In today’s white-hot real estate market, this brother-sister team are helping clients to find the home of their dreams.
If you’re in the market for a new house – or if you’re ready to sell – there’s a Rockford real estate team with decades of experience ready to walk you through the process.
Michael Lunde heads Team Lunde, 3815 N. Mulford Road, a subgroup of independent real estate agents who work under Rockford’s Gambino Realtors.
Lunde and his sister, team member Christine Smith, each have worked in real estate for 20 years, and they love the satisfaction that comes with helping clients find what they’re looking for.
“The opportunity to help people with the American dream of homeownership is very fulfilling,” says Lunde. “When you give the keys to somebody, it’s a life-changing experience – and we change people’s lives on a daily basis.”
The male/female sibling dynamic has proven very effective over the years, Smith says.
“We have our different strengths, which helps,” she says. “I’m more in touch with clients’ emotions, while Mike can be more financial. We figure out what makes people feel most comfortable.”
Lunde and Smith recently added team members Joyce Niehaus and Trena Morse for the same reason they’ve worked with Gambino Realtors – to better serve their clients.
While Niehaus handles the administrative side, Morse has a background in interior design and has run her own renovation company. Her 20 years in property investment provide an asset to the team, Smith says.
Gambino, which opened in 1923 and has more than 100 agents, is one of the largest real estate firms in the area. Its partnership allows Team Lunde to offer numerous services that can aid clients when it comes to buying or selling residential or commercial real estate.
“We have people – contractors, house cleaners, landscapers – to whom we can readily make phone calls or have the clients make phone calls so that it takes the stress off of them,” says Lunde. “Having the right people around you to get the job done is paramount.”
Besides being excellent at scouring the market and finding the right property for a client, Lunde also enjoys educating others about real estate.
To that end, Team Lunde plans to host a Home Seller/Buyer Seminar on Oct. 20, at 6 p.m., at Sam’s Ristorante and Pizzeria, 6075 E. Riverside Blvd., in Rockford. A pizza and salad buffet will be available.
“It’s a free event that allows people to come out and learn about what’s going on in the market,” says Lunde. “Usually, we have several speakers who have expertise in a range of topics: legal, insurance, appraisals or home staging. It allows people to come and spend an hour with us and get a lot of questions answered and better understand what it takes to buy or sell a home.”
Lunde and his team also work with commercial real estate, multi-family apartment buildings and investors looking to enhance their portfolio.
“We understand the Rockford region,” says Lunde. “Our local knowledge is a big thing. The real estate market is always changing, and being educated and up to speed on what is happening in the market is essential so that we can relay that to our clients so they make the right decisions. We’re not one to tell them what to do; we like to make suggestions: ‘Let’s come up with a plan together.’”
When they’re not working with real estate, the members of Team Lunde help community organizations including Remedies Renewing Lives, Boy Scout troops, the Swedish Historical Society, a pregnancy crisis center and more.
“It’s not just about real estate,” says Morse. “We really have a love for this community and the people in it, and this is our way to give back to the community as well.”
While Team Lunde focuses on Winnebago, Boone and Ogle counties, team members also are licensed in Wisconsin. Plus, as representatives of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a relocation service, “We can help people all over the world,” Lunde says.