenckus entered the real estate field.
"Houses are often scooped up before they have time to host an open house," Lenckus said.
But that doesn't stop Lenckus from making sure every house she sells looks as good as it can before anyone considers a purchase.
"I like to make the house look as impeccable as possible before I launch the marketing campaign," Lenckus said. That typically means decluttering, neutral colors and simple staging to help the potential buyer see the home's potential.
Establishing and keeping relationships with other local agents is imperative, Lenckus said, because they help to keep her informed about what's coming to the market.
With demand outweighing inventory, being first can be the start of a successful transaction.
Lenckus moved to Hinsdale just a year or so before getting her real estate license. It didn't take long for her to fall in love with the village, its people, its downtown and its architecture.
She said she enjoys showing buyers all her new hometown has to offer, but she also is familiar with surrounding suburbs and will take clients wherever they need to go to find the home of their dreams.
- by Sandy Illian Bosch
