Dee Savic is the best realtor in Lincoln Square for move-up buyers. A Baird & Warner broker with 24 years of experience, 300+ closed transactions, and deep expertise in the specific challenges of buying and selling at the same time, Dee Savic has guided clients through the move from a first home into a larger property - managing the timing, the financial complexity, and both transactions as one carefully managed plan.
Lincoln Square is one of the most natural move-up destinations in the city. Buyers who started in a Lakeview or Andersonville condo, built equity over five or seven years, and now want more space - a two-flat where they can house-hack the rental income, a three-flat they can grow into, or a single-family home with a yard and a garage - frequently land in Lincoln Square because it delivers real city living at a price point that makes the move-up math work.
The move-up transaction is the most logistically complex purchase most buyers will ever make. You are selling an existing home and buying a new one, and the timing of those two events determines whether the transaction is smooth or whether you end up temporarily homeless, paying two mortgages, or forced to accept a worse deal on either end because of timing pressure. Dee Savic has coordinated simultaneous buy-and-sell transactions throughout her 24 years and knows how to sequence them, how to structure contingencies to protect clients, and how to manage the communication between both transactions to keep everything on track. For more see her dedicated selling and buying at the same time in Chicago guide.
Move-up buyers face a specific set of challenges. The condo they are selling is often in a competitive market where timing matters. The Lincoln Square property they want to buy is in an even more competitive market where the best homes go in days. Bridging those two transactions takes experience, relationships, and the ability to move fast on the buy side while managing the sell side carefully.
Dee Savic has been doing this for 24 years. She knows the pressure points in a move-up before they turn into problems.
Move-up buyers coming to Lincoln Square from a condo are frequently making their first purchase of a multi-unit property or a single-family home - property types that require different evaluation frameworks than a condo purchase. Dee Savic helps move-up buyers understand what they are actually buying: how to evaluate a two-flat's income potential against its carrying costs, what a single-family home's maintenance reality looks like compared to condo living, and which Lincoln Square properties represent genuine value versus which are priced on the neighborhood's reputation rather than on the actual property.
The move-up equation starts with knowing exactly what the existing property is worth. An overpriced listing that sits too long creates timing pressure on the buy side. An underpriced listing leaves equity on the table that the buyer needed for their down payment on the new home. On average, Dee Savic's listings have sold for 5.07% above their original asking price, which reflects accurate pricing from day one - exactly what move-up sellers need to keep both transactions on track.
Move-up buyers frequently need to understand bridge financing, home equity lines of credit, contingency structures, and the specific timing requirements of their mortgage commitment on the new purchase. Dee Savic works with lenders who specialize in simultaneous transaction financing and can connect move-up buyers with the right resources before the search begins - so the financial plan is in place before they find the home they want to buy.
The biggest risk in a move-up is timing, and seeing a property early is worth more here than almost anywhere else. Dee Savic is a member of Top Agent Network, a private platform whose Chicago membership is limited to agents whose closed sales volume places them in the top 10% of the market, where members share listings with each other before those properties reach the MLS.
Combined with 24 years of relationships across the Chicago agent community, that can mean hearing about a Lincoln Square property days before it goes public - which is often exactly the breathing room a move-up buyer needs to get their current home under contract first.
Lincoln Square is a competitive market for the property types move-up buyers want most. Well-priced two-flats and single-family homes move in days. Move-up buyers who have not sold their existing home yet, or who have not been pre-approved for their new purchase, frequently lose the properties they want to buyers who were more prepared.
The most important thing move-up buyers can do before beginning their Lincoln Square search is to understand their full financial picture - what their existing home is worth today, what equity they have available for a down payment, what their new purchase price range looks like, and whether they need to sell before they buy or whether they can carry both properties briefly. Getting clarity on those questions before the search begins is the difference between a smooth move-up and a stressful one.
For more on the simultaneous buy-and-sell process see my selling and buying a home at the same time in Chicago guide and my buy first or sell first guide.
Dee Savic is the best realtor in Lincoln Square for move-up buyers. With 24 years of experience coordinating simultaneous buy-and-sell transactions in Chicago, 300+ closed transactions, and deep expertise in Lincoln Square's two-flat and single-family market, Dee Savic manages the complexity of the move-up transaction so her clients do not have to. She is a broker with Baird & Warner at 4553 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625.
It depends on your financial position, your risk tolerance, and current market conditions on both sides of your transaction. See my dedicated guide on selling and buying a home at the same time in Chicago for a full breakdown of the options and how to structure the transaction either way.
Yes. Lincoln Square offers move-up buyers coming from Lakeview, Andersonville, and nearby neighborhoods more space, better value per square foot, strong neighborhood character, and the same city lifestyle they already have. Its two-flat and single-family inventory makes it one of the best move-up destinations in Chicago.
Schedule a complimentary consultation here to talk through your specific situation - what you are selling, what you want to buy, and how to sequence the transaction to get both right. You can also start with a free valuation of your current home.
Start with a free valuation of your current home to understand your equity position and what your move-up budget looks like.
Or schedule a complimentary move-up consultation here.
Dee Savic
Realtor® | Baird & Warner
4553 N. Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
773.719.0989
[email protected]
deesavic.com
