Although Sarah Ware had always been involved in some facet of real estate during the 15 years she spent working in corporate America, she sought to deepen her involvement in a way that would help more people. Now that she’s spent 20 years in real estate full time, she hasn’t regretted a minute of it.
As principal and managing broker of Ware Realty Group LLC, Ware works in residential markets on Chicago’s South Side and within the south suburbs. She also does commercial transactions all over the Chicagoland area. On the residential side, Ware tends to work with sellers hoping to move up after a change in income or family status. She also assists property investors who have a focus on serving communities where there is a push to drive and stabilize prices.
Ware runs a boutique office that’s been certified by the city as minority- and woman-owned, as well as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise. Within the past year, Ware has been able to participate in programs sponsored by the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Through these programs, Ware has been able to dissect her business, move forward with strategic hires and implement more targeted goal setting. “One of the major challenges is access to management resources, and these opportunities gave me a plan for the next three years to help take my business to the next level,” Ware says.
To Ware, empathy is the biggest key to success in real estate. She knows that everyone has a different story, and adjusting to clients’ unique needs is a challenge she enjoys. “I can put myself in someone else’s shoes, even though sometimes we may not like the size of the shoes we are presented with,” she says.
Throughout her time in the industry, Ware has earned accolades such as the Chicago Association of Realtors’ 2015 President’s Award, presented to her by Hugh Rider, and CAR’s 2016 Realtor Achievement Award. The organization has also recognized Ware for her involvement with the Cook County Land Bank Authority’s board of directors.
