Selling your home in Chicago is a big move, and who you work with matters. Hayley Westhoff leads The Westhoff Group at Compass — one of the city’s top-producing real estate teams, with over half a billion dollars in collective sales.
They specialize in Chicago’s North Side neighborhoods and bring high-level market expertise and sharp negotiation skills to every listing, from strategic pricing and staging to marketing, offer negotiations, and closing. It’s a concierge-level experience led by one of Chicago’s most respected market and negotiating experts, and it’s built to get sellers top dollar.
Why Chicago Homeowners Choose The Westhoff Group to Sell
Hayley Westhoff is a Top 1% Producing Agent as recognized by the Chicago Association of Realtors and has been named one of America’s Top 100 Agents. She was voted Best Chicago Realtor by Better Magazine in 2021 and 2022, earned the Best Real Estate Agent designation from Expertise.com, and was named a Crain’s Notable Residential Real Estate Broker in 2023, and is a 2025 Chicago Association of REALTORS® Platinum Team Top Producer.
The team carries a 5.0-star rating across over 100 Google reviews, and if you read them, you’ll notice a pattern — sellers say Hayley makes the process less stressful than they expected, responds fast, and actually knows the neighborhoods she’s selling in. That kind of deep market expertise, knowing what buyers want, what comparable homes have sold for, and how to position a listing to win, shows up in the results.
Here’s a number worth knowing: The Westhoff Group’s list-to-sales price ratio is 100.8%. That means their sellers consistently get offers at or above asking, not under it. That kind of result doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from expert-level pricing strategy paired with skilled, aggressive negotiation on every single offer.
They also sell homes in less than half the average market time in Chicago. If you don’t want your home sitting on the market for months, that track record speaks for itself.
Chicago Neighborhoods Where The Westhoff Group Sells Homes
Hayley and her team know Chicago’s most sought-after North Side neighborhoods. Whether you own a vintage two-flat in Roscoe Village, a brownstone in Lincoln Park, or a lakefront condo in Lakeview, Hayley and her team understand the nuances of every market in the Chicago area.
Roscoe Village and North Center
Roscoe Village and North Center are two of the most in-demand neighborhoods on the North Side looking to sell. You’ll find a mix of single-family homes, condos, and multi-units here, and buyer demand stays consistently strong.
The Westhoff Group’s office is located at 2044 W. Roscoe Street, in the heart of the neighborhood. That means they’re plugged into the neighborhood in a way that’s hard to replicate, including off-market opportunities that other agents just don’t have access to.
Lakeview and Lincoln Park
Lakeview and Lincoln Park are two of Chicago’s largest and most active real estate markets. From high-rise lakefront condos to tree-lined residential streets with classic Chicago greystones, these neighborhoods offer a wide range of property types at various price points.
Hayley’s team helps sellers here price competitively, stage for maximum appeal, and get their listing in front of qualified buyers through MLS listings, open houses, and targeted digital campaigns.
Bucktown, Wicker Park, and Logan Square
Bucktown, Wicker Park, and Logan Square are hot markets right now. Walkable streets, great restaurants, independent shops, and solid transit access keep drawing buyers in.
Sellers here benefit from the team’s deep understanding of what’s actually driving prices in these pockets — and what today’s buyers care about when they’re searching.
Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, and Southport Corridor
Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, and the Southport Corridor attract buyers who value neighborhood character, access to parks, and proximity to CTA Brown Line stations. Because Hayley’s team sells in these areas regularly, they can help you price it right, prep for showings, and pull in multiple offers from motivated buyers.
The Westhoff Group’s Home Selling Process in Chicago
Selling a house in Chicago involves a lot of moving parts. Hayley’s team handles all of it from your first listing consultation to the closing table. Here’s what that process actually looks like.
Strategic Pricing and Comparative Market Analysis
Getting the price right from day one is everything, and this is where Hayley’s market expertise gives sellers a real edge. Her team runs a deep market analysis that goes beyond surface-level comps, factoring in recent sales, current inventory, buyer demand patterns, and neighborhood-specific pricing trends to land on the number that generates the strongest response.
Price it right and you’ll likely see multiple offers, which pushes the final sale price up. Price it wrong and your listing sits. In Chicago’s market, this is the single most important decision you’ll make as a seller.
Professional Staging and Property Preparation
With an extensive remodeling and real estate investment background, Hayley Westhoff brings an investor’s eye and a market expert’s perspective to every listing, advising sellers on everything from decluttering and minor repairs to strategic updates that maximize a property’s appeal and value. The team provides hands-on staging guidance for every listing, helping sellers highlight their property’s best features.
