The Champaign County Realtor Families Come Back To
Russ Taylor has spent more than 50 years in Champaign County real estate. He grew up on a farm, where he learned the value of hard work, honesty, and perseverance. Those habits still shape how he handles every listing and every closing. A lifelong resident, he has lived in Mahomet his whole life, graduated from Mahomet-Seymour High School, attended Taylor University, and earned his degree from the University of Illinois.
He started with Taylor Realty in 1972. Over the decades he and his brother owned and operated several franchise brokerages, building a reputation across the 217 area one client at a time. In 2023 he and his brother Nick brought the name full circle, reestablishing Taylor Realty Associates as an independently owned firm.
Russ sees the work as helping people find their place, not simply closing transactions. That perspective is part of why so many Champaign County families return to him across multiple moves and multiple generations, and why they send their children and neighbors his way.
His experience runs well beyond residential sales. Over the years he has developed residential lots, managed new construction, and handled select commercial properties, which means he reads a deal, a parcel, or a build with a depth most agents never reach. He holds the CRS, CRB, GRI, ABR, and SRES designations, and his honors include CCAR Realtor of the Year in 2009, the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, Chairman’s Club, and Lifetime Achievement.
Away from the office, Russ has been married to Charlene for 50 years. They have two sons, a daughter-in-law, and four grandsons. He keeps bird dogs, reads widely, hunts when he can, and rides a Harley-Davidson. He stays active in his church, in Promise Keepers, on mission trips, and as a mentor in local schools.
