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chris garvey realtor exp realty oak park il

Chris garvey

Title: Proud founder of Garvey Residential Team and GrtHomes.com. Proud manager of EXP Realty LLc at 1010 Lake St. in downtown Oak Park, IL. 

I was born and raised in Oak Park and along with my wife Nancy, raised our three children in River Forest and then again in Oak Park. What an amazing exprience it has been! 

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We bought our first home in 1986. It was a beautiful Victorian on Ridgeland that we fixed up. We went on to do that with four other homes in Oak Park and one in River Forest. At the time I would never have guessed that fixing up 100-year-old homes would lead to the fantastic HGTV lifestyle that I live now as a realtor.

During my journey through life here, I have seen the amazing evolution of a quaint small town feel village progress into these beautiful, vibrant and full of life villages that still feel small town, but have a harmony within todays slightly hectic world that seems to be working pretty well.

Oak Park and River Forest have been a dream come true as Nancy and I grew up to know the community. We watched our three boys experience these beautifully diverse and multicultural schools and then go on to be wonderfully successful in life.

Nancy and I met at Marquette University where she was studying to be a nurse, while I was studying business. We went on to get married and started looking for our first home. While I was pretty sure we were destined to stay in Oak Park, Nancy grew up in Wheeling Illinois and wanted to live close to her family, so I was keeping an open mind as to where we would eventually be raising our children.

It was around this time that my father offered me a little advice. He said to me “Chris, there is no better place to raise your children or just live your life than right here in Oak Park and River Forest.” Now I am not saying that he may not have had ulterior motives, but when he said it I sensed that he really meant it. He told me that his father had said that to him. I knew my Grandpa and his word still means more to me now then ever. My children are the fourth-generation of Garvey’s to live here. 

My father said to us, “Whether you are raising a family or just living your life, your ability to grow in this world, your social interaction with the community, the relationships that you will form at the bandstand’s and in the parks – or a local sporting events, will not only be your greatest times in life, they will become your steppingstones in life.”

Now, as I grow older, I see how this fabric of life – this mixing of people throughout the village, its businesses, parks and many activities – and I see the success of my children and their friends and their friend’s families and I have come to understand what my father meant by these steppingstones in life. I am truly just beginning to learn of the great value this community brings to those who embrace it.

I will leave you with one last quote from my father’s father (the first Garvey to move to Oak Park). He said to my dad that “if you place yourself in the place of most potential, and you are open-minded enough to recognize an opportunity when you see it, success will always come to you.“ Ever since I have lived here, I’ve always found this to be true.

Post Script:

When you are ready, I invite you to tour homes for sale with me while you experience your own HGTV style of exploring homes. How can you make a decision on a home to buy, if you have not seen enough homes to know what a good value is? 

Find out everything you need to know about our neighborhoods and buying these beautiful, but often times 100+ year old homes and condos. 

Petersen Ice Cream Sign, Oak Park, IL
Oak Park and River Forest High School
Oak Park Home
Emerson School from Playground
Garvey

Client Testimonials

acaracho Avatar
Chris was very accommodating, and willing to go the extra mile. We are very happy with the results and... read more
acaracho 3/23/2016
nagarvey Avatar
Chris was great! He made selling my home easy and stress free. He is very knowledgeable of the home market... read more
nagarvey 6/11/2015
alexius o. Avatar
Chris is fantastic! We immediately felt comfortable with Chris. He has a depth of knowledge about our community that is... read more
alexius o. 2/24/2017
NairYamilNeri Avatar
Hello.
My name is Nair and I wanted to talk about my experience as a first time home buyer....
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NairYamilNeri 7/12/2015
laurenpulkstenis Avatar
As a first time homebuyer, I really needed someone to patiently walk me through the process. Chris is so knowledgeable,... read more
laurenpulkstenis 10/31/2018
Caleb C. Avatar
Chris is one of the smartest Agents I've encountered. His knowledge of Real Estate and work Ethic is why I... read more
Caleb C. 3/19/2019
Andrew V. Avatar
Chris was awesome. He helped me move into my first condo. He also helped do all the paper work and... read more
Andrew V. 7/16/2015
Daniel H. Avatar
Chris was a huge help in my buying my first home. Easy to work with, knowledgeable, and flexible with... read more
Daniel H. 3/19/2020
zuser20170606180530896 Avatar
After having such a great experience buying our first home with Chris, we turned to him when we were selling... read more
zuser20170606180530896 4/06/2021
user5305715 Avatar
This was my first experience buying a home and Chris made it completely painless! I can't say enough positive... read more
user5305715 3/17/2017
Kevin S. Avatar
Chris listed and sold our home in just a few short weeks. The whole process went without a hitch. We... read more
Kevin S. 12/21/2017
emma l. Avatar
Chris has been a great help and a pleasure to work with for the sale of our condo and the... read more
emma l. 10/05/2017
Elise R. Avatar
As first time home buyers, we couldn't have been luckier to work with Chris Garvey. From start to finish he... read more
Elise R. 5/13/2016
Michael M. Avatar
I’ve worked with Chris to purchase two investment properties and tour single family homes. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND working with Chris;... read more
Michael M. 11/08/2017
Purav B. Avatar
Chris has been a great resource during our search for a home in Oak Park. We spent well over a... read more
Purav B. 8/17/2020
DanRoger Avatar
Chris has made the selling and buying process so easy! He has a ton of knowledge and lots of resources... read more
DanRoger 12/05/2019
lewisbase7 Avatar
Chris has been an extraordinary resource and advocate for us during our house hunting, purchasing, and closing experience! He is... read more
lewisbase7 8/03/2018
user95513249 Avatar
Great, Patient, respectful , always on time, helpful, complete knowledge of the city, he sold my apartment and... read more
user95513249 10/04/2017
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