Panagopoulos Say Hello To The Family

BY RESIDENT CRISTINA PANAGOPOULOS

ARTICLE SPONSORED BY ATTORNEY - LISA BERNSTEIN

Family member names and ages: Cristina, Louie, Isabella (6), Elias (4), Giuliana (1 1⁄2)

Do you have any pets? We have the best dog, Blaze! He is a German Shorthair Pointer.

How long have you lived in Scarsdale? We have lived here since 2018.

Why did you choose to live in this neighborhood? I grew up in Barrington and my husband grew up in Niles. My family still lives in Barrington and my husband’s family is still in Niles. We are exactly 25 minutes from each home! No one can be mad that we are too close to one family! We love Arlington Heights more than we thought we would. We love the energy, being close to downtown and the fact that there is always something to do in the neighborhood!

Is there anything your neighbors might know you for? My husband and I are both active in the community. I am a realtor with COMPASS and own CPango & Partners and my husband owns Pango Inspections (home inspections). Our neighbors might know us because we did a month’s worth of remodeling on our home when we first moved into the neighborhood. We gave our home a little bit of a facelift I like to say! We also started hosting a block party last summer. Later this summer we will be hosting the block party again! Come out and join us on August 13th from 12- 2 pm for a nice afternoon of games, treats and community. The block party will take place right here in Scarsdale. See page 11 for more information and pictures from last year. We hope to see you there and meet some new friends!

Family

How did you and your spouse meet? My husband and I met at the University of Illinois where I was attending school... way back when! We met the old fashion way, at a bar and the rest is history.

Tell us about your kids: Our kids are very active. In the summertime they are constantly outside either swimming, climbing on something or making up new games if they aren’t at summer camp. We are a very active family. You’ll always see us outside!

What is unique about your family? My family is from Italy and my husband’s family is from Greece. It is important for our kids to know both cultures and languages. We try to alternate visiting each country almost every year. We still have so much family there! The big household debate is which country has better olive oil... Italy, obviously.

Professions

What is your profession? I am a full-time realtor and run a team out of the COMPASS office in downtown Arlington Heights.

What university did you attend? I attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

What inspired you to become a realtor?

I come from 2 generations of interior designers (I count myself as a self-proclaimed 3rd generation haha) and have always loved the thought of turning a house into a home. I also love helping people. It all came very naturally with helping others find their next chapter with moving and also helping them see a vision in a new home.

What do you love about what you do? Helping others. My husband and I are both similar in this aspect. We simply like to help others.

What does your spouse do? Louie is a full-time firefighter and a home inspector.

Favorites

What are your favorite things to do around town? We love to go on walks all the time to Arlington Alfresco and enjoy seeing the community out and about. Faustos is also a favorite of ours (best bread in town), and so is pure juice! We love all the pools in the summertime and the parks as well. One of our favorite things about Arlington Heights is there is always something to do!

What are your favorite restaurants? We love Javier’s for Mexican food! For brunch, we like riding our bikes to Honey Biscuit in Mount Prospect.

Do you have a favorite vacation destination? Europe! We love to visit family in Italy and Greece but we also love exploring new countries and towns. I personally would probably live in Europe if I could.

What is your favorite family meal? We make almost every meal. We are big on cooking!! The kids love making homemade pizzas. We make the dough from scratch and then “decorate” each pizza. It’s the best!

What do you love doing? I was in the wellness industry for 15 years before my current career. I love exercising and healthy eating. It’s a huge part of our household. We are almost always doing something active whether it’s going to the park, bike rides or just exploring, we always are moving!