Social Media
Specialties
Buyer's Agent
Real Estate Negotiation Expert
Accredited Buyer Representative
Real Estate Negotiation Expert
Military Relocation Professional
Pricing Strategy Advisor
Education
Bachelor of Science, Biology, Loyola University, Chicago
MBA, Finance, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
"We are truly thankful we chose you to help us with both selling and buying. We appreciated how you helped answer all of our many questions. In the end, that reduced a lot of the stress in purchasing. Karen went above and beyond showing us homes. Once we found a potential dream home, she helped us make it a reality by connecting us to several officials in Lake Forest to make sure we could make the changes we wanted. Karen even set up a meeting with Public Works to discuss the responsibilities of living on a ravine! And after we signed a contract, she was able to sell our home in just a few weeks. She not only understands the nuances of selling a home in Fort Sheridan but has a deep understanding of the North Shore market. We are thankful we chose Karen – she made the selling process go as smoothly as possible." - Elizabeth and Paul P.
★★★★★
"We are thrilled and elated to say we recently closed on a home in Fort Sheridan. After living in our last home for 42 years, the idea of moving was overwhelming. Trying to process everything as far as where to move, finding an agent and understanding the technicalities of the current housing markets seemed like an impossible task. Karen Chien-Rooney of the GGL Group, Compass, became our clear choice for accomplishing our expectations and needs. When first meeting Karen at an open house, we immediately made a connection and knew immediately that Karen checked all the boxes. She is positive, comforting, knowledgeable, and understands our needs. Karen always had our best interests at heart. Throughout the process of visiting potential homes, she guided us and when asked, offered honest opinions and suggestions to take the emotion out of the process. Thanks to Karen, we knew immediately that the home that we ended up purchasing was exactly what we wanted. She helped negotiate, guided us through the details of finding an attorney, set up the inspection along with multiple other tasks. I can say without hesitation, Karen led us throughout the entire process and even assisted on things beyond her role. Because of this we currently hired Karen to represent us as our seller agent. We could not have done everything as perfectly without Karen. She has become a personal friend and we will cherish her for making our retirement years that much better. We now live in paradise!/em>" - Michael and Jeanie R.
★★★★★
"Our home sale experience with Karen Rooney was nothing short of exceptional. Karen's superb professionalism is evident in her sincere kindness, attuned and empathetic listening/effective communication, unwavering advocacy, availability, and keen attention to RE market trends. Karen never waned in her support, optimism, enthusiasm and creativity in the somewhat challenging restrictions we had as sellers. She has been a gift to us!" - Heather
★★★★★
"Karen is a superb realtor who goes above and beyond the call of duty. She had the challenging task of selling my home after I had already moved to California. There were many upgrades that had to be made to my house. When I decided to repaint and refinish my floors, she interviewed, selected and oversaw the workmen. Karen and I were in constant communication as we discussed her strategy, etc. She was my advocate through the entire process. I trusted her with all the decisions that had to be made. She made this difficult process smooth and easy for me. I wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone who needs a realtor. Her customer service is outstanding." - Stella
★★★★★
"Working with Karen Chien-Rooney to sell my home on Lyster Road in the Fort made the realty experience exceptional. Living in the neighborhood gives Karen the firsthand appreciation for the wonderful history that surrounds us. It was great to be on the same page with my realtor, with the same personal understanding of the value of the period architecture, the amazing natural landscape, and the many other wonderful aspects of living in a secluded gem near the shores of Lake Michigan. Every historic property has a unique story and she was able to share this with prospective buyers - which was exactly what I hoped for when looking for the next owner of a home that was near and dear to my heart. Karen worked diligently to give my home visibility and was fantastic in providing timely follow-ups and honest feedback. She seamlessly coordinated the many details all the way through closing and made a process that can often be complex and stressful, very manageable. I knew I had a strong advocate to represent me, my property and my best interests in the home sale process. Karen is a trustworthy and hard-working realtor and a well-established resident of the Fort. I would recommend Karen to be your expert advocate when looking to buy or sell your Fort Sheridan dream home." - Ann
★★★★★
"If you are looking for a gracious, dependable, competent real estate professional, look no further than Karen Chien-Rooney. My family recently sought Karen's help in selling my mother's Fort Sheridan condominium. The service that we received from Karen was beyond exceptional. At every step of the process, Karen exceeded our expectations. Karen was resourceful and competent in her approach to mom's condo. When we discovered that some minor work was needed, Karen took the initiative in facilitating necessary repairs, even meeting repair folks at the condo when we were not able to do so Karen is gracious, professional, competent - If you need a topflight real estate professional, look no further than Karen Chien-Rooney!" - Patricia
★★★★★
