Honoring Sarah Ware and all local REALTORS® of the Year

Monday, April 13, 2026

President Abraham Lincoln DoubleTree Hotel

731 E. Adams St., Springfield, IL 62701

Reception: 6 p.m.
Dinner and Program: 6:30 p.m.

Please contact Laurie Clayton by email at [email protected] or by phone 217-391-4842 with all questions.

Sarah Ware

2026 Illinois REALTOR® of the Year

Sarah Ware, of Chicago, is the 2026 Treasurer of Illinois REALTORS®. She is principal and designated managing broker of Ware Group Realty in Chicago.

Ware, AHWD, C2EX, CIPS, began her real estate career in 2006. She is a member of the Chicago Association of REALTORS® (CAR) and served as its 2002-2023 president. She was honored with CAR’s President’s Award in 2015, CAR’s REALTOR® Achievement Award in 2016 and was named its local REALTOR® of the Year in 2025.

Ware has served on multiple Illinois REALTOR® committees and has chaired the Business Issues Forum twice, Leadership Development Working Group and the Housing Opportunity Working Group. She has served multiple terms on the Illinois REALTORS® Board of Directors and in 2016 graduated from the Illinois REALTORS® Leadership Development Program.

Ware is a longtime contributor to the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC) and was inducted into the RPAC Hall of Fame in 2021 for an aggregate lifetime investment of at least $25,000. She is the State Legislative Contact for Sen. Robert Peters of Chicago, 13th District. Ware also served multiple terms as a director on the Cook County Land Bank Authority.

At the national level, Ware was the 2024 Housing Issues Liaison for the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). She has served multiple terms on the NAR Board of Directors and has chaired the Housing Opportunity Committee, Smart Growth Advisory Board and in 2026 will chair the Multicultural Partners Advisory Group.

Ware earned a bachelor’s degree from Governors State University. She serves on the Thresholds Board of Directors, Chicago Bungalow Association Board of Directors and is a past president of the Women’s Council of REALTORS®.