Clients of Anne Hardy love the boundless energy and ability to keep it real that she brings to the process of buying and selling homes.

“You can’t be pushy in this industry,” says Hardy, a real estate broker and relocation specialist with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Chicago. “I respect my clients’ opinions, and they respect mine. It’s a team effort to the finish line.”

Hardy has been assisting clients in Cook, DuPage and Lake counties for a decade, listening, learning and executing based on what’s important to each client. Patient and kind, she understands it’s crucial buyers don’t feel rushed into making a purchase. Likewise, she realizes that moving on is an emotional process for sellers.

“Many of my clients just want to talk … talk about their memories of raising children in the home, or they are transferring out of state and they are not sure how the family is going to adjust in their destination city,” she says. “I do everything I can to reassure them that it’s all going to be OK.”

Hardy is grateful that all of her business is based on referrals from clients and friends. It was actually a friend who suggested that real estate would be good fit for her. She started out in the industry assisting relocation clients, a demographic that remains a huge part of her business today.

“It’s not enough to just schedule a showing and open the front door for my clients,” she says. “I make sure that I’m familiar with the area, schools and community activities. My clients are leaning on me to provide as much insight as possible. They aren’t just buying a house; they are buying a community and a lifestyle.”

In 2023, Hardy ranked among the top 1% of brokers according to the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors and she was recipient of a Berkshire Hathaway Chairman’s Circle Gold Award, recognizing the top 2% of brokers nationally.