Whether your home needs a fresh coat of paint or a full staging overhaul, the goal is the same — make it look its best for photos, showings, and open houses. Staged homes sell faster and for more money. It’s not optional in this market.
MLS Listing and Multi-Channel Marketing
Once your home hits the MLS, the marketing push starts immediately — professional photography, virtual tours, social media, and email campaigns to The Westhoff Group’s buyer network. The goal is maximum exposure from day one, not a slow drip of interest.
Being at Compass gives the team access to proprietary marketing tools and a massive agent network across Chicago and nationally. That means your listing doesn’t just sit on a website, it gets in front of real, qualified buyers who are actively looking.
Managing Showings, Offers, and Negotiations
Hayley’s team manages all the showings, private tours, and open houses so you’re not fielding calls and juggling schedules yourself.
When offers come in, Hayley and her team break down every one, whether cash, financed, or contingent, evaluating not just price but terms, timelines, contingencies, and buyer strength. As one of Chicago’s top negotiating experts, Hayley leverages competing bids, counters strategically, and fights for every dollar. Her team’s 100.8% list-to-sales price ratio is a direct result of that negotiation expertise. They won’t sugarcoat a bad offer just to close faster.
Navigating Closing Costs and Legal Requirements
Closing costs in Chicago typically include real estate attorney fees, title insurance, city and state transfer taxes, and agent commissions. Hayley’s team walks you through all of it upfront so there aren’t any surprises when you get to the closing table.
They also coordinate directly with your real estate attorney to make sure contracts, disclosures, and inspection responses stay on track. Knowing your net proceeds ahead of time means you can make smart decisions instead of guessing.
Pocket Listings and Off-Market Sales
Not every home sale needs to start on the MLS. A pocket listing is a property marketed privately through an agent’s network before, or instead of, going public. The Westhoff Group uses Compass Private Exclusives to give sellers access to a nationwide network of Compass agents and their qualified buyers, creating early demand without the pressure of days on market counting against the listing.
This approach works well if you want to test your price before going public, keep the sale private, or build some buzz among serious buyers before the listing officially launches. Hayley and her team advise sellers on whether a private exclusive, a traditional MLS listing, or a phased approach will deliver the strongest result based on the property and current market conditions throughout the selling process.
What Makes Selling a Home in Chicago Unique
Chicago’s real estate market doesn’t work like other cities, and if you’re selling here for the first time (or the first time in a while), there are a few things worth knowing.
Home prices in Chicago can vary wildly from one block to the next. A condo in Lakeview and a single-family in North Center follow different pricing trends. That’s why working with an agent who knows your specific neighborhood — not just “Chicago” in general — matters so much when you’re trying to get top dollar.
There are also some Chicago-specific quirks you should know about — like the transfer tax, Cook County’s property tax structure, and the fact that you’ll need a real estate attorney involved in the transaction. That’s standard practice here, and it’s actually a good thing for sellers.
Timing matters too. Spring and early summer are historically the busiest seasons for buyers in Chicago, though well-priced homes in desirable North Side neighborhoods attract interest year-round.
The Westhoff Group advises each seller on the optimal timing for their specific property and current market conditions, whether that means listing immediately or waiting for the market window that will generate the strongest results.
How The Westhoff Group Helps You Sell Your Home for Top Dollar
Hayley isn’t just a listing agent. She’s a market expert, a skilled negotiator, and an experienced real estate investor. That combination means she can walk through your home and tell you exactly which updates are worth the money, price your property to attract competing offers, and negotiate terms that other agents can’t offer because they haven’t done it themselves.
From prep and staging to marketing, showings, and closing, the team handles it all. You won’t be chasing down contractors, coordinating photographers, or wondering what’s happening with your listing. That’s their job, and their track record as one of Chicago’s top-producing teams proves they’re among the best at it.
And because they’re at Compass, your listing gets plugged into a national network of agents and buyers — not just local ones. That’s a real advantage if your property appeals to relocating buyers or out-of-state investors looking at Chicago’s North Side.
Contact The Westhoff Group Today
Whether you’re selling a condo in Lakeview, a single-family home in Roscoe Village, or a multi-unit in Logan Square, The Westhoff Group has the market expertise, negotiation skills, and proven track record to get it done right.
Hayley and her team have closed hundreds of sales across Chicago’s North Side as a Top 1% producing team at Compass. When it’s time to sell, they’re the market and negotiating experts Chicago homeowners trust to get top dollar.
Contact The Westhoff Group to schedule a listing consultation and find out what your Chicago home is worth in today’s market.