Last Sunday we started a new series. Southern Illinois Realty Experts has twenty-three brokers, and we are introducing every one of them here, two at a time — starting with the names you have probably heard least, because a brokerage is not the two names on the leaderboard. We opened with Daniel Henderson.
This week, for the first time, the two brokers of the week work as one team.
Meet The Rishel Group
Nikki Rishel and Hunter Rishel are both licensed Illinois real estate brokers with SIRE, and they work together as The Rishel Group. They cover Marion, Herrin and Carbondale and the rest of Southern Illinois, and they work all three sides of the business: buyers, sellers, and investors.
🏠 Nikki Rishel — Broker · The Rishel Group
Direct: 618.353.1193
Email: nrishel@sirealtyexperts.com
Hours: Monday–Saturday 8am–6pm · Sundays by appointment
🏠 Hunter Rishel — Broker · The Rishel Group
Direct: 618.925.9757
Email: hrishel@sirealtyexperts.com
Hours: Monday–Saturday 8am–6pm · Sundays by appointment
What a Two-Broker Team Changes for You
Most people hire one broker and hope that person is free when the right house comes up. With a team, the question changes from “is my broker available?” to “which of my two brokers is.”
That matters more in some parts of this market than others. We published the numbers on Friday: in Carterville, homes between $200,000 and $300,000 are the fastest-moving price band, with roughly half the time on market of the homes below them. In a band like that, the gap between “I can show you tonight” and “I can get you in Thursday” is sometimes the whole ballgame.
It also means two sets of eyes on your file. Two people reading the inspection report. Two people who know your price range, your must-haves, and the house you almost bought last month.
The Investment Side
Both Nikki and Hunter list investment property as a specialty, and this is where SIRE’s setup does something most brokerages in the region cannot.
When you buy a rental through SIRE, the management does not have to go somewhere else. S.I. Property Management is part of the same company and manages about 750 units. You can find the property, finance it, close it and hand over the keys to a property manager without leaving the building — and without three different companies each blaming the other one when something goes sideways.
That connects to something else we found this month. The cheaper, older houses in this region tend to sit longest — in Carterville, homes under $200,000 had been on the market a median of 143 days, roughly twice as long as everything above. Part of the reason is that the buyers who can move on an older house that needs work are frequently investors, and investors are working a spreadsheet, not falling in love. If that is you, you want a broker who speaks spreadsheet. And if you are the seller of one of those houses, it helps to know who your likely buyer actually is.
It’s Sunday — and That’s Fine
Both of their profiles list the same hours: Monday through Saturday, 8am to 6pm, and Sundays by appointment. So if you are reading this on a Sunday morning and there is a house you want to see this afternoon, the answer is not “wait until Monday.” Call one of them.
👤 Want to Talk to The Rishel Group?
Buying your first place, selling to move up, or looking at a house as an investment and wondering whether the numbers work — tell us what you are thinking about and we will put you in touch with Nikki and Hunter.
What Is on the Market Around Marion
Active listings in the Marion area — newest first, the same feed our brokers work from.
Next Sunday
Brokers of the Week continues on September 27 with Shawnna Donovan and David Vaughn. Every broker on the team gets their turn — the full roster is on our Find a Broker page if you do not want to wait.
📱 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: Specialties, service areas, hours and contact information for Nikki Rishel and Hunter Rishel come from their own broker profiles at sirealtyexperts.com/brokers/nikki-rishel and sirealtyexperts.com/brokers/hunter-rishel, checked September 20, 2026. S.I. Property Management’s unit count is as stated on those profiles. Carterville time-on-market figures are from our September 18 analysis of active listings in ZIP 62918 and describe that market only. Listing counts in the live feed above change continuously. Southern Illinois Realty Experts is an Equal Housing Opportunity brokerage.