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
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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.
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