“You know when clients refer to you as ‘real estate fairy godmother’ you are doing something right in helping to make their dreams come true,” says Shelly Gubser. Clients have indeed referred to her as this, and as “the big sister I didn’t know I needed.” Regardless of the nickname, she cares deeply about the buyers and sellers she represents.

Patient and kind, Gubser advocates endlessly for clients in the city and suburbs. “This process is SO stressful — especially if you’ve never done it before. I’m here to make it manageable, and even fun,” says Gubser, principal broker at Compass and co- team leader with Terry Krause of the team K&G Collective. “My clients know that I will always be truthful and honest with them, and I am never pushy. I want people to be comfortable in their decisions. I also want them to know we are in this together. A home is everything — it’s not just where you live. It’s a place of comfort, joy and peace. So, we have to get it right.”

Gubser has renovated multiple properties and has a strong eye for design, process and construction. She knows how to make small changes that accentuate the good qualities of a property to help buyers visualize its potential and earn sellers a solid return on investment. While she easily could cite the highest-priced home she’s represented or the most transactions she closed in a year, it’s not about recognition or numbers, she measures success based on impact. Last year, her biggest triumph was having two separate sellers cry as they told her that she changed the financial future of their families.

A Chicago transplant and West Loop resident, Gubser learned the city’s neighborhoods by exploring them. “I love the different feels that each neighborhood can offer and finding the spots that make it ‘yours,’” she shares. “There is a great sense of validation when you can tell your clients things to do and places to visit because you go there yourself!”