Phil O'Brien

Phil O'Brien, REALTOR®, Broker

The Visionary

One day Phil had an epiphany. He wondered to himself, “What if every project is different and every client is unique?” And so this clever shower thought became his mantra. Phil made it official by writing the saying on a Post-it note and sticking it to his bathroom mirror. 

All joking aside, Phil is one of the most humble, modest people you’ll ever meet. He really does live by the mantra that every client’s situation is unique. It’s one of the things he loves most about being a REALTOR®. After graduating from the University of Iowa, Phil earned his real estate license and began developing extensive knowledge of residential and commercial real estate. He is also a member of The Bails Team.

Phil and his wife Jenny live in Iowa City and are deeply involved in the community. Jenny works for Systems Unlimited, a local non-profit agency that serves people with disabilities and similar service needs. In his spare time, Phil assists Systems Unlimited with their housing needs and is on the Board of Directors for the The Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County and The Shelter House. HTFJC is an organization that promotes and supports affordable housing in Johnson County. The Shelter House has provided safe shelter and helped people improve the quality of their lives since 1983. Both groups align with Phil’s belief that safe and affordable housing is a right that should be available to all people.

A self-described gear head, Phil loves tinkering with anything that has an engine. He also enjoys traveling, working on projects around the house, and hanging out with his pets. 

What Clients Say About Phil O'Brien

“Phil is the bee’s knees of REALTORS® in the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids Corridor and all towns in between. He is always on point, timely, and knows a guy for everything from foundations to roofing and everything in between. He is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet, and we will never use any REALTOR® but Phil for any home purchase we make in the future.”

— Aaron Benson

“Working with Phil was a pleasure from day one—he is professional, knowledgeable, friendly and experienced. He was able to help us find the exact properties we needed and helped us with all the details along the way, making for a very positive experience. We highly recommend Phil for all your real estate needs!”

— Nasseem Hesler

“This is our second experience with Phil, and he's been a great asset through both the buying and selling process. His knowledge of the market in the Corridor area proved to be invaluable, as we negotiated our sale to full asking price. Being that my wife and I both have a busy schedule, he was very amenable to scheduling meetings and phone calls in the evening and on weekends.”

— Nels Pedersen

“Phil was an amazing help in finding our dream house. He took everything we wanted in a home into account, answered any questions we could think of, and made sure we were within our budget the entire way.”

— Matt Lee Harlow

Other Things You Should Know About Phil

Hometown
Hometown

Gurnee, IL

Agent Since
Agent Since

2007

Urban or Acres
Urban or Acres?

Urban wanting to be acres.

  • Alma Mater: University of Iowa
  • Awards: 3 Gold Star Awards
  • Specializations: First-time Homebuyers, Renovation Projects, Investment and Commercial Real Estate
  • Community Involvement: Shelter House, Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County, Systems Unlimited
  • Favorite Iowa City Establishment: Shakespeare’s 
  • Favorite Local Landmark: University of Iowa Hospital Towers
  • Favorite Sports Team: Chicago Bears
  • Best Part of Iowa: Just like me, Iowa is secretly awesome.
  • One Thing You’d Never Guess: I enjoy going to the movies by myself, and I want to be a racecar driver when I retire.

Contact Phil O'Brien Today

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