NORTH SHORE EXPERTISE

Karen Poteshman Skurie, a real estate agent with Baird & Warner Residential in Highland Park for 35 years, serves clients throughout Chicago’s North Shore. Known for her deep local knowledge and relationship-driven approach, Skurie specializes in luxury homes where lifestyle, architecture, and location define value. She is recognized for her strategic pricing expertise, discreet client service, and hands-on coordination with attorneys, designers, and industry professionals to ensure every transaction runs seamlessly.

What trends are shaping the high-end real estate landscape right now?
Low inventory and high buyer demand are driving prices up. Ranch-style homes and main-floor Primary Bedrooms are in high demand. Buyers are looking for outdoor connection and indoor personal space.

What sets your approach apart when working with high-net-worth clients?
I give my clients constant personal attention and I am available to them 24-hours a day. I pride myself on this. I will always answer the call and the late-night email or text. I know the North Shore’s nuances like the back of my hand. And I like to think I deliver seamless coordination with attorneys, designers, and other trades.

What’s one standout transaction that reflects your expertise at the high end?
This past year I listed the 25,000-square foot Albert Lasker Estate and it closed this year at $3.4 million. Designed by Architect David Adler on almost eight acres in West Lake Forest. This was once the centerpiece of a 480-acre estate known as Mill Road Farm.

How do you guide clients through pricing strategy?
Pricing a home is my expertise and I pride myself on this. I set ambitious yet realistic pricing using current comparable sales and market trends. Premarketing homes privately first creates urgency and helps gauge the market.

Karen Poteshman Skurie is with Baird & Warner’s Highland Park office, 579 Central Avenue, 847-361-4687, [email protected], karenskurie.bairdwarner.com.