Introducing to the Chicago North Shore Moms community Debbie Glickman and Tami Levy, a powerhouse real estate duo at @properties in Highland Park bringing a combined 20 years of experience and an authentic and realistic approach to buying and selling on the North Shore.
These two empty nesters know this community inside and out — from the best burger spots to the hidden gems popping up around Chicagoland (seen on Instagram). Whether they’re helping buyers navigate a competitive market or guiding sellers to price and present their homes with precision, Debbie and Tami are known for making their clients feel truly safe and heard every step of the way. Equal parts professional and refreshingly real, this is not just a transaction to them — it’s the start of a lifelong relationship.
Your new favorite real estate besties are here — and they just might change the way you think about buying and selling on the North Shore. Welcome, Tami and Debbie!
Hi Tami and Debbie! Give us a quick snapshot of you and your life right now.
Tami:I live in Bannockburn, and I’m a 25-year resident of the North Shore. My day includes my hubby bringing me coffee in bed every morning. It’s the absolute best part of my day no matter what time (usually 6am). After coffee I’m on my computer checking the hot sheet for the latest houses on the market, off market and under contract. A lot goes on in a 24-hour day of real estate.
Then it’s off to PVOLVE in Deerfield or a jog on the treadmill, a quick shower, and then the day starts: Listing appointments, buyer showings, team meetings, lunches, etc. All of a sudden it’s 5pm… and there’s always more to do.
Debbie: I am a born and bred Highland Parker. In fact, I live 1.5 miles from where I grew up. I am the early bird of our team up at 4:30am catching up on emails before the sun comes up. If I can, I love to get a chapter or two of a good book in before the day begins. Around 8am, I hop on my Peloton or my treadmill for an hour. This is a complete non-negotiable for me and the time when I come up with some of the best marketing ideas.
There’s always an early morning phone call with Tam so we can map out our day, and then I’m off to the races. No two days are ever the same and many days we have to pivot to fit something unexpected in but that is what makes our job so fun and fabulous.
Tami, where are you from originally and why did you move to the North Shore? Debbie, why did you stay on the North Shore?
Tami: I was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa and moved to the US when I was 13. I ended up in Chicago for law school. After school I met my now husband and drank the proverbial Kool-Aid meaning I got married, had a baby and headed north from the city. We raised 3 awesome kids here who all went to Deerfield High School.
Debbie: I was born and raised in Highland Park. My husband grew up in Skokie and we settled in Highland Park because I loved growing up here and it was close to my parents. It was really fun to experience my kids going to the same middle school and high school I went to.
Tell us about your families. What does motherhood look like in your house these days?
Tami: We are both empty nesters so motherhood is watching our babies fly into the world and grow into beautiful adult humans. My older daughter works as an ad exec in the advertising world. My son and younger daughter are a sophomore and junior in the awesome city of New Orleans.
Debbie: I have officially launched both kids. My daughter works for the Chicago Bears as a graphic designer in the partnerships team. My son graduated in 2025 and is currently working in logistics while on the hunt for a job in the sports arena.
What’s something about you that might surprise people—outside of your work and mom life?
Tami: Debbie was on Shark Tank…I mean that’s pretty cool right? Oh, and she claims to be an introvert…. if you know her you would find that one hard to believe. I love to host a good dinner party/shabbat. I love cooking for other people and getting the “oohs and aahs.” I’m a definite extrovert in every way.
Debbie: Yes, I was on Shark Tank and Tami laughs at me because I am what I call an extroverted introvert. Tami is the BEST hostess and we love going to her house for dinner. I am an entrepreneur at heart and have a super creative brain. I just need someone to execute all my ideas.
The best recommendations come from realtors! Where are your go-to spots right now?
Tami: Carson’s is my favorite place for a really consistent good burger!!! My hubby and I also love to try new places in the city.
Debbie: I love a good steak at Sophia’s Steakhouse and I can’t wait to try The Barn Steakhouse in Highland Park. Also, Blufish is our go-to sushi spot!! Barnaby’s is my most favorite pizza. Tami and I love to go hunting for the hottest new spots around the North Shore and report back about them on our 60 seconds with Deb and Tam!
What are you loving lately?
Tami: PVOLVE all the way because I think it’s the best workout ever!!! As for shows, I love watching crime or medical shows but my latest fave is Tehran…3 seasons and I was hooked on watching for a couple weeks. I have a bad habit of getting sucked in so I try not to get too obsessed with shows.
