Even though Susan Brown Burklin worked as a manufacturer’s rep for 27 years, she’d always loved real estate. When the manufacturer’s industry began to change, she decided it was time to make changes in her own life, too. Some real estate broker friends encouraged her to leap, and so, she did.

Local Realtor Barb Hondros took Burklin under her wing as her mentee, and the two became business partners, as well as the closest of friends. Sadly, Hondros passed away in 2018 from kidney cancer.

As the past year saw the most heated market in decades, Burklin helped her clients navigate home sales and purchases with multiple offers, which she considers this year’s biggest professional accomplishment.

“Succeeding in a bidding war is about getting a house for a buyer when there are several other offers or strategizing a sale for my clients and formulating a plan that will net them as much as possible,” she says. “It’s not as simple as putting up a ‘for sale’ sign in their yard and formulating a list price or submitting an offer.”

She may have had a great professional year, but Burklin says her biggest personal accomplishment of the year was becoming an empty nester when her triplet children moved out of the house, following in their older brother’s footsteps. She proudly says all four of her children have great jobs and great homes and are happy.

Burklin has lived in Highland Park since early childhood and her knowledge of the area and referral base have proven instrumental in her success. She has earned @properties’ Award for Excellence and was a company Road to Rolex recipient in 2020.

Clients describe Burklin as savvy, smart, accessible, thorough and hardworking. “I guide my clients from start to finish,” she says. “I walk them through the process and prepare them step-by-step so they know what to expect. I work very hard to ensure the transaction is as stress-free and as seamless as possible.”