CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 5, 2021 15
2021
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERS Chicago-area real estate brokers had a white-knuckle ride through 2020. When the pandemic and shutdown orders hit in March, many expected a lost year. As the market started to revive in May, they scrambled to adopt technologies, including glossy marketing packages with 3D walkthroughs and drone footage, livestreamed open houses and Facebook or Zoom conferences. In-person showings were handled deftly with hand sanitizer and masks, but many buyers acquired their homes sight unseen.
MARY SHANLEY ALOISIO
For these 152 brokers, it was an entirely new landscape. Families working from home needed more space to stretch out, preferably with a yard. Properties that had been languishing on the market were repositioned and received multiple bids. Some brokers conveyed worrying anecdotes of furloughed clients and canceled contracts. In the end, the dust seemed to settle, and a number of brokers reported that they had recorded their best year.
Broker Dream Town
During 2020, Mary Shanley Aloisio spent more time educating buyers and sellers via phone calls and Zoom. These new practices resulted in more focused clients who spent less time going on multiple showings before buying. The year’s accomplishments included listing and marketing an Edison Park four-flat that generated 10 offers and sold for much more than any other four-flat in that area’s MLS. Aloisio owned and operated a marketing-services firm for 30 years before joining the field.
By Judith Crown and Lisa Bertagnoli
DENISE AMRAEN Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
To keep business brisk during the pandemic, Denise Amraen sent members of her network a small bottle of hand sanitizer with her logo, the slogan “Spread referrals, not germs” and a paragraph on her appreciation of referrals. In 2020, Evergreen Park-based Amraen went outside her comfort zone by listing a half-million-dollar property in an area outside her expertise. The property sold in just a few days.
METHODOLOGY: The Notable Real Estate Brokers did not pay to be included. Their profiles were drawn from nomination materials submitted. This list is not comprehensive. It includes only those for whom nominations were submitted and accepted after an editorial review. They must have generated $20 million in volume and/or 20 combined buy and sell transactions in 2020. The brokers must also have demonstrated an innovative approach to marketing homes and assumed a leadership position outside their organization, including professional associations and civic/community initiatives.
CONNIE ANTONIOU Vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Connie Antoniou survived the pandemic by pivoting to virtual open houses, first on Zoom, then on Microsoft Teams and then via Facebook Live videos. “Growth is mandatory,” she says. A highlight of the year was being the third listing agency for a prestige home in Barrington Hills. Within 36 hours of listing the property, Antoniou had three “unbelievable” offers. The property sold at list price. Throughout her career, she’s also helped many National Hockey League players rent, buy or sell homes.
RICH ARONSON Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
While others slowed or stopped advertising during the pandemic, Rich Aronson saw an opportunity to attract new clients by upping the investment. As a result, business grew by more than 45 percent in 2020, he says. He also built all-digital advertising and social media campaigns around the use of “indoor drone videos” that enable viewers to virtually walk through a home. Among 2020 highlights was helping preservationist-architect clients find an 1860 landmarked farmhouse in Evanston.
MARGARET BACZKOWSKI
GETTY IMAGES
Senior broker, founder of MB Luxury Group @properties
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 15
Maggie Baczkowski says she kept busy in 2020 by expanding her team, starting a nonprofit, becoming licensed in Michigan (and working on it in Florida), logging the two most expensive sales in Chicago’s Cathedral District and launching a new website and podcast on market conditions. She also focuses on prospecting efforts that go beyond MLS, Zillow and Trulia by strategically targeting listings through various social media and other digital platforms.
4/1/21 2:25 PM
16 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
ALLEY BALLARD Broker, team leader at The Ballard Group @properties
Alley Ballard says that her Andersonville-based team focused on Zoom buyer meetings and FaceTime showings that leverage walk-through videos. Her team began wearing masks before it was mandatory and purchased gallons of hand sanitizer from Koval Distillery and repackaged them in small bottles for clients. For Ballard, formerly a movie set decorator, a memorable transaction involved relocating a divorced couple into houses on the same block—five doors apart—for the sake of their kids.
ELIZABETH BALLIS Broker Compass
Elizabeth Ballis installed a new contact-management system to facilitate outreach to current and past clients; several clients from 20 or 30 years ago reached out. When the shutdown made in-person showings impossible, she arranged to have her sellers—not agents—do their own “virtual walkthroughs,” explaining their home’s history and special features. These personalized videos proved to be so authentic and effective that this Lincoln Parkbased broker plans to continue them post-pandemic.
CATHY BIER
LUKE BLAHNIK
JANET BORDEN
CARA BUFFA
Broker Smothers Group with Compass
Broker @properties
Broker Compass
With multiple investor clients, Luke Blahnik devoted part of 2020 to helping maintain building values, navigate broken leases and find new tenants despite a rough rental market. Key projects included selling a unique greystone on a wide lot in Logan Square to buyers who had long searched for such a home and an Avondale four-flat. He also rehabbed and sold dozens of properties as a licensed general contractor, yet still found time to open Avondale Bowl on Milwaukee Avenue.
Janet Borden used 2020 to use her love of creative marketing. She set up tailgate-lunch open houses, hosted a concert on a deck for brokers, posted Halloween videos in full costume and gave away wine bottles with listings on labels to boost business. Highlights were the sale of a historic midcentury ranch by architectural legend Edward Dart as well as an “amazing” East Highland Park home with an indoor basketball court.
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Cathy Bier overcame 2020’s obstacles to in-person business by including virtual tours and floor-plan maps in every listing and creating FaceTime viewings in lieu of open houses. In one case, she sold an $800,000 home to outof-state buyers who first visited the house just prior to closing. She says that focusing these efforts on La Grange, La Grange Park and Western Springs helped make 2020 her best year in a 20-year career.
JULIE BUSBY
TOMMY CHOI
KIKI CLARK
Founder, broker Busby Group at Compass
Co-founder Weinberg Choi Residential at Keller Williams ONEChicago
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Julie Busby, based in Bucktown, implemented proprietary systems to provide concierge-level service to all clients: professional training and weekly workshops; high-resolution video for
virtual showing; and revamped marketing to deal with COVID-important issues (plus Peloton giveaways). She tailored business protocols to help front-line workers and doctors relocate to Chicago for one of the city’s hospital groups. She says she’s Chicago’s only SportStar Relocation broker and that business grew by 45 percent.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 16
Tommy Choi’s pandemic strategy included the retargeting of listing advertisements via social media platforms. A particular focus was on home offices and outdoor spaces, key features for buyers stuck working from home. His company also used virtual showings, with one 2020 buyer seeing her condo in person for the first time at closing. Choi also pivoted his firm’s charitable-giving program, 365 Days of Giving, to raise awareness of and revenue for small businesses in the community.
After working seven days a week for months and “on a roll” into 2020, Kiki Clark used the time during the shutdown to strategize how best to move forward. She hired a social media designer/ marketing coordinator to manage posts, boosts and online advertising. Among interesting challenges were two historic but unique Lake Forest homes that had been converted from barns to residences. The sellers required heavy coaching as the unique properties had a limited buyer pool, and both sellers had multiple offers.
DARLENE COADY Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Working through the Homes for Heroes program, Darlene Coady focused on veterans and frontline (fire, police and health care) workers, emphasizing remote transactions through touchless closings, online scheduling, FaceTime and Zoom. She was an early adopter of electronic signature, document and document-storage technology, eliminating all “wet” signature options this year. Coady says business expanded from Kane and Cook counties into DuPage County, and she closed 50 percent more transactions (in terms of sales volume) during the pandemic.
Seeing the pandemic hit her downtown and River North condo markets especially hard, Cara Buffa focused on the “emotional side” of business, taking care to keep clients calm and secure. Among essential tactics were the meticulous staging of homes and first-rate photography; attending every showing in person (“not a lockbox or assistant to be found”); and placing fresh flowers and bakery treats at all properties to reinforce a sense of normalcy.
HELAINE COHEN
JAMIE CONNOR
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Helaine Cohen, founder of ChicagoCondoFinder.com, put her tech background to use in 2020, sharpening skills in digital marketing, Facebook advertising, retargeting and the livestreaming of open houses. One memorable transaction, early in the lockdown, involved a client with only 30 days to purchase in a market without in-person showings, limited contractor access for estimates and complicated scheduling. Cohen employed a suite of tech tools to ensure the transaction could proceed via sanitizing protocols, FaceTime showings, video tours and a notouch closing.
Jamie Connor’s experience in client management for a large global advertising agency helped him meet the stress of the pandemic. His most noteworthy 2020 transaction wasn’t a large deal, but it meant taking extra time to help a family navigate the early stages of COVID-19 and the uncertainty of employment during the shutdown. Ready to walk away from a property they loved, they wound up purchasing it—“one of the best financial decisions they’ve ever made,” Connor says.
SHAUNNA BURHOP Broker Baird & Warner
Faced with shelter-inplace limits, Shaunna Burhop reports selling 39 homes as a single agent in 2020. She created self-narrated video listings, increased the frequency of her market updates and publicized everything via social media, emails and door hangers with QR codes. “Work/ school from home” spaces were added to home staging efforts. Promotions included a “pop by” Christkindl market event and a reinvented Arlington Heights Fourth of July parade as a “drivethrough” for hundreds of cars.
HOLLY CONNORS Managing partner/ senior broker– GetBurbed team @properties
Holly Connors focused her energy on the community and clients during the pandemic. She created GetBurbed Bites, a charity initiative that encouraged people to
order from Arlington Heights restaurants, with proceeds going to Arlington Cares, which helps community members in need. On the client front, she sold her stager’s home and sold another home after recommending some renovations to the seller. The home sold before it went to market, and for a sizable profit.
