Ashley Dirks has been helping buyers and sellers navigate Chicagoland real estate since 2014, with a particular focus on homeowners who need more than a traditional real estate transaction. She works with people navigating major life changes like downsizing & senior transitions, inherited & estate properties, out-of-state ownership, homes with years of deferred maintenance, and situations where simply getting a property ready to sell can feel overwhelming.

For Ashley, the job isn't limited to pricing, marketing, and negotiating a home. She looks at the whole picture: what the client is trying to accomplish, what's standing in the way, and what actually needs to happen to move forward. Sometimes that means developing a plan for a home that needs significant work. Other times, it means helping a client who simply doesn't know where to begin.

Ashley believes the best real estate decisions are informed ones. She takes the time to understand her clients' goals, timing, finances, priorities, and personal circumstances, explain their options honestly, and develop a strategy around what's truly best for them. Sometimes the right answer is to sell as-is. Sometimes it's worth doing the work. And sometimes the first step has very little to do with putting the home on the market at all.

Her approach is highly hands-on. Depending on the situation, that might mean coordinating contractors and repairs, managing a renovation for a seller living out of the country, organizing an estate sale or cleanout, arranging donations or storage, selling belongings on Facebook Marketplace, helping prepare a home through cleaning and light staging, or even rolling up her sleeves to scrape and paint, caulk a bathtub, or handle small repairs herself.

Ashley brings that same level of guidance to buyers. Rather than focusing only on finding a property, she helps clients understand what they're buying, recognize potential issues, evaluate the numbers, and make informed decisions before moving forward.

That hands-on approach is backed by measurable results. Over the past 24 months, Ashley's listings have sold for an average of 101.6% of their original asking price, with a median market time of six days. In 2025, she ranked sixth among all Fathom Realty agents in Illinois. She has also been featured by FOX 32 Chicago for her knowledge of basement flooding and flood-control systems.

Before entering real estate, Ashley spent six years in strategic marketing, experience that continues to influence how she positions homes, communicates with clients, and approaches complex situations. Originally from California, she graduated summa cum laude from Saint Mary's College of California with a bachelor's degree in communication.

Ashley lives in Portage Park with her husband, Justin, and their cat, Charlie. Outside of real estate, she loves traveling and has recently become completely addicted to golf, although her game is still very much a work in progress.

Real Help. Real Results.

Experience REdefined Living with Ashley Dirks.