We are starting something new on Sundays, and we are starting it on purpose in an order that might seem backwards.
Southern Illinois Realty Experts has twenty-three brokers. Over the coming months we are going to introduce every single one of them here — two at a time, week by week, until you have met the whole roster. And we are beginning with our newest brokers rather than our top producers.
That was a deliberate call by Greg Holthaus, and the reasoning is simple: a brokerage is not the two names on the leaderboard. The person who answers your call on a Tuesday night matters more to your sale than anybody's annual ranking. So the newest names go first, the top producers wait their turn like everyone else, and Greg puts himself last.
Which brings us to the first broker in the series.
Meet Daniel Henderson
🔨 Daniel Henderson — Broker · Licensed Home Inspector
Some brokers learn houses out of a textbook. Daniel learned them with a hammer in his hand.
He is Southern Illinois born and raised, and he grew up working alongside his dad — remodeling houses, getting rental properties turned around. Then he went to work the way a lot of people around here did: into the coal mines at eighteen, twelve years underground, eight of those in management. After that, eight more years as an IBEW Journeyman Lineman, keeping the power on in weather nobody else wanted to be out in.
When Daniel tells you he will show up and get it done, that is not a sales line. It is two decades of proof.
Why This Matters When You Are Buying a House
Here is the part that makes Daniel genuinely different from most brokers you will meet in this market: he has built two of his own houses from the ground up, and he is a licensed home inspector.
Think about what that changes on a Saturday showing.
Most of us walk into a house and see the kitchen. We see paint colors and whether the yard is big enough. What we cannot see is the part that costs money — the foundation that is telling a story, the roof with four years left instead of fifteen, the panel that is going to need replacing before you can add anything to it, the addition that was framed by somebody who was guessing.
Daniel sees those. Not after the inspection comes back and the deal is already emotional and half-committed — before you write the offer. He knows what is behind the drywall because he has put drywall up. He knows what a foundation should look like because he has poured one. He reads a house the way a mechanic listens to an engine.
That is worth real money in a market like ours, where a meaningful share of the inventory is pre-1950 housing stock and the difference between a bargain and a money pit is almost entirely about condition. We wrote about that gap in Marion earlier this month: the price per square foot roughly doubles between the under-$150,000 band and the tier above it, and the reason is condition, not size. Knowing which side of that line a specific house sits on is the whole game — and that is exactly the read Daniel brings.
It cuts the other way too. If you are selling, an inspector's eye tells you which repairs will actually move your number and which ones are you spending money to feel busy.
Off the Clock
Daniel is a family man, an avid outdoorsman, and a self-described proud farmhand at Rossi's Flower Market, his daughter's u-pick flower operation. If he is not working, there is a good chance he is at a ballfield somewhere.
📞 How to Reach Daniel
Cell: 618.926.5594
Email: dhenderson@sirealtyexperts.com
Profile: sirealtyexperts.com/brokers/daniel-henderson
Serving: Williamson County and all of Southern Illinois
What Is on the Market in Daniel's Backyard
Active listings across Williamson County — newest first, the same feed our brokers work from.
Why Greg Started the Series This Way
I have been doing this a long time and I have watched a lot of brokerages put the same two faces on everything they publish. That is not how this one works. Every broker here took a real risk to do this for a living, and every one of them has something a particular client needs — Daniel can read a house better than I can, and I have been in the business for twenty-five years. So we are going to introduce all of them, and we are going to start with the people who just got here rather than the people who already have the awards. If you are buying or selling in Southern Illinois, the point of this series is simple: you should get to pick who helps you, and you cannot pick somebody you have never heard of.
Coming Up in the Series
Next Sunday we feature The Rishel Group — Nikki Rishel and Hunter Rishel — followed by Shawnna Donovan and David Vaughn. From there we work through the full roster, two brokers a week, with Greg Holthaus taking the last slot. Twenty-three brokers, and you will have met all of them by the new year.
Frequently Asked
Who is Daniel Henderson at Southern Illinois Realty Experts?
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👤 Want to Work With Daniel?
Tell us what you are looking for — buying, selling, or just trying to figure out whether a house is worth what they are asking. We will connect you with Daniel, or with whichever SIRE broker fits what you need.
📱 Got a Question About This Market? Text Greg.
Buying? Selling? Not sure where to start? Text Greg Holthaus directly — just tell him you saw his blog. He'll help you think through your decision, match you with the best broker for your situation, and point you in the right direction. He's open to a text any time.
Text Greg · 618.925.8654
Who is Greg Holthaus?
Greg Holthaus is the Owner and Designated Managing Broker of Southern Illinois Realty Experts, with 25+ years in Southern Illinois real estate and more than 10,000 transactions closed. He leads a full-service operation — home sales, mortgage, title, and property management under one roof — with offices in Marion, Herrin, and Carbondale. Meet Greg ›
About this profile: Biographical details, specialties, service areas and contact information for Daniel Henderson come from his own broker profile at sirealtyexperts.com/brokers/daniel-henderson, supplied by him. Listing counts in the live feed above change continuously. Southern Illinois Realty Experts is an Equal Housing Opportunity brokerage.