Chicago is one of the largest medical hubs in the country — but for physicians and medical families relocating to the city, the realities of neighborhood choice, condo warrantability, property taxes, and private practice life often catch them off guard. In this episode, Zoe Taylor sits down with Chicago-based Compass real estate professional Christine Tepper to unpack what physicians moving to Chicago should actually expect, including how to choose between 77 distinct neighborhoods, why renting first often makes sense for residents, how Illinois property taxes shape pre-approval amounts, and what it really means to be a private practice physician spouse in a hospital-dominated era. Christine shares her path from the music and theater world into real estate, what she learned marrying a solo-practice ophthalmologist, and why community, walkability, and the right neighborhood fit matter so much for medical families putting down roots in Chicago.
Relocating to Chicago as a physician family is about much more than picking a downtown condo near the hospital.
In this episode, Zoe Taylor talks with Chicago Compass agent Christine Tepper about what physicians and medical families actually need to know before moving to the city — from the realities of running a private practice in a post-COVID Chicago, to the differences between Northwestern, University of Chicago, Rush, and the Illinois Medical District, to how Illinois property taxes affect what you can really afford.
Christine also opens up about her own journey: meeting her ophthalmologist husband through medical staffing, raising three kids in the city while helping run his solo practice, and eventually transitioning into real estate to help other medical families find the right neighborhood, school, and lifestyle fit in Chicago.
Christine Tepper is a Chicago-based real estate professional with Compass and a physician spouse of more than 22 years, married to a solo-practice ophthalmologist whose Chicago practice has been in operation for 26 years. Before real estate, Christine built a career across theater, performance, and medical staffing — and it was through medical staffing that she first met her husband. After their oldest was born, she stepped into the practice alongside him, learning credentialing, coding, insurance navigation, and the operational realities of running a private medical practice from the inside.
Five years into her real estate career at Compass, Christine has become a trusted guide for physicians, residents, fellows, and medical families relocating to Chicago. She brings firsthand understanding of the pressures medical families carry — the long hours, the practice-side stress, the demands on the spouse at home — and pairs it with deep working knowledge of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods, condo warrantability, Illinois property tax realities, and the proximity considerations that matter when you're matching into Northwestern, University of Chicago, Rush, the Illinois Medical District, or Endeavor.
Christine and her husband raised their three children in the city, sending them through Chicago Public Schools and putting down deep roots in their North Side neighborhood. That lived experience shapes how she works: she's not just helping clients find a house — she's helping medical families build a life in Chicago that holds up through residency, attending years, practice ownership, and everything in between.
Connect with Christine:
🌐 Website: https://www.compass.com/agents/christine-tepper/ 📸 Instagram: @christinetepper 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christine-tepper-07b342268/ ✉️ Email: christine.tepper@compass.com 📞 Phone: 312-213-6047 📍 Based in Chicago, IL
The Moving Medicine Podcast is a space for physicians and physician spouses navigating relocation—not as a transaction, but as a life transition. Hosted by Zoe Taylor, founder of Moving Medicine Partners, the show centers the human side of medical moves and offers clarity, grounding, and shared understanding for families at every stage of the journey.
🌐 Website: https://movingmedicinepartners.com/
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Zoe Taylor is the founder of Moving Medicine Partners and someone who has sat at that kitchen table herself. Through her work supporting medical families across the country, Zoe has seen the unseen labor of relocation up close—and built this podcast to make sure no one has to navigate it feeling invisible, rushed, or alone. Learn more…