4/1/21 2:25 PM
. !ä/ !#2 . /2 2 .# ./
9O BoO pd lodtM sd KdbUoBst_BsO dto BUObsp db sVWp BaB WbU BKKdal_WpVaObsà
]U[BCFUI #BMMJT $BUIZ #JFS +BOFU #PSEFO +VMJF #VTCZ 1BJHF %PPMFZ "NZ %VPOH ,JN -JOEB 'FJOTUFJO &VEJDF 'PHFM .FMBOJF (JHMJP +PIO (SBGGU +PBOOF )VETPO .JTTZ +FSGJUB -BODF ,JSTIOFS 4IBOOPO ,VUDIFL #SBE -JQQJU[ +PBOOF /FNFSPWTLJ 4UFQIBOZ 0MJWFSPT ,FMMZ 1BSLFS %BSSFMM 4DPUU 5JN 4IFBIBO 4BOUJBHP 7BMEF[ &MJ[BCFUI 1ZMF -BVSFO .JUSJDL 8PPE 5SBDZ 8VSTUFS compass.com
dBbbO !OaOodyp^W W p B .OB_ psBsO Jod^Oo BTTW_WBsOM zWsV dalBppà dalBpp Wp B _WKObpOM .OB_ psBsO Jod^Oo zWsV B loWbKWlB_ dTTWKO Wb !Oz ;do^Û !; BbM BJWMOp J| B__ Bll_WKBJ_O ntB_ dtpWbU #lldostbWs| _Bzpà __ aBsOoWB_ loOpObsOM VOoOWb Wp WbsObMOM Tdo WbTdoaBsWdbB_ ltoldpOp db_|Û Wp KdalW_OM Toda pdtoKOp MOOaOM oO_WBJ_O Jts Wp ptJ]OKs sd OoodopÛ daWppWdbpÛ BbM KVBbUOp zWsVdts bdsWKOà __ aOBptoOaObsp BbM pntBoO TddsBUOp BoO Bllod{WaBsOà 2VWp Wp bds WbsObMOM sd pd_WKWs lodlOos| B_oOBM| _WpsOMà !dsVWbU VOoOWb pVB__ JO KdbpsotOM Bp _OUB_Û BKKdtbsWbU do dsVOo lodTOppWdbB_ BMyWKO dtspWMO sVO oOB_a dT .OB_ psBsO Jod^OoBUOà
21cb0116.pdf
RunDate 4/5/21
FULL PAGE
Color: 4/C
18 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
SHEILA DANTZLER
KATRINA DE LOS REYES
MARIA DELBOCCIO
Broker Dream Town
Broker associate Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker, founding partner of DelBoccio/Marchetti Group @properties
When the real estate market became active last spring, Sheila Dantzler pivoted to find creative ways to service clients virtually. She showed her listings via Zoom and FaceTime and took advantage of online staging and 3D floor plans. The ability to use virtual staging to showcase a vacant property was a huge benefit. One noteworthy transaction: She helped a client sell a West Loop condo and find a home in Hyde Park—all within two weeks.
Katrina de los Reyes enjoyed her highest volume year, with 85 percent of transactions from referrals. The Evanston-based broker took advantage of marketing tools such as video previews. One of her most interesting deals materialized at the end of the year, when her client’s purchase was contingent on selling their home. And the prospective buyer’s offer on her client’s home was contingent on the sale of their home, as well. In the end, there were four closings on Dec. 21, leaving plenty of time to celebrate the holiday.
Brooke Daitchman, based in Lincoln Park, pivoted to address the “new market” while building a new home for herself in the middle of a pandemic. Her team went remote as needed, emphasizing safety and clean protocols to keep clients safe. On Halloween, her team held an open house at a home that was difficult to sell. They dressed up, handed out candy to the kids and invited parents in for a look. The home sold not long after.
Throughout the pandemic, Maria DelBoccio has adopted digital marketing tools to move her Arlington Heights business online. Her team also used digital advertising to market listings to individuals that had visited their websites. DelBoccio leveraged platforms such as Adwerx and Homesnap for retargeting ads on social media. These ads put her listings before prospective homebuyers searching the web and on social media. DelBoccio was a dual agent on a million-dollar, new construction property with longtime clients.
Congratulations to Kelly Parker for being named one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ 2021 Notable Residential Real Estate Brokers
O__| +Bo^Oo à à ^O__|ŒKVWKBUdVdaOKd__OKsWyOàKda KVWKBUdVdaOKd__OKsWyOàKda
AMY DIAMOND
JODY DICKSTEIN
JERRY DOETSCH
PAI
Broker, team lead, Deal with Diamond Group @properties
Broker @properties
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Brok Com
As the pandemic wore on, Amy Diamond noted how buyers were looking differently at homes, requiring home offices and spaces for children to learn remotely. The Arlington Heights broker marketed online and through social media and print. When the market heated up, she was able to pivot a three-year-old listing with a distressed home that was initially offered for its land value. She switched the listing to a detached single-family home and received multiple offers from investors.
Glencoe broker Jody Dickstein typically raffles homemade jewelry and designer handbags at her open houses. With the pandemic, she invested in a new website and building a presence on social media. Before her real estate career, Dickstein worked as a department manager at luxury retailers Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, which prepared her to work with high-end clients. She has volunteered as a meal coordinator at The ARK, the nonprofit that supports the area’s Jewish community.
During the pandemic, Jerry Doetsch created virtual home walkthroughs that nearly replicate real time. Doetsch narrated unique features and improvements, providing a safe viewing experience. He used his iPhone as well as iMovie, Snowball and social media. Doetsch works with his parents as the Glenview-based Doetsch Team. His father has been a real estate broker for 63 years and his mother for 49 years. Adding Jerry Doetsch’s 27 years combines for the team’s 139 years in real estate.
/VBbbdb tsKVO^ Wp B .OB_ psBsO Jod^Oo BT _WBsOM zWsV dalBppà dalBpp Wp B _WKObpOM .OB_ psBsO Jod^Oo zWsV B loWbKWlB_ dT KO Wb VWKBUdÛ BbM BJWMOp J| B__ Bll_WKBJ_O ntB_ dtpWbU #lldostbWs| _Bzpà
BROOKE DAITCHMAN
Shannon Kutchek Specializing in La Grange and the Western Suburbs for over 20 years.
VWKBUd daO d__OKsWyO Wp B sOBa dT .OB_ psBsO UObsp BT _WBsOM zWsV dalBppà dalBpp Wp B _WKObpOM .OB_ psBsO Jod^Oo BbM BJWMOp J| TOMOoB_Û psBsO BbM _dKB_ ntB_ dtpWbU #lldostbWs| _Bzpà
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 18
708.955.3683 website: bit.ly/shannonkutchek shannon.kutchek@compass.com
4/1/21 2:25 PM
Paig to pr hom and Last work to re Mah hom The t insid the fl kitch spac the o firep work sold fami nia. Doo for p to sp hom pare
CH
y ago
mic, ted ly
nd ong ed as and sch ents ased s eal 3 her g
r the real
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 5, 2021 19
PAIGE DOOLEY Broker, team leader Compass
Paige Dooley works to preserve classic homes in Winnetka and the North Shore. Last year, Dooley worked with investors to renovate a George Maher Prairie-style home in Kenilworth. The team gutted the inside and redesigned the flow for an open kitchen and family space while retaining the original stairway, fireplace and millwork. The investors sold the property to a family from California. To facilitate sales, Dooley has arranged for prospective buyers to spend a day in the home and even prepare dinner.
CONNIE DORNAN
DANIELLE DOWELL
Broker @properties
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
The pandemic opened opportunities for Connie Dornan, who is based in Glenview. In the middle of the quarantine, a home in Glencoe was languishing on the market with no 3D tour and a lawn sign with no direct contact information. The seller hired Dornan, who marketed the home with FaceTime showings, 3D media tours and PPE kits. The home went under contract in 27 days. In addition to using technology for virtual showings, Dornan offers “Google walks” of the neighborhood.
When the quarantine loosened up, Danielle Dowell and her team, The Dowell Group, had one of their best years. The team, which is based on the Near North Side, uses social media to get listings in front of agents and their buyer clients. Dowell had multiple buyers and sellers that went under contract and then decided not to close the deal. It was the first time she saw such uncertainty, but she believes they will come around this year.
ANNE DUBRAY Broker Coldwell Banker Realty
Glenview broker Anne DuBray learned to get the job done without in-person meetings. She conducted phone interviews with sellers and asked them to submit photos to help establish market value. Then she used Matterport videos and virtual showings. One rewarding transaction was the sale of a five-bedroom home in Glenview with an outdoor pool. The buyers have five children and were delighted to find the home at a time when the world was shutting down.
AMY DUONG KIM Senior broker and founding member Compass
Amy Duong Kim and her team work in the city and suburbs and during the pandemic assisted more than 100 families purchasing and renting homes and apartments. Last March, the team pivoted to initial meetings on FaceTime and Zoom, as well as virtual tours and videos. Team members cover six languages in addition to English: Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, Tagalog, Japanese and Greek. Before becoming a real estate broker, Duong Kim was an actuarial consultant.
DINNY DWYER
MARIA ETLING
Broker Coldwell Banker
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
With the pandemic, it became apparent to Dinny Dwyer that prospective buyers were working remotely and had children learning on Zoom, therefore needing more space. The Winnetka broker pivoted, with sales handled via FaceTime and viewings on video or 3D Matterport tours. Dwyer’s listings featured drone photography. She sent out email blasts to let buyers know of new properties available or price changes. A co-listed property on Lake Michigan entertained multiple offers and closed in a couple of weeks.
Libertyville broker Maria Etling used videos of her listings accompanied by personal introductions. She expanded her social media presence through Facebook and Instagram and earned office recognition for the best use of social media. When the pandemic hit, Etling was able to revive a listing that had fallen through at closing in fall 2019. The 7,000-square-foot luxury home on 5 acres with a pool and pool house attracted multiple offers and a sale.
