My top 3 favorite moments as a board member in 2023
Rebranding + Website Rebuild
When I decided to run for the board in 2022, alongside the rest of the Save Lisle Place team, the branding of the property was at the forefront of my mind. Over the years, the image and reputation behind Lisle Place/Naper Place was damaged beyond repair. For instance, which one is actually our name, is it Lisle Place or Naper Place? Issues like this, alongside of the bad reputation with past homeowners, the village, and the county, were strong indicators that it was time to change. In the process, we offered three new names to the body of homeowners and had them show their interest. After the first round of names, one of the homeowners recommended "Courtyards of Lisle” and it just felt right. It incorporated two things that we want to be known for: The unique format of the property with courtyards at the center, and our restored relationship with Lisle.
Once we found the name, I got to work on some logo concepts. We landed on a simple logo with a dynamic and refreshing color palette that both communicates confidence and innovation. We want homeowners to feel confident that the place they live is well-established and we want to communicate that we are not content with where we are. We will continue to make changes that increase the value of our property and make it a place that people want to live and invest in. I took these goals and translated them into a user-friendly, clean, and informative website and overall brand. From there, I built out our email list with current homeowners and established a direct line of communication between the board and the homeowners. We were doing a lot of great things behind the scenes, and I wanted to make sure that the homeowners knew about it.
The website and overall branding can be found at www.courtyardsoflisle.com.
Watching Home Values Increase
Going into the election season in 2022, the home prices at Lisle Place were abysmal compared to other properties in our area and county. We knew that we had to get the home values up because they were worth it. We worked to settle lingering lawsuits that dissuaded banks from issuing mortgages to prospective homeowners. Sure enough, it started to work. I still remember the first unit that sold above previous values and the glimmer of hope that came with it. From there, it hasn’t stopped. Each month, homes are selling higher and higher than the previous month. We campaigned on the promise that we would get home prices back to a respectable place, and we did it. At the time of this writing, a 2 bed 2 bath sold for $180,000! That’s wild considering just a year before that, 2 beds 2 baths were going for less than $120,000! While the rest of the real estate market was slowly cooling off in 2023, our values were racing upwards.
The Teamwork
I had no idea what to expect when I decided to run for the board in 2022. All I knew was that the property I had invested in was in shambles and was being grossly mismanaged. I could not stand by and watch it any longer. That’s why I ran. I was pleasantly surprised when I met the rest of the team and volunteers that were associated with Save Lisle Place. They were a group of homeowners that shared the exact same frustrations and desires for our property that I had. Before this time, I didn’t really know anyone on the property, but after getting to meet and work with these people, I’ve developed all kinds of relationships with people on the property. This is how it’s supposed to be. This is a community, and now it feels like one.
On top of that, the teamwork among the board members has been phenomenal. Because we all had the same goals, we were able to hit the ground running. I couldn’t think of a better team of people to face the amount of work ahead of us. Not only was it a difficult turnaround, but we also had a group of people making every little thing difficult for us. It was literally their goal to make it hard for us, and the truth is, they did. They made it very difficult, but we still prevailed.
