I was raised on a farm near Armington, Illinois with two brothers: Dr. Mark Yontz, now a retired dentist in Bloomington, and Barry Yontz of Rockton, Illinois.

I graduated from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, where I majored in Elementary Education

After teaching Kindergarten in San Jose, Il. for two years, I obtained my Masters in Education from the University of Illinois and graduated as a Remedial Reading Specialist

I taught thereafter at schools in Champaign, Stanford, Unit 5, District 87, and Metcalf at I.S.U.

I had to quit teaching due to an accident in my classroom in which plaster dust was sprayed into the air while I was in the room. The dust got in my bronchial tubes and lungs.

For almost two years I had to heal. While I was at home my mom, who was a realtor for over 30 years, suggested that I study and take my real estate exam. She thought I would love real estate; I did, and began my career over 31 years ago.

During my second year of real estate, I developed a residential subdivision in Bloomington, called Cloverhill. I am very proud of that subdivision. I gained a great deal of knowledge from working with area Zoning departments, engineers, contractors, and the city and county governments.

After a couple of years on my own, I formed a team. I have had a successful team ever since. We work on all types of real estate and sell residential, commercial, and land. One of our team members was a builder for over 30 years and has been with me over 15 years. Another member has been an agent over 30 years; she too works in all types of real estate with many investors. My other two agents have been with me a shorter time, but are outstanding in sales. I personally sell all types of real estate, work with many investors, and have a business brokers license. In the 31 years that I have been around, I have made many contacts, not just with buyers and sellers, but with those who are in our city government, engineers, attorneys, and others with knowledge who can help in a real estate transaction. I also work on development projects ranging from finding the land to putting together the development.

I work very hard and am all about knowing the market, your property that you are selling and all details. I know what I am selling. I do my homework and believe in thorough preparation.

I am also married to Tom Eckols, a retired litigation attorney who worked at State Farm for over 35 years. He is now a Commissioner for the State of Illinois who oversees cases and trials against the State.

My team, the Cindy Eckols Team, has earned many awards each year. We are local, state, national and international award winners. We were the number one team in Bloomington-Normal in 2021 and in 2022. We sold over 51,000,000!! We are in the prestigious Diamond Club of Remax Nationally and Internationally, which is a highly regarded top award.

I am a bilingual real estate agent. As an interpreter, it has taught me to be a good listener as well as a good communicator, and to respond quickly to my clients needs. All of these qualities and skills have helped me become an excellent real estate agent. My approach has always been putting my “clients first,” that being said I look forward to offering my services and taking care of your personal home buying and selling needs!

I became a realtor to help clients when purchasing or selling a home. My experience in the building trade has been very useful in guiding clients on purchases or selling.

Denise is a small-town girl originally from Minier, IL and has now lived in Bloomingon Normal for 14 years. Denise comes to real estate after spending many years in staging and furniture design. Through her experience in this capacity, Denise really sharpened her sales skills. Her bubbly and always-happy personality, along with her love for serving her clients, led to a successful and satisfying career. As the furniture industry went through drastic changes with a lot of “brick and mortar” stores closing, Denise sought out a new industry 5 years ago in which to apply her skills and love for directly helping others. In her spare time Denise loves to care for all of her family’s animals.

Nothing is more exciting to me than the gratifying feeling I get from helping people meet their real estate needs. You can count on me to always do what’s in your best interest. I pride myself on being honest, trustworthy, and knowledgeable in the real estate market.