Debbie: I am a card-carrying cult member of Peloton. I am a voracious reader–never met a Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult or great psychological thriller I didn’t love. My husband and I love watching anything Taylor Sheridan and true crime and I am a sucker for the Real Housewives franchise. Shrinking is also one of my faves.
What’s something you cannot leave home without?
Tami: READERS!!!!!
Debbie: Definitely my readers and my big bottle of water.
It’s time to get down to business! Please introduce your real estate practice!
We are a top producing team at @properties in Highland Park. Debbie has been doing real estate for 13 years and Tam has been doing it for 8. So combined about 20 years of experience. We always like to say we “dated” for a year and then made it official.
As a team we are in our 4th year together. We call each other our “work wife” because it’s definitely a marriage of sorts. We love working together and have really honed in on what is important for us as a team to make our client’s experience top-notch and fun.
Amy Meliker helps us with all we do, she has an amazing following of people who are her friends and fans who we know will be using her for their real estate needs in the near future. She helps us with ideas when it comes to marketing, helps us with showings, helps grow our business with her own business, and is just an absolute team player.
The Glickman Levy Residential Team: Tami Levy, Amy Meliker, Debbie Glickman
What advantages do you feel you have working as a pair (or trio with Amy) instead of solo?
Truly we are the yin to each other’s yang. Tami has a killer design eye and we call her the “henchman.” She tells our sellers how to prepare their home for market and, if they listen, the property sells in the blink of an eye. She is also amazing with buyers helping them imagine themselves in a new space.
Debbie has a great calmness to her when talking to both buyers and sellers especially when it comes to discussing our pricing process. Debbie is amazing to bounce ideas off of during the marketing, negotiating and finalizing process of a transaction. She thinks through things thoroughly and always has great insight.
Amy brings a great energy to our team. Clients absolutely LOVE her; she is so professional, beyond detail-oriented and the sweetest person on the planet.
Photo credit: Cristian Perez
What should families know about the real estate market right now?
If you are a buyer, it’s very cut-throat because there is such limited inventory right now. It is really important that when working with a broker, they know how to best navigate and help advise you how to win the bid. If you are a seller, it’s imperative that you price your home properly.
Any myths or falsehoods about buying and/or selling you’d like to bust?
Myth: Price your home high so you have room to negotiate.
Truth: Do not overprice your home. If you do, you will end up chasing the market and get less than you would have if you had priced it properly in the first place.
Myth: You don’t need to declutter or stage, buyers can envision the space on their own.
Truth: Buyers can “just imagine” what a house will look like without all the stuff in it.
Myth: You should only sell in the spring.
Truth: Smart pricing, thoughtful presentation, and the right strategy matter far more than timing the market.
You have quite a robust social media presence. For example, I recently learned about a brand new restaurant in Glencoe from you! Tell our readers what they can expect to see on your Instagram feed.
We love to tell our followers about hot new places to eat or things to do around Chicagoland, we hope that our followers on Instagram get to know our authentic personality. Our videos are the opposite of polished and professional but they are authentically Deb and Tam!
Can you tell us about your involvement with community events and how you support the community?
Debbie and I love to get involved locally. We recently sponsored the Dear Nina event at Upside Events in Highland Park that Amy Meliker helped organize. Dear Nina is a podcast geared towards woman and friendships. We love going to networking events like the one Chicago North Shore Moms founder Ellie Ander puts on for North Shore small business owners, and we love highlighting local businesses as we feel it’s so important to support small and local. If you want to see our latest ad, visit Centennial Ice Arena in Highland Park…you can’t miss us!!!!
What do you want our readers to know that we have not already covered?
We have mastered the art of negotiating. We know the market and we know what it takes to get the deal done. We have really cultivated our relationship with other agents which we feel is so important in this industry. We also just want our clients to feel safe and really heard when they work with us. This is not a transaction to us. It’s the start of a beautiful relationship. We love when our clients want to be our lifelong friends.
Give us your dets! Where can we connect and ask questions?
[email protected] or Tami 847-344-2857 | Debbie 847-687-4332
Follow along with us on Instagram at @glickmanlevyresidential.
About Our Spotlight Partner
Chicago North Shore Moms is supported in part by Mary Gregory Gifford, a Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
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