Best Locally Owned Real Estate Brokerages in Chicago (2026)

Disclosure: Joe Bjorklund, who runs ChicagoApartmentBuildings.com, is a licensed Illinois real estate broker with Baird & Warner. This list is his opinion, so read the #1 pick with that in mind. Every fact about the other four firms below comes from published sources, linked at the end.

Chicago’s real estate business looks very different than it did two years ago. Several of the city’s best-known local names now belong to national companies. If you want to work with a brokerage that is still founded, owned and run in Chicago, the list is shorter than you might expect. Here are the five I would point an apartment hunter to, and why.

How these five were chosen

Founded in Chicago and still locally owned or founder-led. Firms now owned by Compass, Rocket, Keller Williams, RE/MAX, eXp or Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices are left out, even when the local office is excellent.
Useful to someone looking for an apartment, not only to home buyers.
A track record you can check in published sources.

1. Baird & Warner

Baird & Warner was founded in Chicago in 1855 and is still run by the Baird family; Stephen W. Baird, the fifth generation, has led it since 1991. After Compass bought @properties, it became Chicago’s largest independent brokerage, and in 2025 it combined with Dream Town, another Chicago independent. The combined firm has roughly 3,000 agents, loan officers and staff in more than 30 Chicagoland offices, eight of them in the city. RealTrends’ 2025 rankings put it No. 1 in Illinois by sales volume.

Why it’s #1: local ownership for 170 years, the reach of the region’s biggest independent, and in-house mortgage and title services if your apartment search turns into a purchase. And yes, it’s where I hang my license.

2. Fulton Grace Realty

T.J. Rubin started Fulton Grace in 2009, in one of the worst housing markets on record. The firm works in sales, rentals and property management, and its network has grown past 400 agents. In August 2025 it acquired Main Street Real Estate Group, adding nearly 50 agents.

For apartment hunters: rentals have been part of the business from the start, alongside a property management arm.

3. Kale Realty

Kale Realty opened in 2007 and is family-owned; the Kale family’s Chicago real estate work goes back to 1951. It reports more than 700 brokers, working out of a Logan Square headquarters. Its agents pay a flat fee rather than a percentage split, which is a big part of why the firm has grown.

For apartment hunters: Kale handles rentals as well as sales, so there’s a large pool of agents who work the city’s rental market.

4. Luxury Living

Amy and Aaron Galvin founded Luxury Living (originally Luxury Living Chicago Realty) in 2007, and Amy Galvin became CEO in 2024. The company works only in Chicago and specializes in leasing for apartment buildings. As of late 2023 it reported more than 27,000 apartments leased and renewed across 60-plus exclusive leasing assignments.

For apartment hunters, one thing to know: as a third-party leasing company, Luxury Living often works on behalf of the building. That’s not a knock; it just means the person showing you the apartment may represent the landlord, not you.

5. Vesta Preferred Realty

Grigory Pekarsky co-founded Vesta Preferred with Brad Robbins in 2009. It began in luxury rentals and now works mainly in home sales and multifamily investment, with a small, selective team of brokers.

For apartment hunters: most useful if you’re weighing renting against buying, or thinking about a small multifamily building.

Well-known names that are no longer locally owned

@properties Christie’s International Real Estate: Compass completed its purchase in January 2025.
Coldwell Banker and Sotheby’s International Realty brands: their parent company, Anywhere Real Estate, became part of Compass in January 2026.
Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty: Toronto-based Peerage took a significant stake in 2020, and the firm now operates as a Peerage company.
Dream Town: still local. It is now part of Baird & Warner.

Questions renters ask

Do I need a brokerage to rent an apartment in Chicago?

No. You can contact any building’s leasing office directly. A broker or apartment locator is useful when you want someone to narrow the options, set up tours and work for you rather than for the building.

Who does the person showing me the apartment work for?

Ask. A building’s leasing staff, and leasing companies hired by the building, represent the landlord. A broker you choose can represent you.

Where can I compare the buildings themselves?

This site’s building data and A to Z list cover 290 Chicago apartment buildings: units, year built, pets, parking, laundry and the nearest CTA station. Facts only, no rents and no rankings.

Looking for an apartment and want help? Talk to Joe’s team.

Sources

Joe Bjorklund, Licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker · Brokered by Baird & Warner · Equal Housing Opportunity