For Ria Harris, real estate is more than a profession—it is part of a family legacy that spans nearly nine decades. In the late 1930s, her great-grandparents purchased property in Chicago’s Woodlawn community, establishing a foundation of ownership that would influence generations to follow. Nearly all of their descendants went on to become homeowners, real estate investors, or both. Growing up in a family where property ownership was modeled across generations gave Ria an early understanding of real estate as a means of stability, investment, and creating something of lasting value.

 

That legacy became even more personal after her father’s passing, when Ria assumed responsibility for managing family income properties. The experience strengthened her understanding of property ownership from the perspective of both responsibility and opportunity and ultimately helped shape her path into the real estate profession.

 

Today, Ria is a licensed Managing Broker in Illinois and Indiana who works with buyers, sellers, investors, entrepreneurs, and seniors. Her practice encompasses residential real estate, multifamily and investment properties, second homes, and commercial real estate, including multipurpose properties.

 

Before entering real estate, Ria served as a Cook County Adult Probation Officer for nearly 33 years. Her extensive career in public service sharpened skills that now distinguish her work as a broker: investigation, interviewing, negotiation, attention to detail, problem-solving, and professionalism. She brings that same disciplined approach to researching properties, marketing listings, negotiating on behalf of clients, and guiding transactions from beginning to closing.

 

A graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Ria has continued her professional education through specialized real estate training. She holds the SRES® (Seniors Real Estate Specialist), ACP (Accredited Commercial Practitioner), and RSPS® (Resort and Second-Home Property Specialist) designations.

 

Each designation reflects a deliberate area of her practice. As the daughter of a senior, Ria approaches her senior clients with a personal philosophy: provide the same patience, respect, care, and level of service she would want someone to provide her own mother. Her commercial education reflects her support for entrepreneurs and her commitment to being well prepared to represent their real estate interests.

 

Her RSPS® designation represents another dimension of ownership—the opportunity to intentionally create a lifestyle that includes a place to retreat, recharge, gather with family, or simply enjoy life differently. Ria believes a second home can be more than a vacation destination; it can become part of how you choose to live. Her philosophy is simple: create a life from which you don’t need a vacation—just a second home that gives you another place to enjoy it.

 

Ria’s connection to both Illinois and Indiana is equally personal. Having grown up near the state line and spent significant time in both states, becoming licensed in Illinois and Indiana was a natural extension of the communities and markets she has known throughout her life.

 

At the center of Ria’s practice is a straightforward expectation of what real estate representation should be. Clients receive personal attention, education throughout the process, strategic marketing, skilled negotiation, and professional representation—while being treated with the familiarity and care of family.