Joanne Hudson, Real Estate Agent

Social Media

Joanne’s Concierge Page

Specialties

Real Estate Brokerage Experience:

COMPASS 2018 to present

Hudson Company 2001-2018 (Broker Owner)

Bradbury Romey Egan & Partners 1991-2000

Erdenberg Otten Real Estate, Chicago, IL 1989-1990

Previous Work Experience: First Chicago (Chase) 1983-1989, Private Banker

Top 1% of brokers nationwide since 2001

Crain's Notable Residential Real Estate Brokers

Compass Legends Society 2021,2022,2023

Education

University of Iowa BBA

Charity

Winnetka Public Schools

National Alzheimer's Association

Christ Church, Winnetka

Christ Church Bell Choir

About Joanne

Widely recognized as a leading broker and respected business owner, Joanne is a sought-after real estate expert who understands the nuances of the North Shore market and puts her clients’ interests first. With her husband Steve, she co-owned The Hudson Company which was ranked Number One in all of Chicagoland for the highest sales per agent in the Chicagoland market for more than a decade. In its 17 years of operation, The Hudson Company also won many marketing and production awards from Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. Joanne and Steve sold The Hudson Company to Compass in 2018 where Joanne continues to excel as a broker.

As both a broker and a business owner, Joanne has developed a reputation for her exceptional analytical and people skills and her outstanding professionalism. With sales consistently in the top 1% of brokers nationwide and over $970,000,000 (through 2024) in career sales, Crain's Notable Real Estate Agents, Real Trends Best Real Estate Agents, she has an impressive track record across all price segments. She takes every sale seriously and gets as much joy helping a young couple buy a starter home as she does selling a lakefront estate.

An avid listener who builds rapport with sellers, buyers, developers and fellow brokers, Joanne has keen negotiating skills and precise timing that have proven to be tremendous assets for her clients. Her work as a private banker at First Chicago (Chase) gives her both a valuable financial background and track record of discreet service to her clients.

Joanne also understands how to harness technology to benefit her clients. Whether through digital pre-marketing, social marketing videos, drone photography and video, or virtual staging, Joanne maximizes her sellers’ exposure and positions their properties with the support of her team of professional staging advisors and contractors to attract buyers. In addition to understanding the North Shore market, Joanne and her husband have also built and renovated a variety of houses in Chicago and the North Shore, so she brings an insider’s perspective to all aspects of the real estate continuum.

Joanne recognizes that purchasing or selling real estate is not only a financial investment but also an investment in a community. With deep roots in the North Shore, she can help guide her clients to find the best fit in properties. From her experience on the board of the Winnetka Public School Nursery to her work as a New Trier Parent Advisor along with her vast experience in the communities she serves, she has gained the knowledge necessary to help her clients achieve their real estate objectives.

Guided by a commitment to maintaining the highest ethical standards and making the process a positive experience for her clients, Joanne is an empathic professional who loves helping her clients realize their dreams.

Client Testimonials

★★★★★
"There are few experts, in any profession or walk of life, that I can recommend more than Joanne Hudson when it comes to buying a home in the North Shore area of Chicago. We previously had so-so experiences with real estate brokers, when especially in an age of Zillow and Redfin, it's easier than ever to secure house tours and even submit offers on your own without, what we believed, was just an added cost of using a real estate broker to either buy or sell a property. We were wrong; our "go it alone" philosophy was not working. But in late 2022, after failing to get traction in an absolutely crazy market, my fiancée and I asked Joanne for help. We called in the right person. Joanne not only helped us find our forever home in Winnetka, but she did it with two clear differentiators: (1) she knows the North Shore market nuances and realities better than anyone out there (I am convinced of it), and (2) she has incredible relationships with the other brokers in the area. On any given block, she has probably helped others buy or sell half the street's worth of homes, and more than anything for us, it was her long-time relationships with the local brokers who helped secure our eventual home when a higher offer fell through. In an area north of Chicago where homes were getting 12-15 offers in the first day a listing was live, Joanne was an incredible resource to not only help us navigate the process, but to also say "I just don't think the house is worth what others have bid, be patient - the right house will come." That's an incredible quality for a broker to have. I cannot imagine a more trustworthy partner we could have asked to help us with the buying process. -Matthew H.

★★★★★
"We had the pleasure of working with Joanne Hudson. Like many buyers making the move from the city, we were very reluctant to find something that would suit our urban lifestyle. Joanne was amazingly patient with us and did an excellent job of highlighting the positives and negatives of the homes we viewed. Her knowledge of the local community and the North Shore was impressive! One of Joanne's most admirable traits was her transparency. She was always upfront about location, price and any other information that was crucial in our home buying process. She worked within our price range and never tried to steer us in any direction we weren't comfortable with during our home search. Last, but not least, her negotiation skills were first-rate. We would highly recommend Joanne to our friends, families and acquaintances! " -Brandon H.

★★★★★
"Selling a home is always fraught with emotions — even more so when it’s a place associated with the most cherished of family memories. That’s why my wife and I are so glad that we chose Joanne Hudson to handle the sale of our Winnetka home. A rare breed, she embodies the ethics of someone raised in Iowa by parents who valued hard work and education, yet she also has the sharp analytical mind of a big city banker. Joanne exudes a warmth and optimism that kept us calm, yet she also demonstrated an aggressive commitment to selling our home quickly and negotiating a strong deal.

We have bought and sold numerous homes and used many good real estate agents, but no one has been a better listener than Joanne. She took time to understand our priorities and also listened well during negotiations, which translated into value for us. Even though there were many comparable homes on the market, Joanne sold our house in only two weeks.

From her seasoned understanding of staging to her extensive knowledge of the North Shore community and real estate market, she has a comprehensive range of skills that made her the natural choice to help us. When buying or selling on the North Shore, we know that Joanne is the only real estate agent we’ll ever use! " -John C.

★★★★★
"We have been repeat clients of Joanne's over the past 25 years for two simple reasons: she gets it and she cares. Joanne and her team know the North Shore market and its neighborhoods better than any others. As a result, she is able to match buyers and sellers efficiently and for the best value. She also strikes the right balance of professionalism and personal touch, making her a pleasure to work with. We have referred many friends and family members to Joanne and everyone has had the same experience we have had with Joanne. In an era of transactional driven service firms, it's refreshing to find a broker like Joanne who still believes in the powerful combination of trust-based relationships and a professional approach." -Mary F.