Barbara O’Connor, President & Founder

Hilary O’Connor, Partner & Vice President of Sales

Barbara O’Connor, founder and president of the Barbara O’Connor Group and Lincoln Square office designated managing broker of Dream Town Realty, and partner Hilary O’Connor, vice president of sales for the group and Dream Town’s designated managing broker of the company’s Evanston office, both came to real estate with the desire to make a real difference.

For Barbara, her goal over 30 years ago was to financially contribute to her household of seven and maybe earn the money to get her dream kitchen. For Hilary, the driver was to take a detour from her previous career as a personal injury defense attorney and do something that gave her a greater sense of purpose.

“We’re a full-service team and always keep clients’ best interests at the heart of what we do,” they say. “This isn’t about volume, but about getting clients the best results. We each possess different strengths — Barbara is compassionate and patient, while Hilary is direct and quick to get results.” Together, across nearly 50 years of combined experience and with a rapidly expanding team, this duo knows what their purpose and goals are, and they work tirelessly and with unparalleled integrity and grit to get the job done.

A former high school educator and instructor with a large airline, Barbara masters communication under pressure and compassion for those around her. Hilary brings a strategic and trustworthy advisory capacity to her clients. “Clients will tell you we get them more money for their home than the competition, but we also give them more peace of mind.”

Setting out expectations clearly at the start, the O’Connor team espouses a relationship-based business style that is friendly and takes into account all the factors that comprise clients’ needs and wants. “They know when working with us that we are in it with them,” they say. “They can feel that we legitimately care about their financial and personal well-being.”