About Us
Sandra Brown
Sandra Brown is a life-long resident of the North Shore. After attending Kenyon College and traveling abroad, she completed her undergraduate degree in education at Northwestern University. Since 1974 to the present, she has managed apartment buildings, formed real estate partnerships for purchase and development, and renovated single family homes and condominiums with her husband. Having also worked as a middle school teacher and managed local family businesses including a restaurant and an antiquarian bookstore, she is well versed in the business of real estate and is committed to the Evanston community. Since 1985, Sandra has been a consistent top producer in residential and commercial real estate on the North Shore. In 1991, she co-founded Lakeshore Partners in Evanston which subsequently affiliated with Weichert Realtors in 2007. In September, 2016, Sandra and her son and partner, Geoff Brown, formed the Brown Team and joined Baird & Warner in Evanston.
Continually recognized as among the top 1% of Evanston Realtors, Sandra was nominated by her colleagues and received the Chicago/Evanston areas “Most Referred Realtor Award”. Recognized since 2004 as one of the top 2% of brokers in all of Chicagoland representing sellers, Sandra has also earned the Senior Real Estate Specialist designation. Over the years, Sandra has been active in the Evanston elementary, middle school, and Evanston Township High School PTA’s, Booster Clubs, and girls athletic teams. She currently serves as an associate on the board of Y.O.U (Youth Opportunity United) of Evanston. Married to Charles, a contractor who specialized in renovating architecturally significant homes, they have two sons, two daughters and nine grandchildren…seven of whom wisely live in Evanston.
“For me, real estate is like matchmaking. Finding the right combination of people, properties and financing is the challenge. Serving as a resource person for community information and homeowner services is an added benefit. I enjoy it all! My clients know that I will always have their best interests at heart when they are buying or selling a home.”
Geoff Brown
Geoff Brown was born and raised in Evanston. Having attended Dewey and Nichols schools, he graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1997, and received a B.A. from DePaul University with a double major in Finance and Marketing in 2003. Geoff relocated back to Evanston in 2005 from Orlando, Florida where he attended business school and graduated with a M.B.A. from Rollins College Crummer Graduate School of Business with concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship. Geoff’s academic background and experience allow him to provide his clients with a high-level of insight into market trends. . Geoff has worked extensively in the real estate industry including roles as a junior mortgage consultant, commercial real estate analyst, property manager and since 2005, as a real estate broker specializing in residential properties. His knowledge of neighborhoods, his personal experience in home renovation and his attention to detail combine to meet or exceed his clients’ expectations. Geoff currently lives in Evanston with his wife, Tanya and their three children all of whom attend Evanston schools.
Laura Brown
Laura was born and raised in Evanston where she currently resides with her husband, Davis Inman, and their two children, Eloise and Rylan. Since July 2015, Laura has worked at Downtown Evanston, a business district organization, where she oversees business outreach, marketing and events, and community outreach. Laura graduated from Colorado College and received a Masters in Urban Planning and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Prior to moving to Chicago in 2011, she held positions in arts and culture and environmental communications and public relations firms.
Evan Nielsen
Evan was born and raised in Evanston and attended District 65 and 202 schools before attending the University of Notre Dame. He worked in secondary school education and admission in New England before returning to Evanston and joining The Brown Team at Baird & Warner. Evan is active in the community as a board member of The Tripp Healy Foundation and coaches ice hockey in Evanston at the youth and high school level.
Testimonials
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The Brown Team made us confidant and provided intelligent, informative advice. Sandra and Geoff, while professional, still made us feel like their neighbors. Their work assured our success.
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- Ed Moore
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The Brown team is the best. Bought a house after it was on the market for 3 hours, then Geoff Brown sold our house 3 days later. Dream team!
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- Neal Elward
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Great insight on homes and told the truth about everything.
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- Jeremy Rielley
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Geoff and Sandy are outstanding realtors and an excellent team! I worked primarily with Jeff, but if I wanted to take another look at the property on short notice, Sandy was able to be there to help out. I truly appreciate the vast experience they have between the two of them, that they understand the exact type of property I am looking for, and that they help me understand the purchasing process through its various intricacies. They were even a few times when Geoff had to advise me to cool off and not seem too eager. I believe this helped me negotiate an outstanding price. It was a pleasure to work with them.
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- Christopher Travis
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Over the last twenty years I have chosen Sandy Brown to represent me on five different real estate transactions. She is extremely knowledgeable and a warm, clear communicator. She goes above and beyond in assisting clients with the details of negotiation, contracts, closing and moving.
