When you buy or sell a home with The Star Home Team, your real estate agent is your primary guide, but that agent is not working alone. Behind our agents is a support staff helping with broker guidance, listings, transactions, marketing, technology, lead management, administration and field services throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.
What Happens Behind the Scenes of a Real Estate Transaction?
From the outside, a real estate transaction can look fairly simple.
A seller lists a home. A buyer makes an offer. The parties agree on terms. Eventually, everyone gets to the closing table.
Behind the scenes, there can be considerably more happening.
Information needs to be organized. Listing materials need to be prepared. Marketing needs to be coordinated. Contract milestones need attention. Agents may need managing broker guidance. Technology systems need to work. Transaction information needs to be processed and communicated.
That is why we have built The Star Home Team around more than individual sales agents.
Our agents maintain the direct relationship with their buyers and sellers, while a larger organization helps support the work happening around them.
Readers who want to put faces to some of these roles can meet the people behind our agents or meet our complete team of real estate professionals.
Why Does Support Staff Matter in Real Estate?
Real estate requires people to manage many different responsibilities at the same time.
An agent may be meeting with a seller in Grayslake while another client is considering an offer in McHenry.
A buyer may need to see a new listing in Antioch while a transaction already under contract reaches an important milestone.
The purpose of specialized support is not to separate the client from the agent.
It is the opposite.
By providing agents with additional resources for specialized tasks, our structure helps agents remain focused on the work that requires their expertise and personal attention, including:
Advising buyers and sellers
Showing homes
Preparing and presenting offers
Negotiating
Discussing pricing and market conditions
Communicating with clients
Helping clients understand their options
Identifying potential issues
Guiding transactions toward closing
Behind those activities is another layer of people helping the organization function.
It Starts With Leadership and Managing Broker Support
Jim and Susan Starwalt have been licensed in real estate since 1998 and lead Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Star Homes and The Star Home Team.
Jim serves as Broker Owner and Team Leader and works closely with agents on sales, coaching, training and business development. Susan's role focuses heavily on the business side of the organization, including marketing, recruiting, agent development, technology, training, operations and growth.
Our agents also have designated managing broker support on both sides of the Illinois-Wisconsin state line.
Mike Welsch serves as our Illinois Designated Managing Broker, while Susan Kube provides designated managing broker leadership for our Wisconsin operations.
This is more than an organizational title.
Real estate transactions can raise questions involving contracts, procedures and unusual circumstances. Having experienced managing broker resources available gives our agents another level of professional support when questions arise.
That structure is particularly important for an organization serving clients across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.
Listing Support Begins Before a Home Reaches the Market
A real estate closing does not begin on closing day.
For a seller, the process starts well before the property goes under contract.
Victoria Solberg serves as our Listing Coordinator and helps our agents with the listing process.
Preparing a home for the market can involve numerous moving pieces. Property information needs to be organized, listing details need attention and the different components of launching a property need to come together.
The seller's agent remains responsible for advising the seller about pricing, preparation, negotiations and the overall listing strategy. Listing coordination provides another layer of organizational support around that work.
For a deeper look at the seller side of our structure, read how our team approach benefits home sellers.
Marketing Helps Connect Listings With Today's Buyers
Today's home search frequently starts online.
That makes marketing and digital presentation an important part of the listing process.
Lisa Rohrer provides marketing and administrative support for The Star Home Team. Her work supports the projects that promote our listings, agents, company and local real estate expertise.
Marketing is not simply one task completed when a property is listed.
Depending on the property and marketing plan, a listing can involve photography, online presentation, social media, digital promotion, video, printed materials and other marketing efforts.
Our agents work directly with sellers on the strategy for their individual property, while our marketing support helps execute many of the projects surrounding that strategy.
Transaction Support Becomes Important After a Contract Is Accepted
Getting an accepted offer is an important milestone, but it is not the end of the transaction.
It begins a new phase.
Majesty Bautista and Victoria Solberg provide transaction coordination support for our organization.
Between contract and closing, a transaction can involve numerous milestones and communications. Transaction coordination helps organize the administrative details around the transaction while the agent continues advising and communicating with the client.
The exact process varies depending on the property, transaction and state.
That last point matters for us because The Star Home Team serves clients in both Illinois and Wisconsin. Real estate practices and requirements are not identical in every state, which is another reason we maintain management and support resources for both sides of the state line.
Lead Management Supports Buyers and Sellers Before They Are Ready to Move
Not every real estate relationship begins with someone saying, "We want to buy a house this weekend."
Many people start researching months before making a move.
They may be browsing homes, trying to understand prices, considering whether to sell, watching mortgage rates or comparing communities.
Tiffany Albavera manages our inside sales efforts and helps our organization manage and maintain communication with prospective buyers and sellers.
That work helps our agents develop relationships with consumers at different stages of the real estate process, including people who are still gathering information and determining what their next move may look like.
Technology Supports Nearly Every Stage of Modern Real Estate
Technology touches almost every part of today's real estate business.
Buyers search for homes online. Sellers expect strong digital marketing. Agents use technology to communicate, manage leads, access property information and keep their businesses organized.
Jon Starwalt handles technology and special projects for The Star Home Team.
His work includes helping our organization implement, maintain and improve systems used by our agents and staff, along with special projects designed to help the company operate efficiently as real estate technology continues to change.
Much of that work is invisible to a buyer or seller.
That is exactly the point.
Technology works best when it helps people do their jobs without becoming the center of the experience.
Administrative, Accounting and Field Support Matter Too
Some of the most important work inside a real estate organization is work a client may never see.
Kathy Gilbert provides administrative support with a particular focus on processing sales data related to our real estate contracts.