Experience, Integrity, Results Congratulations Joanne Nemerovski Crain’s 2021 Notable Real Estate Brokers + $1 Billion
Consistently
of Chicago’s Luxury Real Estate Sold
a Top 1 % Chicago Producer
Founding Member
98%
of Compass Chicagoland
Repeat and Referral Business
#1 Independent Brokerage Nationwide
Thinking of buying or selling? Call an expert. Joanne Nemerovski 312.720.4505 JoanneSellsChicago@gmail.com JoanneSellsChicago.com
Joanne Nemerovski is a real estate broker affiliated with Compass, a licensed real estate broker and abides by federal, state and local Equal Housing Opportunity laws.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 19
4/1/21 2:25 PM
20 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
LINDSAY EVEREST
CRAIG FALLICO
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
After working for 12 years on a team, Lindsay Everest went out on her own and further established herself in the city’s single-family home market. She sold a Lincoln Park co-op, one of the few co-op sales in the last year. Everest notes that before COVID, writing backup offers wasn’t a common practice. But the pandemic created more movement in the market. Last year she had three sellers that accepted backup offers and ended up successfully closing.
Broker Dream Town
With the onset of the pandemic, Craig Fallico and his partner, son Nick, reached out to clients to chat, and even sent meals and gifts. The team delivered a custom map of Park Ridge to every resident in town. They produced a constant stream of social media posts. And they added lighting on their signs to make sure they were illuminated at night. Fallico previously was a Spanish teacher and speaks at high school career events.
LINDA FEINSTEIN Managing broker, Signature Homes Compass
In the past year, Hinsdale broker Linda Feinstein brought her team from ReMax to Compass and updated her database. One memorable deal was selling a Hinsdale home to a widow who had wanted to buy it in 1956 when it was new. Her husband had preferred another home. When the widow drove by with her daughter and saw that it was for sale, they decided to buy it, Feinstein says. The home went under contract on Christmas Eve.
NICOLE FLORES
EUDICE FOGEL
Broker Dream Town
Broker Compass
Chicago broker Nicole Flores navigated a series of what she calls “emotional transactions” last year. There were clients leaving their family home and downsizing after more
The onset of the pandemic marked Eudice Fogel’s 40th year in residential real estate. She knew that in uncertain times, clients would need expert guidance. The Chicago-based broker turned to interactive floor plans and videos, striving to make a virtual first showing as real-life as possible. Fogel represented a buyer of a $4 million Lincoln Park home with an extra-wide lot and attached garage. The buyers had been searching intermittently for more than 1½ years.
than 40 years, divorces leading to fresh starts and children selling homes they grew up in after losing their parents. Clients relocated in and out of Illinois. Flores is a fan of exposing a home on a private listing network to test the market. She aims to attract buyers with staging, photography and floor plans.
Congratulations
LAURA FREEMAN Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Evergreen Park-based broker Laura Freeman last year teamed with Berkshire Hathaway brokers Susan Romano and Erin Cotter. They quickly adopted online tools including 360 tours, which they found helpful to prospective buyers. They strive to target their listing so that the right property “appears magically in front of a potential buyer.” Before starting in real estate, Freeman was a legal assistant at a banking and real estate law firm. She is immediate past president of the Evergreen Park Chamber of Commerce.
EUGENE FU
KIM
Broker, principal of Eugene Fu Group @properties
Brok Berks Hom
Chicago broker Eugene Fu shifted his strategy to focus on millennials and first-time buyers using online advertising, social media and direct marketing. He formed a team and has three sales associates with a fourth coming on board. One memorable deal involved two condo units at Olympia Centre connected by a staircase. By marketing the property as a single residence and also as two separate units, he attracted multiple offers and sold the space in its entirety, which he preferred.
Kimb her s ness West form tate K+D mos were struc Wick were way to de ketin webs host nego man They use o hom show eos a appo
CO N GR AT UL AT I O N S
to Lisa Sanders on being Crain’s 2021 Notable Residential Real Estate Broker
7 73 . 3 9 8 .0 378 LISASANDERS.SOLD@GMAIL.COM LISASANDERSSELLS.COM
RESULTS MATTER
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS’ Notable Residential Real Estate Broker 2021
$28 MILLION SOLD 2019 NEIGHBORHOOD
847.275.6566 | steper@atproperties.com SOURCE: MRED, LLC BASED ON 2020 SALES VOLUME, ALL PROPERTY TYPES
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 20
4/1/21 2:25 PM
us d using , soect med ree ith n oratwo ymcted mary as and te
d ts
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 5, 2021 21
KIMBER GALVIN
STEVE GENYK
NANCY GIBSON
MELANIE GIGLIO
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker/principal, Steve Genyk Group Dream Town
Broker @properties
Real estate broker, team lead MVP Team Compass
Kimber Galvin and her sister and business partner, Drew Westergreen, officially formed a new real estate team for Chicago, K+D Homes. Their most noteworthy sales were 24 new-construction condos in Wicker Park. They were involved all the way from construction to designing the marketing, developing the website, staging and hosting open houses, negotiating offers and managing punch lists. They increased their use of 3D Matterport home tours, FaceTime showings, drone videos and Zoom listing appointments in 2020.
Steve Genyk recently joined Dream Town from @properties, where he was senior broker specialist. In his previous role, Genyk achieved a number of luxury sales at Superior House, a new-construction condo building in River North. A highlight of 2020 was being on both sides of the sale of a $3.5 million penthouse. For another listing, he placed 12 golden retriever puppies in the front yard to attract the foot traffic that was nearby because of a local market—and sold the home that day. Genyk made it possible to do 100 percent of each transaction virtually.
Nancy Gibson reports selling 30 percent of Northbrook’s top 10 luxury homes (including the town’s two highest sales in the last 12 months) as part of her 75 percent repeat and referral business. She still physically stages homes (she maintains her own storage locker filled with lamps, accessories, pictures, etc.) but now blends it with “virtual staging,” adding elements such as the digital painting of rooms and cabinetry into the mix.
Melanie Giglio works tirelessly to make sure her team has the tools it needs to succeed. One innovative approach she used to market a home in 2020 was an event that garnered social media coverage, word-ofmouth attention and more than 150 people in attendance. From that one event, an offer was submitted, and the home successfully closed. She serves on the board of Imerman Angels, an organization that pairs cancer fighters with survivors.
SUZANNE GIGNILLIAT
DOROTHY GILLIAN
Luxury real estate agent @properties
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
During the pandemic, Suzanne Gignilliat ramped up her digital advertising as well as personal outreach via mail, phone calls and email to clients, some of whom she says are on their fifth or sixth transaction with her. She successfully coordinated a complicated sale and move—entirely virtually—for a client stuck in California. Another highlight of the year: submitting a property to be featured in the University of Chicago’s historic mansion virtual tour.
March of last year was “a very quiet month” reports Dorothy Gillian and her Oak Park team as they learned about COVID, but 2020 turned into one of her best sales years. She put safe showing procedures in place, stayed in touch with clients through COVID-friendly popbys and Zoom happy hours, and advertised their newest listings in creative ways, such as contests for decorating dollhouses during the Halloween and Christmas seasons.
LESLIE GLAZIER Broker @properties
In 2020, Chicagobased Leslie Glazier says she was the first Realtor to become an affiliate member of Collaborative Divorce Illinois. To establish herself as the area’s “divorce real estate adviser,” she began writing letters and talking to past clients more than ever. She also often works with first-time homeowners and relocation, move-up and downsizing clients. One effective technique is to ask sellers to write down the five things they love about their home and neighborhood, and then incorporate them into marketing efforts.
Looking for more Exposure? Have a Notable Property to Sell? zBoM zWbbWbU BUObsp VO_l |dt zWb Wb sdMB|Ćp oOB_ OpsBsO aBo^Os
2020 Achievements $49M in Sales 2dl Ň dT VWKBUd .OB_sdop .OKdoM oOB^WbU /B_O dT ĝ à oBWbĆp !dsBJ_O .OB_ psBsO od^Oop
Elizabeth Pyle O_W BJOsVŒKVWKBUd àKda à à
Santiago Valdez pBbsWBUdŒKVWKBUd àKda à à
We go above and beyond to get results.
- Santiago and Elizabeth
.O_t{ bsOobBsWdbB_ Wp B sOBa dT oOB_ OpsBsO BUObsp BT _WBsOM zWsV dalBppà _WKObpOM oOB_ OpsBsO Jod^Oo BbM BJWMOp J| TOMOoB_Û psBsO BbM _dKB_ OntB_ VdtpWbU dlldostbWs| _Bzpà
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 21
4/2/21 2:37 PM
22 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
BETH GOMEZ
ROSIE GONZALEZ
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker Coldwell Banker Realty
Beth Gomez says her business is 99 percent referral-based. In 2020, marketing evolved with the use of interactive floor plans, virtual walkthrough tours on WhatsApp, video inspections, and drone videos to showcase neighborhoods. An “interesting” transaction involved the purchase of a Ukrainian Village home where, after contracts were signed, the seller backed out and contracted with another for a higher offer. Her buyer won, eventually, after a bidding war unlike any other in her experience.
La Grange-based Rosie Gonzalez’s most interesting transaction in 2020 involved two seller clients—one looking to downsize, the other looking for a larger house—who swapped homes. Another notable event saw her hosting an open house at twilight with appetizers, wine and music to draw nearby train commuters, which also turned into a great networking event for all involved. The evening, at a completely renovated house on her block, also resulted in Gonzalez gaining two new clients.
NICOLE HAJDU Broker Dream Town
Nicole Hajdu says that 2020 was her most successful year yet. An early adopter of drone technology, she contracted with a friend to create an inner drone video of a luxury property and used it as part of a holiday lights party to create buzz for a property. Early on in the shutdown, she used the sale of her own home to testdrive safe procedures for meetings, staging, photos, showings, inspections and appraisals, ultimately buying her dream home in Park Ridge.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 22
KIMBERLY CHASE HARDING Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
In 2020, Kimberly Chase Harding celebrated a personal sales record; expanded her team from four to seven brokers (plus two leasing agents); and sold a client’s Hyde Park/Kenwood home to Chicago Deputy Mayor Samir Mayekar. She also became the University of Chicago Law School’s broker of choice for incoming professors. As people are spending less time “looking at homes” and more time “vetting” and narrowing them on the internet, her digital platform of choice is Adwerx.