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- Anne Berkeley
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We needed some estimates on how potential renovations might affect our home’s value. I had seen Sandra Brown’s name on real estate listings in Evanston for many years, so we contacted her for help. She, in partnership with her son Geoff, analyzed and reported on the current value of our house and the estimated value for two renovation options. Their report was quite thorough and very helpful. They really know the Evanston market—so much so that Sandra seems to personally know the inside and outside of just about all of the comps and other homes we discussed. We had contacted other realtors in the area with the same request for estimates, and none of the others provided the level of detail that Sandra and Geoff did. They were also very generous with their time. When it’s time for us to sell our house, we’ll look to Sandra and Geoff to be our listing agents. We cannot recommend them enough.
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We are most grateful to you both for being so patient, professional, helpful and thoughtful throughout our selling, buying and moving process. What an ordeal with so many ups and downs. What I will remember most however is your amazing responsiveness to questions, your integrity and caring. With deep thanks.
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- Susan and Bob S.
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Sandy was wonderfully kind and professional. We are so thankful to her. Our young children ask about her still. We recommend her to all our friends and acquaintances.
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- Alfred Luckett
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Sandy and Geoff were enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and responsive every step of the way. Above and beyond. Thanks!
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- Susan Jones
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We have been working with the Browns for many years. They are consistently the best and most knowledgeable brokers we have worked with. They are also thoughtful and kind people. We couldn't be happier.
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- Parnassus Properties, Llc
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Sandy and Geoff went the extra mile in my recent purchase of a condominium. Their knowledge of the market, diligence and follow up will always be appreciated.
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- Gwendy J. Magrisso
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Working with Geoff and Sandy was a wonderful experience. They were always available to answer questions and were quick to suggest houses. When we found the one we wanted they were able to help us make the right offer and get the house. This is our first house, so we were brand new to the experience. They guided us through the entire process and made sure we understood each step. I would recommend working with them to anyone looking for a home.
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- Susanna Malarkey
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Sandy helped us several years ago and was terrific so we called her when we needed help again. She is smart, efficient, thorough and kind. Couldn't ask for more.
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- William Boscow
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Geoff Brown is excellent. Very real, very honest, wants to get his client a great deal and help with whatever is needed. I have purchased 5 investment properties with Geoff so far, so he knows exactly what I am looking for and will give me the most accurate information possible, whether it helps him get a sale or causes me to wait for a better opportunity. Geoff is great!
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- Christopher Travis
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Sandy was truly outstanding!
Before things got under way, she explained the entire process, clearly and in just the right amount of detail. She offered a number of excellent suggestions for relatively inexpensive improvements to make prior to putting the house on the market. (We are so glad we took her advice there.)
Sandy made all the arrangements for staging the empty house and for having it professionally photographed (and there was no additional charge for any of this). We could not have been more pleased with the results: her crew made the house look spectacular. Sandy marketed the house aggressively: she held public open houses on the first and second weekends, and between those two, an open house for brokers. We had an offer ten days after the house was listed.
Sandy was amazing in dealing with the results of the Buyer's house inspection. Sandy arranged five additional inspections: by a roofer, a mold remediator, a general contractor, a structural carpenter, and an electrician. Relying on those additional inspections, Sandy offered us great advice on what to have repaired, what to give a credit for (and how much), and where to hold the line. And once we decided to have mold remediation and electrical repairs done, Sandy made all the arrangements. It's hard for us to believe that other realtors would have gone so far to help us.
Whenever we had questions, Sandy always got back to us very, very quickly. We trusted her completely with the sale of our home.
One last thing. Sandy has a way of taking the stress out of the whole process, and we really appreciated that!
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- Walter Edelberg
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Geoff Brown has been our property manager for the past decade. We are very satisfied and thankful for his consistent and efficient management and service.
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- Blesilda Singh
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It was such a pleasure having Sandy & Geoff help us with buying & selling our properties! They make it look easy & are real pros.
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- Nick And Amy Patera
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Sandy was amazing! She was our advocate and support system through the whole process. There was no question she couldn't answer. She's the best!
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- Audrey Sherer
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Fantastic! Absolutely wonderful experience working with the Brown Team.
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- Patricia Barnes Estate
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Thanks again for all you did making the sell of our Evanston home relatively quick and painless. I saw that the other units that went on the market at the same time sat there much longer than ours and on top of that we got the price we were hoping for all along. It made it possible for us to purchase our home here, which we love.
Lesli N
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- Lesli N
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We were very pleased with all aspects of the service provided by Brown Team.
