“When I look back, it's amazing to compare where I was to where I am now,” says REALTORⓇ Moe Hannon of Keller Williams Premiere Properties. “I am so incredibly grateful I had the chance and the will to keep fighting.” Over her lifetime, Moe has had to “keep fighting” through many battles—illness as well as personal struggles. Now she’s able to reflect on her amazing journey of resilience. 

Moe, who grew up in Wheaton with her sister and two brothers, spent much of her childhood as a competitive swimmer, beginning at age four. At age nine, she qualified for the Junior Olympics. Every aspect of her life revolved around being in the water, often spending as much as twenty hours a week in vigorous training. It eventually caught up with her body. By the time she was thirteen, Moe had had two shoulder reconstruction surgeries and had been diagnosed with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a cardiovascular autonomic disorder that is often brought on by a traumatic event, like her intensive surgeries.

“Although the surgeries were medically necessary for my everyday health, in my pre-teen mind, they were only to help me swim harder and faster. So at the time, I was disappointed, aggravated, and angry with myself, my doctor, and my mom for allowing them because I never was the same swimmer again. But they were necessary,” says Moe. “My heart condition led me to pass out anywhere and everywhere . . . in the shower, at school, but mostly in the pool. At that point I was a liability because there were no warning signs; it would happen almost instantly.” 

Devastated that she could no longer compete in the pool, Moe’s mental health suffered greatly. An incredibly unfortunate outcome was she developed an eating disorder. For more than ten years—through middle school, high school, college, and the beginning of law school at Creighton University—she suffered in silence. None of her friends or family knew what she was going through. Eventually, she was brave enough to enter and complete an intensive treatment program. Moe explains that she still faces and overcomes those challenges every day: 

“Recovery will always be my number one priority,” she says. “Getting through treatment and managing ongoing recovery taught me who I was, who I am, and it gave me the lifetime reminder that anything thrown my way is achievable.”

After completing her treatment program and deciding to leave law school, Moe needed a new career choice. Her mother, seemingly out of nowhere, brought up real estate. To back up her suggestion, she first reminded Moe of the "odd childhood hobby” she’d shared with her older brother.

“When we [my brother and I] drove to school together, I would look up listings on Zillow and demand that we leave early in the morning so we could drive past them,” remembers Moe. “One time, we even contacted the listing agent of a foreclosure to express our interest. Our mom was not overly pleased.”

Then, her mom reminded her of the family practice of fostering children in an effort to keep them off the streets, as well as her family's Christmas tradition of packing and distributing what they lovingly called “Santa Bags,” full of everyday essentials, to Chicago’s homeless community. It was through experiences like these that Moe developed a passion for helping those in need of housing. It was her main motivation for pursuing a law degree and for taking a gap year to serve in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, an experience that only deepened her passion for serving and working with the unhoused community. Now, it was the perfect lead-in to a career in real estate.

“When my mom brought up real estate, at first, it didn't really resonate with me,” says Moe. “But then it clicked. Mom was right. Everything I've ever been passionate about has stemmed from housing, and more specifically, assisting and supporting people with getting into homes.”

Moe initially began her real estate career in 2019 and then decided to expand internationally. As of February 2022, she splits her time between her buzzing businesses in Chicagoland and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. She works with clients looking to purchase primary, secondary, and investment properties in the popular paradise.  

“Cabo has exploded over the past thirty years and offers an incredible opportunity for investors to diversify,” explains Moe. “The resorts no longer have the capacity to accommodate everyone who wants to visit. I’m constantly building trust among our stateside clients on how, and why, Cabo San Lucas is an amazing real estate opportunity.”

A career as a REALTORⓇ gives Moe the flexibility to stay active with causes close to her heart while ever-attending to her growing businesses. One such cause is Humble Design Chicago, an organization that partners with local businesses to furnish the homes of those who have been recently housed. Another favorite, the Humanitarian Service Project, serves to alleviate the pain and suffering that poverty brings to seniors and children in DuPage and Kane Counties.

“I have never really followed the traditional route. I have always gone the route that works best for me, and I always knew I wasn’t cut out for a nine-to-five job,” says Moe. “I needed a career that would offer me the flexibility to set my own schedule, pursue my passions, continue recovery, and make decisions independently, and one that assured my business decisions could align with my personal values.”

That flexibility ensures Moe gets to spend quality time with her family and friends, but especially her three nieces and her fiancé, Brian. “We love dancing in the kitchen, singing in the car, and sarcastic humor,” she says. And it’s her love for home that keeps her focused on her “why” behind her business.

“I developed my passion for real estate through my volunteer experiences around the unhoused community and the systemic issues surrounding housing,” Moe adds. “To be a part of my clients’ journeys in finding a home—ultimately helping them find safety, security, and serenity—is what motivates me to continue my career.”