Brady R ealtors is a well-established agency in this region. Founded
in 1964 as Brady Weaver GMAC Realtors, in the last six years the
company has changed to Brady Realtors, with offices located in
Bloomington, Champaign, Clinton and most recently Lincoln.
Brady Realtors is indeed a family affair as it is owned by three
sisters-in-law: Nancy, Lynda and Michelle Brady, who are the wives
of former gubernatorial candidate Sen. Bill Brady and his brothers,
Ed and Bob.
Camill Tedrick is the managing broker for the Clinton agency and
will also be over the new Lincoln office. She said that when the
Bradys restructured their businesses, they joined their Bloomington
and Champaign offices with Re-Max.
However, they chose to run their Clinton office as an independent
real estate agency. Tedrick said that for the DeWitt County market
demographic, an independent agency was a better fit.
The Brady Realtors have been considering adding an office in
Lincoln for quite some time. Tedrick said that the community has a
lot of similarities with the DeWitt County and Clinton areas. For
the most part, job availability is similar, commuting opportunities
are about the same, and it appears that residents are choosing to
stay in the area when considering buying new or different homes.
The Lincoln office, which is also an independent real estate
agency, has added four local realtors: Linda Barrick, Pat Glenn,
Tena Schneider and Brenda Short.
"They are all natives of Lincoln and are bringing with them years
of experience and a great deal of knowledge regarding the housing
market. I feel very fortunate to have them on board," Tedrick said.
The Lincoln office officially opened in November, which Tedrick
said was the perfect time because the market is typically slower
this time of year.
"It has given us a real opportunity to get organized," she said.
Tedrick said that the economy has had somewhat of an effect on
the housing market, but it is not as depressed as some might think.
What she and the Brady Realtors are seeing is that the days
between first listed and actually sold are a bit longer perhaps, but
in this region at least, home values have not dropped as some would
have us believe.
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Even though the office has been open only a few weeks, Tedrick
said the firm already has about 25 listings in the area and is
looking to expand the offerings as time goes by.
The agency will handle all types of real estate, from
single-dwelling homes to multiplexes, apartment complexes,
commercial buildings and land.
When asked to offer some quick tips for potential sellers and
buyers, Tedrick said go ahead and pack up personal items and de-clutter the décor, so
that would-be buyers can better visualize themselves in the home.
For buyers, Tedrick said it is important to know and understand
the circumstances under which the home is being sold. A home can be
a simple sell by the owner, a short sell or a foreclosure. Be sure
that as a buyer you understand the differences and what they will
mean to you.
As an example, she noted that homes sold in foreclosure are
almost always sold "as is," which means that any repairs or upgrades
needed are going to be the financial burden of the buyer, and there
will be very little room for negotiation there.
The Lincoln office of Brady Realtors is planning a grand opening
for Jan. 28, and Tedrick hopes that everyone in the community will
stop in and say hello.
The agency is also currently working on joining the Lincoln/Logan
County Chamber of Commerce and an official ribbon-cut will be
scheduled in the near future.
Visit the Brady Realtors website at
http://www.bradyrealtors.com/ or call 217-732-7355 in Lincoln.
[By NILA SMITH]
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