Excellent experience all around, from first meeting to referrals for other services, to marketing, keeping us informed about each step, negotiation and final sale.
We appreciate the understanding, care, kindness and calm attention to detail.
We would not hesitate to work with Brown Team again or to recommend them to others.
Thank you!
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- Wesley Kriebel
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Sandy Brown was an excellent realtor from start to finish. I don't live in the same state as the condo I sold so all of my communications with her were by phone and email. She was prompt, efficient and very helpful. She interfaced thoroughly and efficiently with the condo association and property management people to the point where I did not need to have one conversation with them! She also recommended a small business to do the "clean out" and coordinated access and logistics with them.
I couldn't have done it all so smoothly without Sandy's efficient service. This was an enjoyable and positive experience.
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- Lindsay Schyuler
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Long experience in the Evanston and Skokie market and calm, patient and friendly manner. It’s easy to work with consummate professionals who get results !
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- William Anthony
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Sandy Brown was my realtor in 2007 when I sold a condo and bought a different condo, the condo I just sold. It was wonderful to work with Sandy again, and this time with Geoff as well. I was thrilled that she could be my realtor again 13 years later......she is awesome! She stays calm, keeps me calm, has awesome input and insight, is supportive and helpful, totally professional and thorough in her work.
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- Elaine Clemens
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Others have pointed out correctly that Sandy is the ultimate professional, as well as extremely kind and intelligent, so I will focus on one supernatural skill she possesses. We are very loyal clients: Sandy just sold our third house for us and helped us buy our second. Sandy's supernatural power is that she knows precisely how to price houses, and she gives you a range so that everyone agrees -- and then poof, they sell without a lot of extra work. The average time it took us/her to sell our three houses was seven days -- with no price changes ever necessary. She knows how to help get things fixed for the sale, stage the houses, get you a great mortgage broker, and advertise and get the word out so that the right people know. She even holds your hand throughout the process if you need reassurance. We would never even think of selling or buying a house without Sandy, and this time we were also fortunate enough to work with her son, who knows everything about condos, which came in handy since we were renting an apartment in addition to buying a house. We could not possibly recommend Sandy and Geoff highly enough -- they are the very best!
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- Harry Ross
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Sandra was very kind and calm. She was patient and a wonderful guide through the process.
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- Carol Moser
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I have known Sandy for decades. She sold our first home before it went on the market, and our second and third homes within weeks. She is a wizard, I believe! Additionally, she has always steered us to finding the best properties to live in. Geoff worked with Sandy on selling our most recent home, and he was excellent as well. Not only that, Sandy and Geoff are some of the nicest people you will ever encounter, and they both have a calming demeanor that makes stressful situations, such as selling a house, bearable. There is absolutely no one else I would recommend. The combination of extensive knowledge of the market and the field, good taste, and overall great personalities is unbeatable.
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- Heather Ross
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Sandra Brown was a delight to work with. I hope to continue the relationship as my real estate needs change in the future
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- Vickie Szombathy
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The Browns (Sandy and Geoff) are great people and incredibly accomplished. They are caring as well. They are the best!
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- Tom Engel
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Great experience with Sandy ad Geoff s always!
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- Liliana Zecker
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Thanks again for your invaluable help in locating a condo that we love and now call "home", especially with its proximity to grandchildren.
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- Alice and Ted L.
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Many thanks for a lovely gift but most importantly for your understanding and can-do attitude. We cannot be more grateful for a "picture perfect" experience!
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- M. Kaplan
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Thank you, ever more so for helping us buy our first home. Your help and continuing advice and guidance has been invaluable to us.
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- Stephanie and Klaus W.
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Sandy was very knowledgeable about the market. There was no negotiation required as the sellers accepted our initial offer. We are experienced buyers and Sandy treated us as such.
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- Cynthia Mccreary
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Sandra rocks!! She is an excellent broker - knowledgeable, generous with her time, patient and just a delight to work with. I could not have closed on my condo without her.
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- Elizabeth Gerard
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumer's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. The data relating to real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of the Multiple Listing Service. Real estate listings held by brokerage firms other than Evanston may be marked with the Internet Data Exchange logo and detailed information about those properties will include the name of the listing broker(s) when required by the MLS. Copyright ©2023 All rights reserved.Based on information submitted to the MLS GRID as of September 28, 2023 2:03 PM UTC All data is obtained from various sources and may not have been verified by broker or MLS GRID. Supplied Open House Information is subject to change without notice.
Data is updated as of September 28, 2023 2:03 PM UTC
All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumer's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. The data relating