"Karen did an excellent job helping us sell our home in Fort Sheridan. Her deep knowledge of the market and insightful guidance on market conditions and pricing were incredibly helpful. Karen was always prepared, highly responsive, and proactive throughout the entire process. She created significant enthusiasm for our home, and we were thrilled with the final outcome. It was a pleasure working with her, and we highly recommend Karen to anyone looking to sell or buy a home." - Lynn and Scott A
★★★★★
"Karen was an invaluable partner in the recent sale of my home. From the outset, her expertise and guidance were evident. She helped me identify areas for improvement, recommending reliable contractors who delivered excellent work. She also had a keen eye for market trends, helping me set a price that attracted strong offers while ensuring I received fair market value. Karen went above and beyond, connecting me with a skilled real estate attorney and expertly navigating the negotiation process. Her meticulous attention to detail ensured all documentation was in order for a smooth closing with the title company. Throughout the entire process, I felt confident that Karen always had my best interests at heart. I wholeheartedly recommend Karen to anyone seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable real estate agent. I would use Karen for all my future real estate transactions!" - Kevin H
★★★★★
"Karen was an invaluable partner in the recent sale of my home. From the outset, her expertise and guidance were evident. She helped me identify areas for improvement, recommending reliable contractors who delivered excellent work. She also had a keen eye for market trends, helping me set a price that attracted strong offers while ensuring I received fair market value. Karen went above and beyond, connecting me with a skilled real estate attorney and expertly navigating the negotiation process. Her meticulous attention to detail ensured all documentation was in order for a smooth closing with the title company. Throughout the entire process, I felt confident that Karen always had my best interests at heart. I wholeheartedly recommend Karen to anyone seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable real estate agent. I would use Karen for all my future real estate transactions!" - Kevin H
★★★★★
"Working with Karen Chien-Rooney was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. As an out-of-state seller, I needed someone I could trust to handle every aspect of the sale locally, and Karen exceeded every expectation. She took full ownership of preparing the Highland Park property for market, managed all communication and negotiation with both the Homeowners Association and the property manager, and kept me informed every step of the way. Thanks to her strategic guidance and expertise, we received three offers within just one day of listing, two of which were above asking price. Even more impressive, she helped ensure the transaction closed smoothly in under 30 days. Karen is not only a superb professional, but also a true joy to work with. Her responsiveness, attention to detail, and calm, confident presence made a potentially stressful process feel effortless. I couldn’t recommend her more highly." - Larry K.
★★★★★
"Karen was incredible to work with! We have two young children, and she made the sale process easy for us. She worked around our schedule and added value every step of the way. Her transparent communication, market insights, and professionalism provided us with a sense of calm, and she led us to a great result." - Molly & Seth B.
★★★★★
"As first-time homebuyers, we went into this process with a lot of uncertainty and very little experience. It’s a huge step, and it can easily feel overwhelming—but working with Karen changed everything for us. From our very first conversation, she made us feel at ease and gave us the confidence that we were in good hands. Karen was incredibly patient and supportive throughout our entire journey. She never made us feel rushed or pressured, and always took the time to explain every detail in a way that made sense to us. She was available at all hours to answer our endless questions—not just about houses, but about the whole process. Her flexibility and willingness to go the extra mile gave us so much peace of mind and really made all the difference. What truly stood out about Karen was her unwavering commitment to finding the right home for us, not just any home. She genuinely cared about our best interest, our safety, and what would make us happy in the long run. That kind of integrity is rare and something we’ll always be grateful for. Thanks to Karen, we not only found a home we love, but we also felt empowered and informed every step of the way. She made what could have been one of the most stressful times in our lives into something smooth, positive, and even enjoyable! We can’t thank her enough for making this experience so special. We truly couldn’t have done it without her!" - Emily & Josh K.
MBA, Finance, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana
Client Testimonials
Scroll down for more
★★★★★"We are truly thankful we chose you to help us with both selling and buying. We appreciated how you helped answer all of our many questions. In the end, that reduced a lot of the stress in purchasing. Karen went above and beyond showing us homes. Once we found a potential dream home, she helped us make it a reality by connecting us to several officials in Lake Forest to make sure we could make the changes we wanted. Karen even set up a meeting with Public Works to discuss the responsibilities of living on a ravine! And after we signed a contract, she was able to sell our home in just a few weeks. She not only understands the nuances of selling a home in Fort Sheridan but has a deep understanding of the North Shore market. We are thankful we chose Karen – she made the selling process go as smoothly as possible." - Elizabeth and Paul P.
