When veteran REALTOR® Laura McGreal of @properties in Downers Grove found her career calling nearly twenty years ago, she didn’t hesitate to begin to build the success she now enjoys. “I started at the bottom, working sixty or more hours a week, giving up most of my nights and weekends while in my twenties, which was not easy,” she shares.

Originally from Tinley Park, Laura was encouraged by her parents to prioritize education and work hard so that she would never have to entirely depend on others. After graduating with a finance degree from Eastern Illinois University, Laura felt conflicted about where to take her career next. But a chance meeting set her path.

“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do, but I ended up meeting a home builder at a job fair,” says Laura. “I felt more excited about the opportunities with them [that company] than some of the banking jobs I was interviewing for. I took the leap and started my career in real estate.” 

Right after college, Laura began selling new construction homes with Pulte—a large, national home builder—in 2003, and eventually earned her real estate license in 2007. She spent more than eleven years with the company in sales and marketing roles. Though she enjoyed her time at Pulte Homes, she ultimately felt the pull to expand her reach and impact within the real estate industry.

“I love that I started my career with a large builder as it gave me so much experience and training—I had a required six-month mentorship, and I was given training in construction, financing, land acquisition, and sales,” she says. “But in the end, I wanted to expand the number of people I worked with, including friends and family, which is why I became a REALTOR®.”

Since jumping into her career as a REALTOR® in 2014, Laura has leveraged her years of experience and robust training in new construction, sales, and marketing in the fast-paced real estate market. And throughout, she’s had to learn to adjust her approach and adopt new techniques to meet clients’ needs and the ever-changing housing landscape.

“Since the pandemic, with less inventory in the market, it’s been tough to find people exactly what they are looking for in their price range,” Laura notes. “I love strategizing and working with local contractors and designers to get my clients their dream homes. Sometimes you have to have vision and think outside the box. For example, a recent client bought a home under their price point. I then connected them with a new construction lender, and I introduced them to a contractor and a designer I trust. The client wouldn’t have been able to find their desired end product, especially within their desired location, in this current market—at least not without multiple offers.”

After leaving Pulte Homes, Laura joined Dream Town Real Estate with a longtime partner. She continued to sell new construction developments in the city while also selling resale homes. After moving to Downers Grove, however, Laura made the decision to join @properties, a company with a great reputation back in her hometown, and soon formed her own team, the Laura McGreal Group. 

Laura’s team includes REALTORS® Lauren Schwartz, Megan Studencki, and Katy O’Donnell. Their unique backgrounds as well as their experiences living and working in different parts of the western and south suburbs comprise a cross-section of nearly every imaginable real estate challenge, making the team a valuable and trusted partner to their clients.

“Our team maximizes our effectiveness by excelling at communication with each other and within our network,” says Laura. “When one of us or our clients has a question, we reach out and ask each other. If we still can’t find the answer, we’ll turn to our brokerage and our managing brokers. We all want each other to be successful.”

When not selling real estate, Laura prioritizes giving back to her local community through charitable organizations and volunteering at her daughters’ school. She has been active in Blessings in a Backpack, a group that raises awareness about childhood hunger and provides food for meals on the weekends for children who, during the week, depend on school meals as their primary source of nutrition. Laura is part of a small group of moms at the school who help organize, pack, and distribute food, anonymously, to the kids who need it on a weekly basis. 

Laura also spends her much-earned downtime with her husband of over fifteen years, Roger; their two daughters, Ceili (11) and Ellie (9); and their huge Bernese mountain dog, Bear. She also loves to travel, try new restaurants, and play volleyball with a close group of friends. It’s always been important to Laura to balance her time between her personal life and her career. 

“My goal was to establish my career before having a family,” explains Laura. “My husband has always been extremely supportive of my business. And now that we have a family, I’m passionate about showing my daughters that if you work hard, treat people right, and find a way to give back, good things will happen in life.”

Laura claims she can’t imagine doing anything other than be a REALTOR®. And even though real estate has been her one and only job, and she has nearly twenty years under her belt, Laura says with a smile, “I’m just getting started.”

“Even with the highs and lows of this business, I love it,” states Laura. “I never thought I would be able to work for myself. This [industry] has its pluses and minuses, but this career is fulfilling and can be fun, too. I’ve not only worked with great clients, but also with great colleagues and other professionals connected to our industry.”