JOHN GRAFFT
MARY GRANT
MARIO GRECO
Realtor Compass
Senior broker @properties
John Grafft says that while competitors were firing staff, he hired a cameraman to record more than 70 videos during the pandemic to showcase Chicago real estate. As a result, he says his Instagram following grew from 900 to more than 5,000, and he had his best year in 2020. In 2021 he’ll meet with small-business owners to help promote them with video that brings their stories to the public.
Mary Grant reports that 2020 was her most successful year yet, and across a wide range of styles, from a $160,000 unit in Evanston all the way up to a $5.5 million home in Winnetka. She invested more in online advertising and social media, and for one high-end listing in Kenilworth, she dropped bottles of Veuve Clicquot and handwritten notes about the house to area agents who had sold or were out showing anything over $3 million.
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
JILL HARE
JULIE HARRON
Vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Senior vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
While she “sheltered in place” at home for five months, Jill Hare mastered the use of Matterport, videos and floor plans and discovered the value of always being available to talk rather than being out in the field—often unnecessarily. Constant contact was essential during the most difficult sale of her career, when a Chicago-area property went under contract four times, and she had to untangle multiple offers, home-sale contingencies, backup offers, escalation clauses and kick-out clauses.
Julie Harron had been using video and social-media marketing for years before the shutdowns—even digitally “staging” rooms during walk-throughs for her Chicago-area clients. Her pandemic pivot emphasized personalizing these skills. Instead of sending mass emails to clients, she picked up the phone to connect with each one. She says this relationship-building paid off in 2020 when she sold her first “virtual property” without the buyer seeing it in person before the purchase.
Mario Greco says he lost nearly a dozen deals days after the March shutdown, yet his group still ended the year successfully. He’s most proud of
his team’s pivot from partly electronic to fully virtual in just two weeks. Among many game-changers was sending a digital brochure to a buyer’s agent from the scheduling system immediately upon confirmation of a showing request. This ensured that things ran smoothly and that nothing fell through the cracks.
JOANNE HUDSON Broker Compass
Joanne Hudson took a cinematic approach to the pandemic, showcasing houses via FaceTime, video and Matterport three-dimensional floor plans. She even produced a drone video of nine cars pulling into the nine-car garage for a Winnetka client. Coronavirus protections are in place for all showings with masks, booties and gloves; temperatures taken at the door; 6-foot distancing honored; wiped-down doorknobs, counters and surfaces after showings; and all long conversations held outside.
JUSTIN GREENBERG
CONNIE GRUNWALDT
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker @properties
Glenview-based Justin Greenberg says he boosted business by 10 percent and the number of units sold by 20 percent in 2020. Since many clients fell into higher-risk categories, he used Matterport 3D tours for every listing and prerecorded video walk-throughs to screen serious buyers from shoppers to prevent unnecessary traffic. His most noteworthy transaction was an Arlington Heights home where, after he urged partnering with Curbio for pre-sale home renovations, the house had multiple offers within a month.
Connie Grunwaldt increased her salesto-list-price ratio to 98.4 percent from 97 percent (market average: 96 percent); her total gross sales grew by 10 percent. One notable 2020 transaction involved a rarity—a Chicago lot with riparian rights. Pricing it without much data was a challenge, and finding a high-end buyer meant combing local fishing/ sailing databases to reach folks personally and through online ads and direct mail. She got a full-price cash offer.
DIANA IVAS
MARK JAK
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker @properties
The pandemic prompted Hinsdale broker Diana Ivas to reach out to present and past clients. Her most noteworthy sale of this year was a Hinsdale home that sold for $2.05 million in August. Although the sellers were happy to sell and move to a different state, they were wistful that they would miss time in the park-like backyard with a koi fish pond. Ivas also was successful with a listing for an Indian Head Park fixer-upper.
Chicago broker Mark Jak and his colleagues formed a group to share best practices and collaborated with Manhattan and San Francisco counterparts on how best to help clients in densely populated city markets. He assisted overseas clients in COVID-stricken countries who used the U.S. Embassy to execute, sign and notarize documents. Jak targeted high-net-worth clients for a city listing that had parking for four cars in the garage. Before becoming a real estate broker, Jak worked in telecom.
4/1/21 2:25 PM
ALI
Brok Berks Hom
Chic Jenn in RE invo prop lend estat was spec Dep cultu Aircr start open Loop was who a nu selle her h serve fessi com Chic of Re
V
c
t so
et nt); es t.
ed a lot ts.
chala eant hing/ to nally ne il. e
ark gues
es
o ow s in d city ed n oune U.S. te, doced ients at ur
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 5, 2021 23
ALICE JENNETT
MISSY JERFITA
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker Compass
Chicago broker Alice Jennett specializes in REO business involving the sale of properties owned by a lender. Before her real estate career, Jennett was an information specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Lockheed Aircraft. Shortly after starting at the newly opened Rubloff South Loop office, Jennett was referred to a seller whose mother was in a nursing home—that seller would become her husband. Jennett serves on the professional standards committee of the Chicago Association of Realtors.
Last year, Glenview broker Missy Jerfita pivoted to a virtual process for showings, visits and even inspections. On several occasions, she negotiated contracts before the buyer actually visited the property. Before moving into real estate, Jerfita worked as an actress, with jobs in commercials, print ads and industrial videos. “Auditioning for jobs was very tough and humbling, which made me comfortable with the word ‘no’ ” Jerfita says. “Transitioning into real estate was a bit easy.”
MELINDA JORDAN Broker associate Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Chicago broker Melinda Jordan teamed with a colleague to assist an out-of-state client with an aggressive relocation timeline and specific home and neighborhood criteria. After viewing more than 40 homes in three house-hunting trips, making offers on five properties and being under contract on three homes, the client closed on a Winnetka home. Jordan previously worked in brand marketing at Coca-Cola, Energizer and Michelin Tires and is active in the Chicago chapter of the National Black MBA Association.
SUSIE KANTER Broker Dream Town
Last year, three of Susie Kanter’s past clients were visiting friends from Los Angeles who said they would like to look at homes “just for fun.” Kanter scrambled and found three homes including one in a private listing network. The Angelenos ended up buying a Spanish-inspired home in Oak Park the same day. Before selling real estate, Kanter worked for a privately owned bank in Lincoln Park where she specialized in rehab and construction loans.
LANCE KIRSHNER Broker and team leader Compass
For Lance Kirshner, 2020 showed that you have to roll with the punches. Kirshner and his team pivoted to virtual showings and rolled out 3D tours. The group also adopted video provided by drone to attract attention to their listings. Kirshner has represented a developer that was renovating units in a River North high-rise. His team has closed 43 of the 55 units since 2018, despite a dip in demand for the neighborhood last year.
SOPHIA KLOPAS
AMIE KLUJIAN
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker Dream Town
Sophia Klopas and her Chicago team guided buyers through the sales process with few in-person interactions. They embraced Zoom the first week of the lockdown and use it today for ease of day-to-day conversations. Klopas predicts that Zoom could permanently change the way real estate is bought and sold. She sold a home that the buyers didn’t see until the walk-through on closing day. She was relieved that the buyers liked the property more than they thought they would.
Last year, Amie Klujian and her partner Todd Szwajkowski embraced new platforms of communication with clients and substituted annual client events with more independent and distanced client interactions. The partners focus on the Edgewater and Andersonville neighborhoods. Klujian’s team packed and delivered pandemic relief items to past clients. Before becoming a licensed broker, Klujian managed marketing for the Chicago Tribune’s real estate advertising division, which paved the way for entering the transactional side of the business.
CONGRATULATES
Chris Pequet Vice President of Residential Sales
As a Crain’s 2021 Notable Residential Real Estate Broker 630.327.5175 chris@chrispequet.com www.ChrisPequet.com
a Jak m.
Each franchise is Independently Owned and Operated.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 23
4/1/21 2:25 PM
24 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
JAMES KRAMER Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Chicago broker James Kramer used 3D Matterport to take potential buyers into homes virtually. When buyers toured homes in person, he kept them safe with masks, gloves, sanitizer and distancing. Kramer sold a 12,000-square-foot home in Glen Ellyn with five bedrooms, six full baths and two half-baths, an elevator and a massive wine cellar. At the time of the closing, it was the highest-priced home that sold in Glen Ellyn in 2020.
SHANNON KUTCHEK
IVONA KUTERMANKIEWICZ
Broker associate Compass
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
During the pandemic, Shannon Kutchek encouraged sellers to prepare their home for the market post-pandemic. She created newsletters
and media to promote the importance of home. Kutchek sold a distinctive property in La Grange that needed repairs and updating and was a candidate for a teardown. She marketed the home as an Art Deco masterpiece and was able to find a buyer who loves the architecture and plans to restore it to its original glory.
The pandemic required Chicago broker Ivona Kutermankiewicz and her team to revise their business plan and use technology to increase productivity. They found that Zoom and FaceTime could expedite the marketing process. She’s a native of Poland and specializes in single-family homes, luxury condominiums and new construction projects. Kutermankiewicz has built and rehabbed homes and owned rental units. Last year, she biked 111 miles for the Jackson Chance Foundation where she serves on the board.
MATT LARICY Managing partner Americorp
Chicago broker Matt Laricy says he was early to embrace the virtual world. With the pandemic, Laricy’s team made a quick transition, launching a social media campaign and presenting drone videos and custom 3D tours. Laricy produced a 10-part podcast to let his community know what his team was seeing firsthand during the early part of the lockdown. The biggest challenge, Laricy says, was convincing people that it was OK to move ahead during such a dark time.
ANN LASALLE LYON Realtor @properties
In Lake Forest, Ann LaSalle Lyon made use of Zoom and FaceTime calls, Matterport virtual home tours, and interior and exterior drone videos of homes. She also included more detail into each property’s website and used social media to reach potential buyers. Her most noteworthy sale of the year was a $5 million transaction in which she represented the buyer and seller. It was the most expensive home sale in Lake Forest last year.
BARI LEVINE Broker @properties
After preparing their Gold Coast home to go on the market, Bari Levine’s clients were ready to list right when the pandemic shut down the city. The clients were sheltering in place and allowed showings only during a short window when they were out. Levine used digital showings and targeted her outreach, ultimately selling the home at full price. She makes use of virtual staging and can be found carrying a coffee table up three flights of stairs.