★★★★★
"We are thrilled and elated to say we recently closed on a home in Fort Sheridan. After living in our last home for 42 years, the idea of moving was overwhelming. Trying to process everything as far as where to move, finding an agent and understanding the technicalities of the current housing markets seemed like an impossible task. Karen Chien-Rooney of the GGL Group, Compass, became our clear choice for accomplishing our expectations and needs. When first meeting Karen at an open house, we immediately made a connection and knew immediately that Karen checked all the boxes. She is positive, comforting, knowledgeable, and understands our needs. Karen always had our best interests at heart. Throughout the process of visiting potential homes, she guided us and when asked, offered honest opinions and suggestions to take the emotion out of the process. Thanks to Karen, we knew immediately that the home that we ended up purchasing was exactly what we wanted. She helped negotiate, guided us through the details of finding an attorney, set up the inspection along with multiple other tasks. I can say without hesitation, Karen led us throughout the entire process and even assisted on things beyond her role. Because of this we currently hired Karen to represent us as our seller agent. We could not have done everything as perfectly without Karen. She has become a personal friend and we will cherish her for making our retirement years that much better. We now live in paradise!/em>" - Michael and Jeanie R.
★★★★★
"Our home sale experience with Karen Rooney was nothing short of exceptional. Karen's superb professionalism is evident in her sincere kindness, attuned and empathetic listening/effective communication, unwavering advocacy, availability, and keen attention to RE market trends. Karen never waned in her support, optimism, enthusiasm and creativity in the somewhat challenging restrictions we had as sellers. She has been a gift to us!" - Heather
★★★★★
"Karen is a superb realtor who goes above and beyond the call of duty. She had the challenging task of selling my home after I had already moved to California. There were many upgrades that had to be made to my house. When I decided to repaint and refinish my floors, she interviewed, selected and oversaw the workmen. Karen and I were in constant communication as we discussed her strategy, etc. She was my advocate through the entire process. I trusted her with all the decisions that had to be made. She made this difficult process smooth and easy for me. I wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone who needs a realtor. Her customer service is outstanding." - Stella
★★★★★
"Working with Karen Chien-Rooney to sell my home on Lyster Road in the Fort made the realty experience exceptional. Living in the neighborhood gives Karen the firsthand appreciation for the wonderful history that surrounds us. It was great to be on the same page with my realtor, with the same personal understanding of the value of the period architecture, the amazing natural landscape, and the many other wonderful aspects of living in a secluded gem near the shores of Lake Michigan. Every historic property has a unique story and she was able to share this with prospective buyers - which was exactly what I hoped for when looking for the next owner of a home that was near and dear to my heart. Karen worked diligently to give my home visibility and was fantastic in providing timely follow-ups and honest feedback. She seamlessly coordinated the many details all the way through closing and made a process that can often be complex and stressful, very manageable. I knew I had a strong advocate to represent me, my property and my best interests in the home sale process. Karen is a trustworthy and hard-working realtor and a well-established resident of the Fort. I would recommend Karen to be your expert advocate when looking to buy or sell your Fort Sheridan dream home." - Ann
★★★★★
"If you are looking for a gracious, dependable, competent real estate professional, look no further than Karen Chien-Rooney. My family recently sought Karen's help in selling my mother's Fort Sheridan condominium. The service that we received from Karen was beyond exceptional. At every step of the process, Karen exceeded our expectations. Karen was resourceful and competent in her approach to mom's condo. When we discovered that some minor work was needed, Karen took the initiative in facilitating necessary repairs, even meeting repair folks at the condo when we were not able to do so Karen is gracious, professional, competent - If you need a topflight real estate professional, look no further than Karen Chien-Rooney!" - Patricia
★★★★★
"Karen did an excellent job helping us sell our home in Fort Sheridan. Her deep knowledge of the market and insightful guidance on market conditions and pricing were incredibly helpful. Karen was always prepared, highly responsive, and proactive throughout the entire process. She created significant enthusiasm for our home, and we were thrilled with the final outcome. It was a pleasure working with her, and we highly recommend Karen to anyone looking to sell or buy a home." - Lynn and Scott A
★★★★★
"Karen was an invaluable partner in the recent sale of my home. From the outset, her expertise and guidance were evident. She helped me identify areas for improvement, recommending reliable contractors who delivered excellent work. She also had a keen eye for market trends, helping me set a price that attracted strong offers while ensuring I received fair market value. Karen went above and beyond, connecting me with a skilled real estate attorney and expertly navigating the negotiation process. Her meticulous attention to detail ensured all documentation was in order for a smooth closing with the title company. Throughout the entire process, I felt confident that Karen always had my best interests at heart. I wholeheartedly recommend Karen to anyone seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable real estate agent. I would use Karen for all my future real estate transactions!" - Kevin H
