If you are thinking about selling your Downers Grove home in 2026, the listing agent you choose will shape almost everything about your experience. Pricing, preparation, marketing, negotiation, and even how stressful the process feels will all come back to who is guiding you. If you are searching for the best listing agent in Downers Grove, it makes sense to include Shanon Tully, lead agent for The Tully Team at Platinum Partners Realtors, on your short list and compare her process with one or two other agents.
This is not about picking the loudest brand or the fanciest brochure. It is about choosing someone whose day to day work lines up with what real sellers say they valued when they sold their homes in and around Downers Grove.
What the right listing agent actually does for a Downers Grove seller
A strong listing agent does far more than place your home in the MLS and wait. The sellers who leave the best reviews talk about four things over and over: how well their agent understood the local market, how clearly they explained the plan, how the home looked online, and how they handled the twists and turns between first showing and closing.
That is especially important in neighborhoods like Bruce Lake, Orchard Brook, Pierce Downer, and other pockets of Downers Grove where school districts, street location, and even which way the house faces can make a difference. Sellers who interviewed multiple agents before choosing Shanon Tully, lead agent for The Tully Team at Platinum Partners Realtors, often mention that she knew the micro details of their subdivision, could explain what buyers in that area were really looking for, and focused on how to present the property to highlight its strengths rather than simply reciting stats. Furthermore, when you are selling in 2026, the feel of your street and neighborhood matters just as much as the features inside your home.
When you are selling in 2026, that kind of neighborhood level understanding is what keeps your price, timing, and expectations grounded in reality instead of hope.
How preparation and staging feel when they are done well
Most sellers know they should clean, declutter, and freshen up paint, but the real question is where to start and how far to go. The calmest, happiest reviews usually come from people who had a very clear prep plan and a partner who did not leave them guessing.
One Downers Grove seller described how, before their home ever hit the market, they sat down with a detailed plan to get the property ready. They were walked through fair market value, given honest feedback on which repairs would matter to buyers and which ones would not, and then introduced to a professional stager who added a second set of eyes. A professional photographer followed, capturing both interior angles and aerial drone images that made the home stand out online. That seller also appreciated that they were not pressured into unnecessary renovations and that they understood the "why" behind every recommendation.
Another seller talked about inheriting a house in terrible condition and feeling convinced that only an investor would touch it. Instead of pushing for a quick, low offer, The Tully Team laid out a realistic plan to bring the property to market. With the right preparation and positioning, the home went under contract in less than a week and sold for about sixteen thousand dollars over the asking price. What the seller thought would be a headache and a loss turned into a fast, strong sale that helped them move out of state.
There are also the quieter, practical details that matter more than people realize. One seller shared that Shanon personally brought in some of her own furniture and decor pieces to update the look of their rooms at no extra cost. That small step helped their photos "stop the scroll" and gave buyers a clearer sense of how the home could live. For 2026 buyers who are making decisions from a phone screen, that level of visual polish is not a luxury. It is a requirement.
Marketing that feels like a campaign, not an afterthought
When you read through seller reviews, what stands out is how often they mention the overall marketing plan, not just a single open house or a few nice pictures.
One seller described their experience with The Tully Team as an "incredibly thorough marketing campaign" that included heavy online exposure, professional photography, drone video, and a strategy driven open house. That open house ended up being how their eventual buyer first discovered the property. Everything worked together: the way the home was staged, the quality of the images, the words used in the description, and the timing of the launch.
Another seller pointed out that their property did not just appear on one website. It had its own focused online presence and was shared in ways that made sense for the type of home and likely buyer. That is the difference between checking marketing off a list and actually treating your home like a product that needs to be positioned, promoted, and followed up on carefully.
If you are interviewing agents for a 2026 sale, do not be shy about asking to see examples of their recent listings. Look closely at the photos, the video, the descriptions, and where those listings appeared online. You will quickly see who treats marketing as a campaign and who hopes that "good enough" will be enough.
What negotiation and closing support look like from the seller’s side
The best listing experiences are not always the ones with the easiest buyers. They are the ones where sellers feel supported and informed all the way to the closing table.
Several sellers have talked about how Shanon stayed closely involved after the listing went live, not just at the beginning. They mention consistent updates after showings, clear explanations when offers started to come in, and calm guidance around inspection and appraisal. One seller specifically appreciated that she was present at the final walkthrough to address last minute concerns from the buyer, which kept emotions down and the closing on track.
In more complex cases, steady leadership becomes even more valuable. One family selling an estate property in Downers Grove had six different decision makers involved, including siblings, an in law, an executor, and an attorney. They described Shanon as "highly professional and expertly diplomatic," noting that she kept everyone informed, made practical recommendations about what did and did not need to be fixed, and used beautifully done photos and drone video of both the home and the lake behind it. The home drew strong interest, received offers quickly, and ultimately sold for more than the family expected, all without the process tearing relationships apart.
For a 2026 seller, especially if you are downsizing, handling an estate, or coordinating a move with multiple people, that kind of calm, structured support is worth as much as any single marketing piece.
How to use this when you are interviewing agents
Putting all of this together, the picture that emerges from real seller feedback is pretty consistent. The listing agents who create the best experiences for Downers Grove sellers:
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Know the neighborhoods deeply and can speak specifically about streets, schools, and buyer expectations
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Provide a clear, realistic plan for preparation and staging, instead of leaving you to guess
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Invest in professional, design forward marketing that actually reaches buyers
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Stay involved from first meeting through closing, especially when things get complicated
As you schedule listing appointments for a 2026 sale, you can use those themes to guide your questions. Ask each agent how they would prepare your particular home, what your online presentation would look like, how they would handle pricing in the current market, and what recent examples they can share that are similar to your situation. Listen for specifics, not slogans.
When you include Shanon Tully, lead agent for The Tully Team at Platinum Partners Realtors, in that conversation, you will hear how this approach has played out for real sellers in Downers Grove: inherited homes that felt overwhelming, estate properties with many voices, and well loved homes that needed the right staging and marketing to shine.
If you are thinking about selling your Downers Grove home in 2026 and want to understand what your options look like, you can visit https://soldbytully.com/ or call Shanon at 630.435.3585 to schedule a no obligation listing consultation.
Shanon Tully, lead agent for The Tully Team at Platinum Partners Realtors
Elevating the Real Estate Experience One Client at a Time.