JENNY LIM-SPIGGOS
DIA MA
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Brok partn Marc @pro
After setting up her office at home, Northbrook broker Jenny Lim-Spiggos relied on digital marketing and showings. One unpredictable deal dated to December 2019 when clients made an offer on a luxury home in Glenview and subsequently signed a contract without a contingency. Nervous about the husband’s job security in the hospitality field, the couple canceled the contract. Fortunately, the couple was able to sell their Glenview home and resubmitted the offer. Both transactions closed in mid-May.
BRAD LIPPITZ
VITTORIA LOGLI
SALLY MABADI
JACKIE MACK
J MAGGIO
MICHAEL MAIER
ERIN MANDEL
President, Brad Lippitz Group Compass
Real estate agent @properties
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Broker @properties
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker associate @properties
Evanston-based Sally Mabadi says she always devoted a lot of resources to staging and photography, so her team was prepared to use technology in new ways to maximize the exposure of client homes: FaceTime, Zoom, Facebook. Reels, TikTok and Instagram Live. This embrace of technology ensured that all listings and sales stayed on schedule even during the early days of the pandemic, she says, and sales volume increased over 2019.
Jackie Mack used the stay-at-home order to revamp procedures with her Evanston-based team. She re-marketed every listing virtually; incorporated Zoom for buyer consultations, listing appointments and 30-day reviews; and deployed Marco Polo virtual tours and 3D tours as well as interactive floor plans. She also supported local businesses by creating a COVID-19 list of open businesses and those that delivered or offered pickup. She says her group increased sales in 2020 by more than 13 percent.
Chicago broker Brad Lippitz drew upon his experiences selling real estate in the aftermath of 9/11 and the Great Recession. He offered buyers two options: a virtual showing with FaceTime or monitored in-person showings requiring masks, distancing and sanitizing. Lippitz says his most noteworthy 2020 transaction was the sale of a $4.7 million new construction Lincoln Park house. It was his buyers’ culmination of a 10-year search for a perfect home that would meet their needs and desires.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 24
For Vittoria Logli, the last 18 months have been a series of ups and downs. She went from a robust 2019 to a halt in sales for the first two months of the pandemic to the busiest time of her real estate career. She sustained her Glenview-based business with virtual showings and 3D tours for her listings. At the height of the pandemic, she sold a few houses sight unseen, with only virtual walkthroughs.
Hinsdale-based J Maggio says investing triple that of his previous highest marketing spend in 2020 paid off in personal sales records. All listings, regardless of price, carried key digital
assets including 3D tours, floor plans and custom video. A notable 2020 listing involved a home that, for medical reasons, had equipment that couldn’t be moved for sales photography; a clever photo editor digitally removed all items and showed the property as vacant, selling off-market above expectations.
Michael Maier says he persevered in a downtown Chicago market where showings, open houses and even access to common areas to fully sell a building were off limits for months at a time. Using dynamic photography including drones, videos, floor plans and enhanced digital marketing kept him front of mind throughout 2020. He even managed to secure a property for a travel-restricted California client, managing the transaction entirely, from contract to closing, through videos and Zoom.
Erin Mandel reports that despite market conditions, she sold 95 percent of her listings in 2020. She started an Instagram account to deliver mass listing exposure and updates to the Chicago market; she increased 3D tours and her video-marketing efforts; and she offered PPE at every listing. She made sure that properties were well staged, Instagram-worthy and generally move-in ready as a counter to buyers’ pandemic fatigue. On high-end properties she conducted caravan tours with other agents.
4/2/21 2:42 PM
Arlin base chet 2020 best of sa trans digit and usin form vide emp on re socia note tion estat go fa a res hom esca dow the c
S
y ago
er orthy d on and pred 9 e ry w and ed ta vous d’s
he he ely, le iew mit-
d in
L
rts et ld
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 5, 2021 25
DIANE MARCHETTI Broker, founding partner, DelBoccio/ Marchetti Group @properties
Arlington Heightsbased Diane Marchetti reports that 2020 was her team’s best year in terms of sales volume. She transitioned to a digital-based listing and buying process using various platforms, emails and video blasts. A special emphasis was placed on retargeting through social media. One noteworthy transaction was a Barrington estate sold to a Chicago family looking for a resort-like summer home to use as an escape from the shutdown restrictions in the city.
LEIGH MARCUS
JOE MARELLA
DEBBIE MAUE
Broker @properties
Managing broker Keller Williams Realty Partners
Vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Park Ridge-based Joe Marella says in 28 years he’s seen many shifts in the business landscape. The key to his exceeding goals even in a pandemic was to stay calm, spend time developing safety protocols for buyers and sellers, embrace technologies like 3D home viewing and work with like-minded business partners and advisers. He keeps contacts close by hosting online trivia nights, Facebook live seminars on property issues and open houses for neighbors.
Having worked remotely sporadically for 11 years, Debbie Maue says that splitting time between the action in Chicago and launching a development in Montana (“Landmark Whitefish” in Whitefish, Mont.) was a natural transition. She says that she’d already been doing FaceTime and recorded video tours for almost two years prior to the shutdowns, and as a result, sees virtually “walking through” a property as natural as an in-person tour. She is president of Real Estate to the Rescue and chair of Chicago Association of Realtors International Committee.
Chicago-based Leigh Marcus added eight people to his team in 2020 and also boosted business by 30 percent. He uses virtual walk-throughs, FaceTime and interactive floor plans to accentuate a home’s features and layout. A notable 2020 transaction was a multimillion-dollar penthouse sale that, despite an oversupply of condo inventory downtown, moved during the pandemic in fewer than three months. His team also sold two other million-dollar homes—both sight unseen by the buyers until the closings— during COVID.
Congratulations
MORGAN SAGE
2021
CRAIN’S NOTABLE
BRENDA MAULDIN
LAURA MCGREAL
DAWN MCKENNA
Broker Baird & Warner, Gold Coast
Broker Dream Town
President, Dawn McKenna Group Coldwell Banker
During COVID, Chicago-based Brenda Mauldin embraced sales strategies that were more high-tech than high-touch, focusing on virtual open houses, panoramic 3D virtual tours and well-organized digital marketing campaigns. Recognizing that it was a time of uncertainty but by no means a housing crisis, she picked up the phone more often and served as a voice of reason, knowledge and experience for her clients.
Chicago-based Laura McGreal reports that her team, which specializes in city-to-suburban transitions, had one of its best years in 2020. The team, which grew to eight women, saw an influx of buyers coming from the city to the suburbs and soon, inventory became low. McGreal had success monitoring local real estate brokers daily to find off-market homes— homes normally not shared with city clients—that she sent to everyone in hopes of capturing the right buyer.
Hinsdale-based Dawn McKenna is a founding member of “Luxury Alliance,” an invite-only group of Coldwell Banker’s top agents worldwide, and reports that she is the only Illinois member of “Luxury Presence,” which includes the top agents from any agency in the world’s most important markets. She reports that in 2020, her group (at locations in Illinois and Naples, Fla.) grew to 27 from 18 agents, her Hinsdale sales volume increased by 40 percent and her Chicago team closed transactions in every downtown Chicago neighborhood.
Congratulations Rich Aronson!
2021
CRAIN’S NOTABLE
Residential Real Estate Brokers
Residential Real Estate Brokers
he am
Rich and his team helped over 235 wonderful clients buy and sell their properties in 2020!
ure e he s rshe ry sure re
gendy yers’ On es raer
RICH ARONSON Team Leader | The AVE Group 773.294.8888 | RichAronson.com
CONTACT RICH TODAY TO GET MOVING IN 2021!
773.551.4267
MORGANSAGE.BHHSCHICAGO.COM
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 25
4/1/21 2:25 PM
26 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
AMANDA MCMILLAN
CHRISTINA MCNAMEE
Chief real estate adviser, Chicago Home Partner @properties
Senior broker @properties
Chicago-based Amanda McMillan shifted her business to a “physical-to-virtual” model, employing predictive data (based on past tax records) for her listings to build a “move-up path” of locations, price points and more to better target potential buyers. Once a moveup audience was identified, she’d focus on particular client types in marketing campaigns and drive that traffic to physical-to-virtual landing pages featuring custom Zoom tours that she’d narrate.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 26
Christina McNamee navigated the pandemic by taking her business digital and learning how to make DIY video walk-throughs using editing software and YouTube, as well as adding 3D tours and video to all listings. Notable 2020 transactions included helping her buyers purchase an off-market, midcentury modern home in Lake Forest and successfully renting out an entire 20-unit, new-construction apartment building in just three months. She also reported the largest-volume buy-side sale of her career.
LAURA MEIER Broker @properties
Laura Meier grew her team and business in 2020 by mixing old-school relationship-building with new technologies. Pre-pandemic, her team was well known for hosting client events to keep in touch, and she wouldn’t let a shutdown break that tradition. She enlisted local businesses such as Chicago’s Kit Kat Lounge to deliver treats and a Zoom “Happy Birthday” to clients, as well as with Salerno’s Pizza to deliver at-home pizza-making kits for Zoom parties.
LAURA MICHICICH
JENNIFER MILLS
PHIL MISTRATA
PETER MOORE
JAN
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Senior vice president of sales/team lead, The Home Discovery Team Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Broker Dream Town
Broker Baird & Warner - Gold Coast
Brok @pro
Laura Michicich saw 2020 as a lesson in lifelong learning. With safety at the forefront, her Hinsdale team implemented the technologies necessary to foster connections via FaceTime, Flipbooks, Zoom, DocuSign, virtual open houses and an increased presence on social media. Offline relationships are still important too, and when weather permitted, she hosted socially distanced outdoor movie screenings for friends and clients. Her team worked together to deliver dinners, homemade cookies, pies and gigantic cinnamon rolls.
When selling a penthouse in Chicago’s River North neighborhood during the winter, Jennifer Mills used renderings to show the property’s outdoor spaces in summer. She also had a variety of “virtual renovations” completed to show buyers its potential, which ultimately led to a successful sale. One particularly notable 2020 transaction involved the sale of a four-unit building in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood that had previously been listed with another broker for a whopping 705 days.
