Skip to main content

About Us

Our Company

Wishtan HomeServices is your one-stop shop for all your real estate needs. We have an amazing team of professionals that have dedicated their time creating and tweaking our systems and processes to make your life easier. We are property owners and investors ourselves and understand all the pain points that you can experience. We work daily, to make our processes as easy as possible for you (lower stress) and to maximize your properties potential value (cash flow and protection).

We stay on top of industry trends and are very active in the industry to ensure our clients are never missing out on the next thing that could improve their experience and their return on investment. Solving real estate problems is our forte and we love the impact we can have on our clients, residents, and local communities when they experience higher standards and consistent practices.

Our One-Stop Shop Advantage

Our services can be used a la carte or used together as a comprehensive package. Our services can be best illustrated by breaking them down into separate stages.

STAGE 1: PROCUREMENT

We are in tune with the local market and can find and represent you with your next deal. With our-first-hand knowledge of local prices we can accurately estimate a property’s income and expenses, including any renovations needed to bring the property to rent-ready standards. We provide you with a detailed financial report to estimate the property’s potential ROI and hold your hand throughout the whole buying experience.

STAGE 2: RENOVATION

Once the property is purchased, we can start with the planned renovations to get the house rent- ready as quickly as possible and reduce the holding cost you have. We have a great network of contractors that offer us bulk discounts that we pass directly along to you.

STAGE 3: PROPERTY MARKETING

We will start marketing the property as soon as you own it. We can generate interest and sneak peek photos all while the renovations are moving along. Our goal is to have the property rented the day after construction ends. Once in rent-ready shape we will take professional photos, a virtual 3D tour, and a floor plan of the property for the best marketing experience.

Stage 4: Ongoing Management

The property is rent-ready, and a qualified resident is in place. Our job is to keep it this way and ensure you are always well informed. In short, we do this by keeping your property well-maintained, ensuring the resident complies with all the terms of the lease, and keeping expenses low and rents at market rates.

Meet the Team

Dakota Hicks Founder & CEO

Dakota is a real estate fanatic. When he’s not working, reading, or speaking real estate, he is spending time with his four children or loving wife, Kelsey Hicks, for whom he’s been with since they were both 15 years’ old.

He is a proud former machine gunner and combat veteran in the Marine Corps and enjoys doing adventurous things. Over the last couple of years some of his favorite activities include: white water rafting, hiking mountains, snowboarding, scuba and skydiving, beer brewing, deer hunting and morel mushroom foraging, road tripping, hand fishing and night fishing for big catfish.

Kelsey Hicks Broker/Owner & Property Manager

Kelsey gets things done. Procrastination is not a word in her dictionary as she puts out twice the work of anyone else in half the time. She’s also the sweetest person to talk with and everyone loves her spirit. She has the ability to turn a residents day around and the backbone to stick to every term of her agreements. She cares for others and brings that special touch into Wishtan’s customer service.

Outside of work, Kelsey is spending time with her husband Dakota and four children. She enjoys baking cupcakes and cookies, scrapbooking, going on walks, and doing fun projects with her kids.

CARLOS LAMASOperations Manager

Carlos has a proven track record of leading teams and creating operation excellence across many industries and is now leading the way for Wishtan HomeServices. He gets fired up when he's improving business processes and his drive is helping set Wishtan miles apart from their competition.

Outside of work, Carlos can be found spending time with his wife and three children and watching sports, especially baseball, basketball, and football. He also enjoys cooking and routinely makes the rest of the team jealous with photos of his family's home-cooked Mexican dishes.

Kristianna McClain Office Manager

Kristianna may be the smartest person in the room. She’s on the front lines of the business and is fighting every day to uphold our quality standards and guarantees. She has somewhat of a no-nonsense approach and isn’t afraid to callback any vendors when the job wasn’t done up to par.

In her personal life, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Matt, her best friends, and her three dogs at home. She is currently expecting her first child, a baby girl, and is very excited for her soon arrival.

Riley Baldwin Lead Maintenance Technician

Riley is the maintenance subject matter expert. Riley has been doing construction work for 20+ years and can handle just about any issue that comes up. He has a kind heart and residents love their interactions with him. He truly cares about bettering their lives and improving the community with his special attention to detail.

Outside of work Riley is either spending time with his wife or coaching youth sports. He is a car enthusiast and his handy skills transfer between work and play.

Riley Long Maintenance Technician

Riley is our property inspection connoisseur. Riley has great attention to detail and carries his keen eye into our property inspection process. He understands the business well and controls quality and ensures that all of our properties are in great condition when it’s time to move in.

In his personal life, Riley is a full-time student at Western Illinois University studying law enforcement. When he’s not in class he is often with his long-term girlfriend or traveling back home for the weekend to spend time with his family.