A Champaign County realtor since 1972, working from one Mahomet office across five decades.
Russ Taylor has spent more than 50 years in Champaign County real estate. He grew up on a farm, where he learned the value of hard work, honesty, and perseverance, and those habits still shape how he handles every listing and every closing. A lifelong resident, he has lived in Mahomet his whole life, graduated from Mahomet-Seymour High School, attended Taylor University, and earned his degree from the University of Illinois.
He started with Taylor Realty in 1972. Over the decades he and his brother owned and operated several franchise brokerages, building a reputation across the 217 area one client at a time. In 2023 he and his brother Nick brought the name full circle, reestablishing Taylor Realty Associates as an independently owned firm.
Russ sees the work as helping people find their place, not simply closing transactions. That perspective is part of why so many Champaign County families return to him across multiple moves and multiple generations, and why they send their children and neighbors his way.
His experience runs well beyond residential sales. Over the years he has developed residential lots, managed new construction, and handled select commercial properties, which means he reads a deal, a parcel, or a build with a depth most agents never reach. He holds the CRS, CRB, GRI, ABR, and SRES designations, and his honors include CCAR Realtor of the Year in 2009, the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Chairman's Club, and Lifetime Achievement.
Away from the office, Russ has been married to Charlene for 50 years. They have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and four grandsons. He keeps bird dogs, reads widely, hunts when he can, and rides a Harley-Davidson, and he stays active in his church, in Promise Keepers, on mission trips, and as a mentor in local schools.
Real estate is about people first. Find them the right place, treat them straight, and they come back for life.
Talk With RussFive decades in one market means Russ handles a wider range of property than most agents ever touch.
The heart of Russ's business for 50 years: pricing, preparing, and selling existing homes across Mahomet, Champaign, Urbana, and the surrounding 217 area, for sellers and the buyers on the other side of the table.
Russ has developed residential lots and worked through new construction firsthand, so he can guide buyers on builders, sites, and timelines, and help sellers position a brand-new home in the Champaign County market.
From his start on a Champaign County farm through years of lot development, Russ reads acreage, zoning, and parcel potential with a depth that comes only from doing the work, not just listing it.
Alongside residential sales, Russ has handled select commercial properties in the 217 area, bringing the same straight-dealing approach to investors and business owners weighing a purchase or sale.
As a Seniors Real Estate Specialist, Russ helps Champaign County homeowners navigate downsizing and later-life moves with patience, clear options, and respect for the decades a family has spent in a home.
As an Accredited Buyer's Representative, Russ guides first-time and repeat buyers through search, offer, and closing across the 217 area, putting his 50 years of local market knowledge on their side of the deal.
We have known Russ Taylor for a long time. It was with utmost confidence that we contacted him and his team to sell our home. Russ and Katie worked with us and guided us through the process of evaluating, marketing, listing, showing and closing on our home. They assisted us with all of our questions and concerns and at times, with procuring experts that we needed to make our house ready for sale. We would heartily recommend Russ Taylor and his team.
Russ has been our family's realtor of choice for decades. He and his team are the best the C-U area has to offer. They treat you as a priority and ensure that every part of the home buying and selling process goes as smoothly as it can. I highly recommend him.
Buying, selling, or just weighing your options, it starts with a conversation. Russ answers his own phone and tells you straight.