Over the past 18 months, Chicagobased Phil Mistrata reports that he closed more than 90 transactions. Step one was a deep dive through his database to reconnect with people and assist past clients where needed. Step two involved new technological methods, such as the ability to send links to materials in a concise electronic format that’s easy to share, which proved especially effective on investment properties such as rental buildings, retail spaces and commercial buildings.
Peter Moore’s most interesting 2020 transaction saw him negotiating a $3 million condo buy with a seller who was canoeing down the Amazon River and didn’t have a voice phone plan—everything was communicated in 20-word texts. Instead of doing one open house a month in Chicago, he tries for six to eight, as well as using 3D tours and Zoom showings. He also adapted his marketing to coincide with buyers’ increasing reliance on third-party sites like Zillow and Redfin.
4/1/21 2:25 PM
Jan M that his m Clare the l his c note actio
gle-f garn Hills price findi the m hom skill: hous Fest even Bear custo info neig do th
E
old
st innsacotiatondo who wn and e yniexts. ne nth es
ours ngs. is -
e on ke .
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 5, 2021 27
JAN MOREL Broker @properties
Jan Morel reports that in 2020, he grew his market share in Clarendon Hills to the largest margin of his career. His most noteworthy transaction was a sin-
gle-family home that garnered Clarendon Hills’ highest sales price in a decade. But finding a buyer for the most expensive home in town takes skill: Twilight open houses and a Fall Fest neighborhood event that included a Bears game viewing, customized swag and info on the home and neighborhood helped do the trick.
JOHN MORRISON
DANIELLE MOY Broker @properties
Broker, team lead, Morrison Home Team @properties
John Morrison focused on marketing through social media and supporting the Barrington community. He helped clients understand PPP loans and forbearance on mortgages. He patronized restaurants for carryout meals and sent out daily lunches to front-line workers at the local hospital. Morrison had luck taking over a listing that was on the market for nearly a year. He ended up selling it to his own buyer within a week of it going live. He represented both sides of the deal.
Early in the pandemic, Orland Park broker Danielle Moy told sellers that it was a great time to list their homes because of the market’s low inventory. Moy helped clients who had purchased a home in Orland Park but never moved in as they hadn’t been able to sell their Lemont townhouse. Moy listed the Orland Park home, which immediately went under contract, and the clients finally received a contract on their townhouse. They ended up buying a top-floor condo closer to family in Palos Heights.
SARAH O’SHEA MUNOZ Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Oak Park broker Sarah O’Shea Munoz early on learned to navigate Zoom for consultations, enabling clients to meet from home and save travel time. In-person showings were handled with social distancing, masks and sanitizer. Munoz’s most noteworthy transaction involved selling a rehabbed home to a buyer relocating to Chicago. The buyer signed a contract without seeing the property, and the loan process was delayed because the deed for the rehabbed property hadn’t been recorded. But the deal closed on Dec. 30.
PATTIE MURRAY
JOANNE NEMEROVSKI
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
SUSAN NICE
Luxury real estate adviser Compass
Realtor Dream Town
Chicago broker Susan Nice represented White Sox Hall of During the pandemic, Famer Frank ThomJoanne Nemerovski as in the sale of his pivoted to virtual showLibertyville home. The ings and tours, online 7,000-square-foot, walk-throughs and open houses, and targeted dig- six-bedroom house closed in October for ital marketing. She also $1.36 million. Last year, Nice pivoted to phone calls, Zoom presentations and virtual open houses. She expanded her expanded her networks. bandwidth by taking Realizing that doormen and passing the public are first responders, she adjuster exam to be crafted care packages to cheer them during a scary able to settle insurance claims. She time but also solidify her tutors low-income as a top-of-mind broker students through in key Chicago buildCabrini Connections ings. While Nemerovski and Tutoring Chicago. normally focuses on the city, she saw opportunity in the suburbs and took on a majestic 10-acre Barrington estate.
Pattie Murray and her Glen Ellyn team learned every way to bring listing photos to the consumer. Photographers created packages with still images, 3D walk-throughs, drone/ aerial tours and floor plans, the next best thing to a live, in-person showing. Open houses were livestreamed. At broker open houses, Murray substituted individual cheese and fruit boxes with a split of Champagne for the typical spreads. She ended up increasing her sales volume for the year by 38 percent.
Congratulations
Congratulations
to Connie Dornan on being Crain’s 2021 Notable Residential Real Estate Broker TheotokosPanagia
Notable Residential Real Estate Broker 2021
TheotokosPanagia
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
8 47. 2 0 8 .1 3 9 7 CO N N I E @ CO N N I E D O R N A N .CO M CO N N I E D O R N A N .CO M
TOP 1% INDIVIDUAL BROKER IN THE *
NORTH SHORE & IN COOK COUNTY 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014* TOP 1% IN STATE OF ILLINOIS
Represented Buyer
*
Represented Buyer
U R B A N TO S U B U R B A N . C I T Y TO T H E W E ST E R N S U B U R B S .
BY REAL TRENDS 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015** NAMED ONE OF CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS’ NOTABLE RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERS 2021, 2020, 2019 & 2018***
*Top 1% ranking based on closed sales volume in the North Shore and Chicago area, all companies. Based on information from MRED LLC for the period 01/1/201411/01/2020. **Top 1% in State of Illinois by Real Trends 2015-2020. This data is informational and cannot be guaranteed accurate. Data maintained by MRED LLC may not reflect all real estate activity in the market ***Awarded by Crain’s Chicago Business as one of their 2018-2021 Notable Residential.
Call me if you’re thinking about YOUR MOVE. 312.450.0012
| JMAGGIO@ATPROPERTIES.COM
30 S. LINCOLN STREET, HINSDALE
300+
TRANSACTIONS *
$150M + T O TA L S A L E S *
SOURCE:
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 27
| JMAGGIO.COM
*
11 Years
SE LLING RE AL E STATE
MREDLLC, 01/01/2010- 01/31/2021.
4/1/21 2:25 PM
28 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
Senior vice president of sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
JASON O’BEIRNE
BARBARA O’CONNOR
MAUREEN O’GRADY-TUOHY
STEPHANY OLIVEROS
Broker Dream Town
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Realtor Compass
Last year Chicago broker Jason O’Beirne pivoted by using digital and video mediums, hoping to capture potential homebuyers who weren’t comfortable touring properties during the pandemic. He incorporated drone footage, connecting the features and location of the home to its neighborhood. Early in the year, he closed on the sale of a classic stone mansion that had been chopped up into multiple apartments. The deal felt like it would fall apart more than once, O’Beirne says.
Shortly after the shutdown last March, Chicago broker Barbara O’Connor landed a listing that the owners needed to sell as quickly as possible. When the first showing request came in, O’Connor led a virtual walk-through, taking the buyers through every room, sometimes twice. They closed in just over 30 days, having never seen the house in person. O’Connor used an auction to sell a six-flat rental in Lincoln Park, which enabled her to win top dollar for her client.
During the shutdown, Maureen O’GradyTuohy advanced her education, with classes and webinars in décor, technology and other subjects. The Lake Forest broker helps sellers stage their homes and offers virtually staged options to buyers to help them envision a room in a particular color or decorated a particular way. Social media and internet advertising showcases her listings to larger audiences. She has volunteered for the nonprofit Dreams for Kids, which provided programs for underprivileged children.
Chicago broker Stephany Oliveros handled the sale of a home in Logan Square, next to Mayor Lori Lightfoot. Taking an aerial photo of the home required approval from the mayor’s head of
security. Pulling up for every showing required permission from the mayor’s security detail. The strict protection in the area made the sale more exciting, Oliveros says, and the deal was the most expensive single-family home sold west of Kimball Avenue in Logan Square in 2020.
Congratulations
to Jan Morel on being Crain’s 2021 Notable Residential Real Estate Broker
ANDRA O’NEILL
ELAINE PAGELS
KELLY PARKER
CHR
Broker @properties
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker, founder of Chicago Home Collective Compass
Last year Elaine Pagels navigated unchartered territory, managing worried buyers, sellers and agents. Early on, the Hinsdale broker created a flyer for her group’s listings, outlining new protocols to tour a home or for an open house. The time invested to educate agents, buyers and sellers made everyone more comfortable. Pagels started a company with her sister that consults on staging, hand-painted murals and specialty finishes for residential and commercial projects.
Kelly Parker’s Chicago team shifted from generating new business to wellness checks on any client helped in the last decade. Parker sold out a new construction development in seven days and increased sales by 24 percent from 2019. Parker serves as her team’s mentor. Early in the pandemic, she spoke on two panels on how to weather the market’s uncertainty. She is a sponsor and volunteer for the nonprofit Honeycomb Project that supports children and families.
Vice resid Jame Inter
A highlight of last year was representing the sellers of a 30,000-square-foot home on the shore in Lake Bluff that realized $4.2 million. The mansion was designed by society architect David Adler and built for Lester Armour of the meatpacking family. It was most recently owned by 1980s pop star Richard Marx and his ex-wife. During the pandemic, O’Neill says she served as a sounding board for people who were nervous about what was coming down the road.
Congratulations THE KCH TEAM
2021
CRAIN’S NOTABLE
Residential Real Estate Brokers
630.624.6100 JA N @ M O R E L H O M E S .CO M M O R E L H O M E S .CO M
Getting You to Where You Want to Be
#1 AGENT BY VOLUME SOLD IN CLARENDON HILLS
773.957.3599 KCHTEAM.COM
2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016* TOP 20 AGENT BY VOLUME SOLD IN DUPAGE COUNTY 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016**
*#1 ranking based on closed sales volume in Clarendon Hills, all companies. Based on information from MRED LLC 01/1/201612/31/2020. **Top 20 agent based on closed sales volume in DuPage County from MRED LLC 01/1/2016-12/31/2020.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 28
4/1/21 2:25 PM
Chri year in re lived subu Pequ turn cond open eo to and ings listed subd Broo the m histo Hins as ad Hins Com direc
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 5, 2021 29
R
CHRIS PEQUET
SAM POWELL
ELIZABETH PYLE
JESSICA RIVERA
Chiive
Vice president of residential sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Broker Dream Town
Realtor/broker Compass
Even before the pandemic, Chicago broker Sam Powell had abandoned paper in favor of digital platforms. During the year, she spoke with clients via videoconferencing, conducted 3D virtual reality tours and used drone videos to show home interiors and outdoor views. When clients leave items behind in their property such as guitars and blenders, Powell and her partner collect them and annually fill a 24-foot truck of donations. She is active in the Women’s Council of Realtors.
