When Shannon Fonner and Gaye Lynn Green, co-owners of Sunflower Real Estate Group, were looking to name their new real estate brokerage, they wanted something that uniquely described the kind of business they intended to grow. A photograph of a sunflower planted a seed.

“Gaye Lynn said her father used to tell her, ‘Hold your head up to the sun like a sunflower,’” Shannon said. She also pointed to the common belief that sunflowers turning toward each other for support on stormy days.

“Between those two things, it seemed like we really needed to have ‘sunflower’ in our name,” she laughed. As it turns out, “That’s the kind of agents we have — they really support each other.”

Five years later, it would seem Shannon and Gaye Lynn’s “boutique brokerage” is living up to its name. Originally established in Tremont in 2019 (just in time for the pandemic), the business outgrew its original location and now has headquarters at 100 S. Main St. in East Peoria. The Tremont office also remains open.

Shannon said Sunflower Real Estate Group has gained a foothold in both residential and commercial markets by building strong relationships with clients and treating them well.

“With the market that we have seen in recent years, it’s really important to stay connected with clients,” Shannon said. “You don’t know what’s going on in the market if you’re not in it.”

The independent brokerage has 27 agents working across the region. Shannon said the area is experiencing the same seller’s market it has since the pandemic. However, she believes declining interest rates and a modest increase in the home inventory is moving the market slightly in favor of buyers. She has also seen an interest in the Peoria area from out-of-state investors who are buying homes as rentals.

“I think buyers and sellers are both tired of waiting around to see what’s going to happen,” Shannon said. “We’re going to see a little more ‘normalcy’ in the market this year.” She did admit, however, that it is hard to say what is “normal” anymore. 

Shannon also owns Fonner Homes, a real estate sales business she started more than 20 years ago. She specializes in consulting and services for seniors and is one of only a “handful” of area real estate professionals with the SRES (Senior Real Estate Specialist) designation from the National Association of Realtors. The designation allows her to work closely with seniors on exploring their housing options and developing a customized plan to meet their needs.

Often, she said the relationships she builds are not actually around buying or selling a home, they are about working with partners to help them stay in their home longer. She said she takes a very hands-on approach, knowing that a strong relationship will make it all come together better.

“Doing the right thing will come back to you in a million ways,” she said.

As the real estate market has changed over the past 20+ years, Shannon and her husband, Brandon, have lived in Groveland and raised two adult children.

“I was getting my real estate license during their naptime, and now they’re all grown up,” Shannon said. Her pride and joy is their one-year-old grandson, who she simply describes as “amazing.”