Helen is the owner and managing broker of Pioneer Realty Group. Her background focuses on real estate investment and financial analysis with an emphasis in equitably driven community and economic development. Her experience has led her to work on a wide range of projects including value add investments, rehabbing properties, and community engagement while working with buyers, sellers, and investors.
As managing broker, Helen leads a team of 30 agents who are engaged by buyers and sellers of single-family homes and condominiums across Chicago’s diverse and dynamic neighborhoods. Her purpose is helping homeowners and sellers understand the market and be prepared for all elements of a real estate transaction, and to secure the best terms possible.
The intersection between public engagement and real estate investment fuels her passion to give voice to different groups and ideas, finding innovative solutions to complex problems. Helen holds a Masters of Business Administration in real estate finance from DePaul University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Grinnell College. She is a dedicated member of the Lakeview Chamber of Commerce and active with the Chicago Association of Realtors in the Membership Committee.
Connect with Helen on LinkedIn
Michael J. Millar, Principal, Open Slate Communications
Michael Millar is a creative public relations and marketing professional who focuses primarily in commercial real estate and related service industries. In 2013 he co-founded Open Slate Communications to help real estate first better tell their stories and share their expertise. In 2019 Globest.com named Michael an Influencer in Marketing and Communications.
Connect with Michael on LinkedIn
Interview questions:
Q1: Helen, we have a lot to cover in this program. Let’s get started with a recap of the For Sale housing market in 2024.
Q2: Taking all things into consideration, can you define the best time to buy? Is it now? Will it be into the first quarter of 2025? Or will it be mid-year 2025?
Q3: Let’s specifically address the first-time buyer. What are the top three areas of preparation should a first-time buyer focus on before launching the process? Is their preparation much different?
Q4: What are some of the most common questions first-time homebuyers ask?
Q5: Aside from you, their realtor, what additional service providers are necessary for a first-time homebuyer? (And can you help them?)
Q6: What is the toughest and/or scariest part of the homebuying process—especially for a first-time buyer?
Q7: Where can a first-time buyer look for help?
Q8: From a timing perspective, how long does it take to complete the homebuying process for the first time—assuming typical issues, challenges, processes, etc.
Q9: We’ve seen some stability in interest rates and look forward to the potential for further cuts in 2025. How does that shape your prognosis for the 2025 market?
Founded in 2017, Pioneer Realty Group is a Chicago neighborhood-based real estate firm that represents homebuyers and home sellers, rental property owners and building owners by providing leasing, property sales and property management services. On an almost quarterly basis, the firm hosts PRG Homebuyer University to help first time homebuyers, among others, navigate the various steps in buying a home.
Recent Blogs: https://www.chicagoprg.com/posts
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