★★★★★
"Karen was an invaluable partner in the recent sale of my home. From the outset, her expertise and guidance were evident. She helped me identify areas for improvement, recommending reliable contractors who delivered excellent work. She also had a keen eye for market trends, helping me set a price that attracted strong offers while ensuring I received fair market value. Karen went above and beyond, connecting me with a skilled real estate attorney and expertly navigating the negotiation process. Her meticulous attention to detail ensured all documentation was in order for a smooth closing with the title company. Throughout the entire process, I felt confident that Karen always had my best interests at heart. I wholeheartedly recommend Karen to anyone seeking a dedicated and knowledgeable real estate agent. I would use Karen for all my future real estate transactions!" - Kevin H
★★★★★
"Working with Karen Chien-Rooney was an absolute pleasure from start to finish. As an out-of-state seller, I needed someone I could trust to handle every aspect of the sale locally, and Karen exceeded every expectation. She took full ownership of preparing the Highland Park property for market, managed all communication and negotiation with both the Homeowners Association and the property manager, and kept me informed every step of the way. Thanks to her strategic guidance and expertise, we received three offers within just one day of listing, two of which were above asking price. Even more impressive, she helped ensure the transaction closed smoothly in under 30 days. Karen is not only a superb professional, but also a true joy to work with. Her responsiveness, attention to detail, and calm, confident presence made a potentially stressful process feel effortless. I couldn’t recommend her more highly." - Larry K.
★★★★★
"Karen was incredible to work with! We have two young children, and she made the sale process easy for us. She worked around our schedule and added value every step of the way. Her transparent communication, market insights, and professionalism provided us with a sense of calm, and she led us to a great result." - Molly & Seth B.
★★★★★
"As first-time homebuyers, we went into this process with a lot of uncertainty and very little experience. It’s a huge step, and it can easily feel overwhelming—but working with Karen changed everything for us. From our very first conversation, she made us feel at ease and gave us the confidence that we were in good hands. Karen was incredibly patient and supportive throughout our entire journey. She never made us feel rushed or pressured, and always took the time to explain every detail in a way that made sense to us. She was available at all hours to answer our endless questions—not just about houses, but about the whole process. Her flexibility and willingness to go the extra mile gave us so much peace of mind and really made all the difference. What truly stood out about Karen was her unwavering commitment to finding the right home for us, not just any home. She genuinely cared about our best interest, our safety, and what would make us happy in the long run. That kind of integrity is rare and something we’ll always be grateful for. Thanks to Karen, we not only found a home we love, but we also felt empowered and informed every step of the way. She made what could have been one of the most stressful times in our lives into something smooth, positive, and even enjoyable! We can’t thank her enough for making this experience so special. We truly couldn’t have done it without her!" - Emily & Josh K.
About Karen
Karen is an established North Shore native. She was raised in Wilmette and moved to Northbrook as a young adult. She and her husband purchased their first home there and then moved to the Town of Fort Sheridan where they have lived for the past 18 years. Her home is a historical site that she restored with her husband. This was a satisfying experience given their deep connection with the community.
Karen has raised her three children here and has enjoyed the lakefront, forested ravines, and paths that traverse the 400 acres of beautiful open space in the town.
Karen's corporate experience in finance brings skills that are well-suited to real estate. These include analytical thinking, communication, and innovation. Clients have always been her top priority. She understands how much selling or purchasing a home impacts one’s life and is committed to providing the outstanding customer service, integrity, and hard work that is necessary to ensure a positive experience and outcome for clients.
Karen looks forward to working with you in the process of selling your home or buying your dream home.
Karen has raised her three children here and has enjoyed the lakefront, forested ravines, and paths that traverse the 400 acres of beautiful open space in the town.
Karen's corporate experience in finance brings skills that are well-suited to real estate. These include analytical thinking, communication, and innovation. Clients have always been her top priority. She understands how much selling or purchasing a home impacts one’s life and is committed to providing the outstanding customer service, integrity, and hard work that is necessary to ensure a positive experience and outcome for clients.
Karen looks forward to working with you in the process of selling your home or buying your dream home.