Early in the pandemic, Chicago broker Elizabeth Pyle and her partner, Santiago Valdez, purchased video equipment and produced videos of their listings. They also hosted virtual open houses and tours.
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
-
ew ess nt
ld c-
24 9. er rly she els r the nr the omb orts lies.
Chris Pequet has 30 years of experience in real estate and has lived in the western suburbs for 40 years. Pequet and her team turned to technology, conducting virtual open houses and video tours of her listings and FaceTime showings for buyers. She listed the largest new subdivision in Oak Brook and sold one of the most important historical homes in Hinsdale. She serves as adviser to the Hinsdale Chamber of Commerce board of directors.
The pair represented the sellers of 3501 N. Halsted St. in the $6.2 million purchase by Howard Brown Health for a redevelopment that will include medical and dental clinics, a pharmacy and offices.
In the past 18 months, Oak Park broker Jessica Rivera helped 24 families buy or sell properties. She worked to provide a safe and secure experience to allow her clients to feel comfortable enough to pursue their goals. She promoted positive opportunities such as historically low interest rates for buyers and low inventory for sellers. Rivera also has worked as a HUD-approved housing counselor for the nonprofit Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County.
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S
MICHAEL ROSENBLUM Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Last year, River Northbased broker Michael Rosenblum worked with two out-of-state buyers in their purchase of million-dollar homes. They gained confidence with detailed videos that showed every corner of the rooms. Rosenblum is the author of the 2018 book “Happily Ever Always: A Guide to Personal Transformation, Security, Confidence, and Healthy Self.” His second book, geared to children, “The Caterpillar and the Butterfly: A Story About the Power of Believing in Yourself,” was published in February.
ANNE ROSSLEY
LORI ROWE
Broker associate Baird & Warner
Broker Coldwell Banker
With high inventory in the Loop, broker Anne Rossley took on a condo at 6 North Michigan Avenue that previously had been listed for more than a year. Rossley used the opportunity to bring in a staging crew and create an “Ask Anne” video that showed what the property looked like before, during and after staging. The sale closed in August. This year, Rossley was selected by Baird & Warner to help build market share in the luxury segment.
Long Grove broker Lori Rowe brought her sellers weekly goodies so they knew she was working hard for them. The first week she gave them a giftwrapped roll of toilet paper with a card that said, “If I can find this, I can find you a buyer!” One week, she gave kids sidewalk chalk and puzzle books. She received 17 offers on a Chase foreclosure and sold it for 42 percent higher than the list price.
Congratulates CAROLINE STARR N OTA B L E R E S I D E N T I A L R E A L E S TAT E B R O K E R
· 2021 · CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
#1 @PROPERTIES BROKER IN ANDERSONVILLE * ALLEY BALLARD
847.890.8892 caroline@cstarrteam.com
312.848.7787 alleyballard@atproperties.com
cstarrteam.com OVER 200 MILLION IN SALES 2013-2020* *MRED, LLC, BASED ON CLOSED SALES DATA, @PROPERTIES ANDERSONVILLE OFFICE, 2020.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 29
*MRED, LLC, based on closed sales data for C Starr Team, 1/1/2013-12/31/2020.
4/1/21 2:26 PM
30 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
MARLENE RUBENSTEIN Team leader Baird & Warner
Highland Park broker Marlene Rubenstein and her partner, daughter Dena Fox, use technology but also embrace the personal touch. Last year, the pair and their team offered to run errands for the elderly. Team members delivered cookies to current and past clients. Online tools including social media, video, FaceTime and 3D perspectives were critical. Rubenstein favors testing listings on private listings before they hit the public market. More than ever, properties need to be move-in ready, she says.
JACKSON SANDERSON Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
While 2020 was challenging, it was one of Jackson Sanderson’s best years in terms of production. He used Facebook Live for virtual open houses, showed properties using Zoom and took advantage of digital-signature and curbside-closing technologies. An interesting 2020 transaction was a home sold in the Interlaken subdivision of Libertyville: A past client was returning from a two-year assignment in Singapore and, via technology, was able to spend hours fully inspecting every potential property virtually in advance.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 30
KELLY RYNES Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
With the onset of the pandemic, buyer priorities shifted dramatically, says Glenview broker Kelly Rynes. Buyers sought more space, control over safety, privacy and wellness. And they asked for amenities including multiple offices, gyms and pools. Rynes represented the seller of a home on Sheridan Road in Winnetka that sold for $9.5 million, a half-million over the original list price. She sold three homes via FaceTime and used technology for client meetings, sending contracts and hosting virtual open houses.
TIM SCHILLER Broker, managing partner of the Schiller Team @properties
After the real estate market paused when the pandemic hit last spring, Tim Schiller went back to his roots utilizing “old-school” marketing tactics such as calling, texting, connecting and more throughout the Elmhurst area. Along with other community activities, he is a sponsor of Elmhurst Movies in the Park, Touch a Truck and five other park district events. Before becoming a real estate professional, he was a loan officer for three years.
EMILY SACHS WONG Owner/broker, ESW Luxury @properties
Emily Sachs Wong started a charity organization named YIMBY to help students at Lincoln Park High School who are homeless. On the business side, Wong and her team got deals done with clients who preferred to move forward virtually. Hard-copy magazines engaged people who wanted to do something other than look at screens. One notable transaction was 441 Belden Ave., which sold for $4.55 million. It was the third time in Sachs Wong’s career that she completed a transaction with this home.
MORGAN SAGE Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
It was a busy year for Morgan Sage, closing transactions for 23 buyers and 30 sellers, with 50 percent of her listings selling in fewer than 40
days. One memorable transaction was the sale of a condo owned by a young woman who had died unexpectedly. The sale was an emotional experience for the young woman’s parents. Sage’s knowledge of condo financing, specifically debt-to-income calculation, saved the deal and also shielded the bereaved parents from undue worry.
MEREDITH SCHREIBER
KAREN SCHWARTZ
Broker @properties
Broker Dream Town
In 2020, Meredith Schreiber began sourcing 90plus percent of business from past clients and referrals, increasing her market share in Evanston and sales volume by 50
Karen Schwartz successfully closed out several condo developments in the city, including a 79-unit West Loop location and 40-unit and 32-unit properties in River North. She was then hired to sell another 31-unit condo development in River North. Meanwhile, her focus on city-to-suburban transitions amplified as clients longed for breathing percent. She teases photos on social media about space during the pandemic; her group now certain market listings serves all of the metro before they’re live in the area. She worked MLS, and once they’re for PulteGroup from listed, she’s able to post “sneak peeks.” Prior to her 2005-2014, selling new real estate career, she was construction across the Chicago area. with Levy Restaurants, handling food and beverage operations at Ravinia Festival and Arlington International Racecourse, among many others.
MICHAEL SALADINO Managing broker Keller Williams OneChicago
A few months into the pandemic, Michael Saladino suffered a massive heart attack, yet was still able to sell 50 properties in 2020 working mostly from home. He moved to an almost completely virtual operation including team meetings, listing appointments and buyer consultations. He uses paid marketing on social media as well as virtual tours and, sometimes, property- and outdoor-drone videos. Previously a Chicago police sergeant, he’s affiliated with Homes for Heroes and contributes 25 percent of his commission.
CRIS SALLMEN
LISA SANDERS
TIM
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker @properties
Brok Com
Lisa Sanders reports selling nearly 100 homes in 2020; within the last 18 months, she sold two million-dollar-plus homes in transactions where she represented both the sellers’ and the buyers’ sides. In her marketing, she mixes in night shots that show listings in a different light, and places feature cards throughout properties that call out renovations and benefits (for instance “new furnace, 2020”). She piloted a new charity called Care for Cops Inc. that supports police families.
Over year an h the 2 resid West a tot to th of co $75 m A 20 veter begu Deve proje unit to H past also team the S brin 10.
Cris Sallmen says her marketing mixes old-school techniques and new technologies, among them drone videos, livestream open houses, Facebook tours and more. It’s a multigenerational market, too. She’s getting calls from past clients who are retiring and moving to senior living places, and some of her newest clients are children she babysat back when their parents were her clients. Sallmen, a broker in the Schaumburg office, was a phys-ed and health teacher for 15 years before starting her real estate career.
DARRELL SCOTT
LINA SHAH
AARON SHARE
Broker Compass
Agent Coldwell Banker Realty
Darrell Scott says business grew 57.6 percent from 2019 due to improved marketing, photography, video, 3D walk-throughs, social media and consistent client engagement. He stresses making properties “move-in ready” by helping sellers spruce up their interiors and emphasizing staging, high-end photography and professional drone video. One specialty is working with Chicago athletes including various Bulls, Cubs and Blackhawks players over the years. Before his career in real estate, he was an intern architect in Florida and Indiana.
Oak Brook-based Lina Shah says she came close to doubling 2019 sales volume during the COVID pandemic, working with an extremely diverse client base. During lockdown and on crutches from a broken ankle, she adapted with high-resolution virtual openhouse tours, 3D animated walk-throughs and in-person tours, as well as through online ad promotion and the use of TV ads (important when people are stuck in their homes). Shah’s diverse work background and life experience enables her to connect with various people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds and truly understand their residential needs from all facets.
Vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Aaron Share’s hallmark is building strong relationships with his clients that last long after the transaction; he facilitates all listing preparation needs with an enthusiastic attention to detail. During the pandemic, that meant virtual showings, drone videos of all listings and video tours as first showings. Second showings were done in person. Share reports that properties that had just sat prior to the shutdown sold quickly, and that his team encouraged buyers to take advantage before the market heated up again.
