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 33 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, farm ground, land for development, industrial and multi-family. I personally sell all types of real estate, work with many investors, and have a business brokers license. In the 33 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 have varied backgrounds, a former 30-year contractor, a bilingual English and Spanish agent, and an agent with years of management experience. They all love working with buyers and sellers and CARE. We are local, state, national, and international award winners. We were the number-one team in Bloomington-Normal in 2021 and in 2022, and 2023. We sold over 51,000,000 in 2023!! We are in the prestigious Diamond Club of Remax Nationally and Internationally, a highly regarded top award. Please give us a call – we CARE and will make your real estate experience the best!

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.

My name is Niki Higgs and I’ve been working in real estate going on 4 years now. Within this time, it’s been a pleasure to get to know clients and construct a pathway to owning a home. My passions include watching both of my sons play sports, boating, antiquing and interacting with people. Being a psych major, I believe in compassion, patience and reasoning! My clients and their unique situations are the main focus when making one of the biggest “moves” in life! Let me be by your side for both emotional and financial guidance! Together we will make a lasting memory! Real estate is more than a career for me, its a passion!