Like the rest of the Chicago suburbs, the real estate market in Hinsdale and its surrounding communities has heated up the past two years as people have sought more space to set up home offices and make home life more comfortable.

With 32 years of experience in the market, Mike McCurry and his team have been through their fair share of market swings. Over the years, they’ve helped more than 1,600 families find or sell a home, and 74 percent of those he helps are repeat clients, a testament to their client-focused approach.

“It’s really the art of pivoting over 32 years. In the real estate industry, you need to decide if you’re going to be the dinosaur or if you’re going to be relevant,” McCurry says. “I chose to embrace the ever-changing tools and technology and trends to stay fresh.”

Another advantage McCurry brings to the table for clients is his partnerships with designers, builders, and vendors to prepare homes for sale. They also help families who just want to upgrade their homes to gain more space or increase their property values. That’s especially important when building supplies can be hard to come by or are prohibitively expensive.

“We have the vendors and team to be able to pull off a kitchen rebuild and do some things that allow homeowners to reinvest in and upgrade their homes,” he says.

For those looking to buy, McCurry says that in the current hot market, they are much better served by partnering with an agent who has a deep understanding of the local neighborhoods and communities in which they’re conducting their home search. With limited inventory, local knowledge gives buyers an edge, and with so many homes never even making it to the MLS or Private Listing Service, it’s essential to work with someone plugged in to the local network.

“In the past, you used to get buyers who would bring their Chicago agent or their own family member from a different marketplace from Hinsdale or Clarendon Hills or Western Springs or Oak Brook and it wouldn’t be too much of a deal,” says McCurry.

“Now, unless you’re totally locked into the local brokerage community, it’s hard to find the property.”

With buyers and sellers having so many options when they’re looking for a real estate professional, McCurry says his team’s experience along with the technology offered by Compass—he joined Compass three years ago—stand out.

“What I represent as a value proposition to buyers and sellers is longevity in the market, and what we’ve done is to pivot every time there are opportunities,” he says. “Compass is a young, fresh company that is very interested in technology and helping their agents use it to help their clients.”

On a personal level, McCurry is heavily involved in Christ Church of Oak Brook, and his strong faith is influential in how he operates his business.

“I realized early in my career that it’s quite an honor to be given a seat at the table to help families with important decisions about where they will make their home,” he says. “In essence, it’s a calling from God that I’ve taken very literally.”

Mike McCurry Group of Compass is located at One Grant Square in Hinsdale, 630-447-9393, themccurrygroup.com.