Cheryl McCumber provides accounting department support that helps our offices and organization operate.
Bob Gilbert serves as Field Services Manager, providing practical assistance with duties that need to be handled outside the office.
Individually, these jobs may seem far removed from a buyer touring a house or a seller reviewing an offer.
Collectively, they are part of the infrastructure that allows a busy real estate organization to function.
What Does This Support Mean for Buyers and Sellers?
The most important point is that our staff does not replace your real estate agent.
Your agent remains the professional working directly with you.
Instead, our structure gives that agent people and resources to turn to throughout the real estate process.
For a client, that means you are working with an agent who operates within a larger organization rather than having to personally handle every aspect of the business alone.
There are people focused on listings.
There are people focused on transactions.
There are people focused on management and professional development.
There are people working on marketing, technology, administration, lead management, sales data and field services.
We believe that support matters.
More Than 4,000 Closings Have Shaped Our Systems
The Star Home Team has now completed more than 4,000 closed real estate sales.
That number represents decades of transactions involving different buyers, sellers, properties, markets and circumstances.
It also represents an enormous amount of organizational learning.
No two transactions are exactly alike.
Over the years, our agents and staff have worked through changing housing markets, different property types, inspection issues, appraisal situations, financing challenges, negotiations, changing technology and thousands of individual client circumstances.
Those experiences have reinforced something we have believed for a long time: details and communication matter.
Our support structure has continued to evolve as our business has grown.
Local Support Across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin
The Star Home Team serves buyers and sellers throughout Lake County, McHenry County, Kenosha County and surrounding Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin communities.
Our service area includes communities such as Grayslake, Gurnee, Lake Villa, Antioch, Fox Lake, Round Lake, Lindenhurst and McHenry, along with Kenosha and surrounding Southern Wisconsin communities.
Real estate is local, but our organization spans a large geographic area.
Having management, staff, technology and systems behind our agents helps support professionals working across those communities and on both sides of the Illinois-Wisconsin border.
The Star Home Team's Perspective
We believe one of the best questions consumers can ask when interviewing a real estate professional is simple:
What happens behind you?
Who does the agent turn to with a difficult question?
Who helps prepare and organize a listing?
Who supports the transaction after a contract is signed?
Who helps with marketing?
Who maintains the systems the agent relies on?
At The Star Home Team, we have deliberately built an organization around those questions.
Our agents are the people representing our buyers and sellers. Our staff is there to help support those agents.
That combination is part of what makes The Star Home Team different.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does real estate support staff do?
Real estate support staff can help with specialized functions surrounding an agent's work. At The Star Home Team, those areas include managing broker support, listing coordination, transaction coordination, marketing, technology, lead management, administration, sales data processing, accounting and field services. Our agents remain responsible for directly representing and advising their clients.
Who helps a real estate agent after a home goes under contract?
At The Star Home Team, transaction coordination provides administrative support during the period between contract and closing. Managing brokers and other staff resources are also available depending on the situation. The client's real estate agent remains the primary professional advising the buyer or seller throughout the transaction.
What does a listing coordinator do?
A listing coordinator supports agents with the organizational details involved in preparing and moving a property toward the market. At The Star Home Team, Victoria Solberg serves as our Listing Coordinator. The seller's agent remains responsible for the client's real estate advice, pricing strategy, negotiations and representation.
Does The Star Home Team have managing brokers in Illinois and Wisconsin?
Yes. Mike Welsch serves as the Illinois Designated Managing Broker, and Susan Kube provides designated managing broker leadership for our Wisconsin operations. This provides management support for agents serving clients on both sides of the Illinois-Wisconsin state line.
Is working with a real estate team different from working with one agent?
A team structure can provide an agent with additional specialized resources. At The Star Home Team, clients still work directly with their real estate agent, while that agent has support available in areas including listings, transactions, management, marketing, technology and administration.
Where does The Star Home Team work?
The Star Home Team serves buyers and sellers throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin, including Lake County, McHenry County, Kenosha County and surrounding communities. The organization includes real estate professionals licensed in Illinois, Wisconsin or both states.
How many homes has The Star Home Team sold?
The Star Home Team has completed more than 4,000 real estate sales. Our 4,000-plus milestone represents the combined work of our agents and organization over many years of serving buyers and sellers throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.
How can I meet The Star Home Team?
You can meet our complete team of real estate professionals online, including our agents and support staff. Buyers and sellers can also contact The Star Home Team to discuss their real estate goals and be connected with an appropriate team member.
Behind Every Closing Is a Team
A closing may end with signatures, keys and a completed move, but getting there involves many people and many details.
Our agents remain at the center of the client relationship.
Behind them is an organization supporting management, listings, transactions, marketing, technology, lead management, administration, accounting, sales data and field services.
We believe that structure allows our agents to do what matters most: focus on their clients, provide knowledgeable real estate guidance and help buyers and sellers navigate important decisions.
After more than 4,000 real estate sales, we are proud not only of the agents who represent our clients, but also of the people working behind them every day.
About the Author
Susan Starwalt is the Broker Owner of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Star Homes and The Star Home Team, serving Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Licensed since 1998, Susan works alongside Jim Starwalt and the company's management team to support one of the region's top-producing real estate organizations.
The Star Home Team has helped more than 4,000 families buy and sell homes and is recognized as one of Illinois' leading real estate teams. The team serves buyers and sellers throughout Lake County, McHenry County, Kenosha County, and surrounding communities, providing expert guidance, local market knowledge, innovative marketing, and personalized service.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
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The Star Home Team proudly serves buyers and sellers throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin.
Licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin.
