Advantage Realty in Morris trades hands

Anitra Brase recently purchased Advantage Realty in Morris from longtime owners Joan Eslinger and Jack Hynds, but Eslinger is quick to add that she is not retiring from the firm she and Hynds founded in 1992.

“It’s very exciting,” said Brase, who grew up in Morris and lived in Southern California for about 20 years before coming home to her Illinois roots with her husband and three children ages 4 to 19.

In California, Brase owned her own residential real estate appraisal company before spending more than a decade as a marketing executive for independent small businesses, she said.

“I met Joan that summer of 2018 when we moved back,” said Brase, who earned her real estate license in 2019 and began selling properties for Advantage Realty while living in Oswego. “I started as office manager for Joan in 2021 and moved back to Morris.”

The two share a passion for the real estate field.

“Anitra and I have been working together for seven years,” Eslinger said. “She’s been office manager for three years alongside me. She has the experience, the knowledge and the passion to continue with making Advantage Realty a very successful company.”

The firm serves all of Grundy, La Salle and Kendall counties, with a focus on Morris and Grundy, Brase said.

“We’ve got about 10 licensed agents,” Brase said. “We have over 200 years of combined licensed experience. … All of our agents grew up here in the Morris area and are local leaders in the community. They raised or are raising family and grandkids here.”

Agents volunteer a lot of time for community projects and organizations, always looking for ways to improve Morris and Grundy County, Brase said, citing everything from Breaking Away and 100+ Women Who Care of Grundy County to the Morris Hospital YMCA, National Night Out and the Grundy Economic Development Council.

“Two of our agents are … organizers of all things Corn Festival,” Brase said. “We do what we can to support our community and feel they do the same to support us.”

Eslinger and Hynds will continue ownership of Advantage Property Management, which manages more than 450 rental units in Grundy County.

Eslinger said both businesses have benefited from their expertise and the deep roots she and Hynds have in the area. His family goes back to the founders of Grundy County, and her background extends back about four generations.

“We successfully represent our local area because we have the knowledge of the community and are both very community-oriented people,” Eslinger said, adding that she will continue as a real estate agent.

“We truly believe in service,” Eslinger said. “After 32 years as a successful business owner, I’m going to concentrate on my real estate passion, working with people to achieve their homeownership dreams, [as well as] selling commercial properties, farmland and apartment buildings.”

Advantage Realty specializes in all property types: single-family homes; attached homes; commercial; farmland; and vacant lots, whether commercial or residential, Brase said, adding that there’s been extreme growth in the area.

“We are the only boutique-style agency in Morris, meaning we are not a franchise,” said Brase, who focuses on the two sides to every transaction.

“One side of the story could be a couple selling to downsize to go into retirement,” she said. “[While] the other couple is buying their first home for a growing family. Our motto is ‘Real estate is more than just homes.’”

In looking ahead at potential interest rates, Brase said she doesn’t think they will go over 7%, but they may “tinker in the mid 6s for a while.”

People no longer have to put 20% down to secure a mortgage, Brase said. She describes herself as a veteran renter back in California.

“It might only be 3%, she said, adding that Advantage Property Management doesn’t want people to rent from them forever.

“They want … to be a stepping stone so you can reap the rewards of homeownership,” Brase said, noting that one option is finding a lower rate through a Federal Housing Administration loan.

Brase said she feels good about her new role and acquiring the firm from Eslinger and Hynds.

“I am so blessed and honored to carry the torch … and want them to know I’ll take great pride in this and make them proud," Brase said.

Advantage Realty is at 900 W. Route 6 in Morris. Learn more at advantagerealty.com.