4/1/21 2:26 PM
wo
ns t-
es. he s
d
ies -
e y s
RE
CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS • APRIL 5, 2021 31
TIM SHEAHAN Broker/team lead Compass
Over the past five years, Tim Sheahan has focused on the 28 ultra-luxury residences of Hayden West Loop, achieving a total sellout (prior to the completion of construction) of $75 million in 2020. A 20-year real estate veteran, he’s already begun sales for Sulo Development’s next project—Embry, a 58unit building adjacent to Hayden. Over the past year Sheahan also added five new team members to the Sheahan Group, bringing the total to 10.
MICHAEL SHENFELD Senior vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Formerly a successful commercial photographer, Michael Shenfeld marked 2020 by strategically positioning himself as a global real estate adviser. By introducing his clients to referral partners, he says he can help them with real estate needs anywhere in the world. He also began speaking on national real estate panels to educate agents on the changing environment and the use of virtual showings, drones, virtual brochures and real-time video walk-throughs.
MELISSA SIEGAL
PHIL SKOWRON
GAIL SPREEN
CAROLINE STARR
CRAIG STEIN
Broker and founder of the Melissa Siegal Group @properties
Broker @properties
Senior vice president, sales Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty
Broker, team lead for C Starr Team @properties
Broker Dream Town
Melissa Siegal says her major 2020 accomplishment was leading her team to a 66 percent increase in sales. All of her listings include a custom marketing video, using various techniques including twilight and drone shots. She also began a weekly video series to update her clients and social media followers on the changing market. Another highlight was selling a $4.2 million penthouse that had been on the market for a year with another broker.
Phil Skowron reports that his most noteworthy real estate transaction for the year was completed in December 2020: the sale of an $11.9 million house, considered the most expensive home sold in Chicago since 2018. He says he implemented every tool to help virtually showcase properties from social media to digital ads as well as interactive floor plans, virtual tours and real estate photography. Earlier in his career, Skowron worked in hospitality and commercial real estate leasing.
Almost without interruption, Gail Spreen transitioned to virtual tours by narrating walk-through videos for nearly all 75 of her listings. She also streamed tours on Facebook and Instagram. Spreen continued open houses every weekend through livestreaming and also in person with masks, gloves and sanitizer. She serves on the board of the Streeterville Organization of Active Residents where she was fivetime president and now is chair of the real estate committee. Spree also serves on the Magnificent Mile Association board.
Arlington Heights broker Caroline Starr adopted personally narrated, detailed video walk-throughs for new listings, which provided prospective buyers with a feel of living in the home. She report-
ed weekly on market conditions via social media and arranged video check-ins with clients. Her biggest transaction was the sale of a 12,000-square-foot luxury foreclosure home in downtown Glen Ellyn.
Although he prefers live contact, Chicago broker Craig Stein embraced Zoom and came to appreciate the benefits of virtual platforms. He found it useful to virtually stage vacant homes during a year where many buyers were shopping online before seeing homes in person. Stein had a buyer who was furloughed, just days before closing. The seller allowed the buyer to move into the property for a short-term rental. Fortunately, she subsequently returned to work and the deal closed.
CONGRATULATIONS AMANDA MCMILLAN
s
y
-
ps at
cilipaan tion he eant
l listurs Sece hare rties rior old his buyage
NAMED ONE OF
CRAIN’S 2021 NOTABLE REAL ESTATE BROKERS BY CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
773.537.1300 | amanda@atproperties.com
CONGRATULATIONS JOE MARELLA ON BEING A CRAIN’S 2021 NOTABLE RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE BROKER Thank you to the Spouses Selling Houses Team, all of our family, friends, clients and fellow Realtors at Keller Williams Realty Partners who helped make this honor possible.
2021
www.ChicagoHomePartner.com
RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE BROKERS
32 APRIL 5, 2021 • CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS
ROBERT SULLIVAN
MARY SUMMERVILLE
TODD SZWAJKOWSKI
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Broker Dream Town
Broker Dream Town
Last year, Evanston broker Mary Summerville launched a new team and rebranded her business as Summerville Partners. Summerville worked with a developer and created a new residential block on a site that was a landscape nursery for more than 75 years. The eight townhouses, including four duplexes, were sold. Summerville also sold 2659 Sheridan Road for $2.6 million—a new home constructed on a double lot that was once owned by the family that founded Finkl Steel.
Broker Todd Szwajkowski and partner Amie Klujian enjoyed a record year in Edgewater and Andersonville home sales. Szwajkowski focused on staying in touch with people in his database, dropping off pandemic care packages to past clients. Last year, he listed and sold the city’s first pre-certified renovation under the Passive House Institute of the United States criteria. The 1890s Ravenswood farmhouse exceeded criteria for energy efficiency and healthy environmental air quality, with smart systems regulating air flow and temperature.
CHRIS VEECH
KEITH WILKEY
Broker @properties
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
LAUREN MITRICK WOOD
Chicago broker Robert Sullivan says his approach to marketing real estate didn’t fundamentally change. He adopted videos but found the personal touch counted more. Sullivan used the phone more than emails and texts to maintain close contact with his clients and discuss details and strategies. Clients required reassurance and patience, he says, and every deal took more time and effort. He sold a $1 million home in Hyde Park sight unseen to buyers sheltering in South America.
When COVID-19 hit, Winnetka broker Chris Veech filled a basket with masks, gloves, Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer and committed to keeping her business moving forward safely. Home price appreciation on the North Shore had been modest over the last several years, so Chris was excited when a client made a 30 percent return on their Wilmette home that had been built in 2012 for just under $1 million and sold for more than $1.3 million.
P015-P032_CCB_20210405.indd 32
Chicago broker Keith Wilkey saw his listing and buyer transactions grow by more than 30 percent each, and his dollar sales increase 12 percent. In March 2020, Wilkey had multiple listings set to launch in March and April, and the lockdown necessitated a change in timetables. He adapted his brochures to an e-format and used walk-through videos to make sure properties were a good fit before an in-person showing. Aerial drone footage and social media posts worked well.
Broker, team lead Compass
Third-generation broker Lauren Mitrick Wood last year focused on branding and client outreach. She strengthened her team’s website and added a blog that includes design tips and recipes. In 2019, Wood launched a team brand, Olive Well, with a magazine and newsletters. The team includes Wood’s parents, husband, cousin and other agents. Wood represented the buyer of a 3-acre estate in Winnetka with seven bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court. The $2.7 million deal closed in December.
SUSAN TEPER
CRYSTAL TRAN
Broker @properties
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Under the stressful and uncertain conditions of the pandemic, Northbrook broker Susan Teper navigated her highest-volume year. She adapted to new protocols and put a priority on making clients feel comfortable and safe throughout the buying and selling process. Her most noteworthy transaction was a large Craftsman style home built in 1907. The home was vacant and had been on the market for a few years. Teper staged and sold the home without the owners being in town.
With the pandemic, Chicago broker Crystal Tran and her team doubled up on their social media content and their online lead flow increased with less face-to-face interaction. They launched advertising on Google, Facebook and Instagram. Tran added every contact to the team’s data feed in order to show listings to potential clients that matched their criteria and keep them on the team’s website. Tran offered video and prerecorded tours; the team nearly eliminated paper transactions and focused on providing PDFs.
SANTIAGO VALDEZ
ANNIKA VALDISERRI
Realtor/broker Compass
Broker @properties
Early in the pandemic, Chicago broker Santiago Valdez and his partner, Elizabeth Pyle, purchased video equipment and produced videos of their listings.
Shooting a personal video to send to new clients was an adjustment that required Winnetka broker Annika Valdiserri to “get out of her comfort zone.” An interesting transaction was with a young couple buying their first home together. After seeing properties, negotiating the deal, going through the inspection and closing, Valdiserri realized she had never seen the couple without their masks. It wasn’t until they invited Valdiserri to become Facebook friends afterwards that she saw their full faces.
They also hosted virtual open houses and tours. By creating good-quality online images, the partners found buyers were more comfortable moving forward with offers. The pair represented the sellers of 3501 N. Halsted St. in the $6.2 million purchase by Howard Brown Health for a redevelopment that will include medical and dental clinics, a pharmacy and offices.
TRACY WURSTER
JULIANA YEAGER
JAMES ZILTZ
Real estate agent Compass
Broker @properties
Lake Forest agent Tracy Wurster made use of technology including videos, floor plans, drone photography, upgraded professional photos and virtual open houses. She also introduced FaceTime showings, Zoom interviews and online flipbook brochures. Wurster helped facilitate creative financing with one of her largest sales. A deal was struck whereby the transaction would close and the seller participated in the cost of the buyer carrying his own home until closing. The deal came together successfully.
When real estate was deemed an essential business, Chicago broker Juliana Yeager embraced masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and other safety measures as aspects of her new normal. She quickly implemented Zoom meetings to reach clients face to face, a technology she will continue to use long after the pandemic is over. She has since increased her marketing efforts and found that using teaser previews on social media helps get buyers through the door early, even before a property hits the market.
Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
During the pandemic, broker James Ziltz grew his business while working on building, renovation and interior design projects. He represents investors and developers, as well as traditional buyers and sellers, specializing in Lincoln Park and the Clybourn Corridor. He expanded his use of digital platforms and limited in-person interactions. In one dramatic moment, a last-minute plumbing problem emerged at a final walk-through that required a 7 a.m. fix, but the closing went off as scheduled.
DAVID ZWARYCZ Broker Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Even with last year’s chaotic market, Chicago broker David Zwarycz says he grew his business by 50 percent. He implemented prerecorded narrated tours and FaceTime showings and livestreamed open houses. Nine months later, Zwarycz says his listings are selling with 20 to 30 percent fewer showings. Early on, Zwarycz took close-up photos at a listing, even showing the weave of a carpet, to give buyers the comfort they needed to make an offer without physically visiting the home.
4/1/21 2:26 PM