HILARY KADEN Hilary Kaden of Chicago, Illinois, combines her hometown passion with the expertise of a professionally honed marketer and an unwavering dedication to client satisfaction to fuel her real estate career. “I love that feeling of success for my clients; it’s such an emotional experience for people. At the end of the day, when we do that final walkthrough and I send them off to closing – the excitement, that smile – you can see the vision, the hope, the expectations written all over them, and it’s the most amazing feeling. I’m so grateful to play a role in all of that, and it just makes me work that much harder.” Originally, Hilary enjoyed a career specializing in project and program management working for large advertising firms. “I used to work in digital marketing,” she recalls, “and I spent about twenty years managing digital projects for Fortune 500 companies. Websites, internal networks, banner ads, social media, everything – I enjoyed the challenges and tremendous growth, but eventually I found I was spending too much time away from home, and I just needed to make a change.” After exploring several adjacent possibilities, Hilary decided to leverage her skills as a marketer and manager to enter the world of real estate. “A lot of those skills translate perfectly – mitigating curveballs and challenges, seeing projects through from start to finish, and of course, marketing! The big upside is that I get to connect with people, rather than work for huge corporations.” Since that decision six and half years ago, Hilary has steadily grown her real estate business servicing all of Chicago (with a special emphasis on the
north side of the city) as a solo agent alongside @properties. In 2022, she was able to clear a personal record in collective volume, relying on a book of business that was over seventy-five percent repeat and referral clients. “Last year was really exciting,” she exudes, “because I’m at that point where a lot of my first year clients are making their next moves, and when you have people return to you to sell their first home and buy their next one, you know you’re doing something right.” In addition to her acumen as a marketer and laid back personality, Hilary attributes her constant success to the diversity and vibrancy of Chicago. “I’ve lived in this city my whole life, and my daughter, who’s now in college, grew up here too, so I feel like I know Chicago about as well as anyone. This place has so much to offer, no matter what stage of life you’re in – from small studio condos all the way up to $10 million single family homes – you really can find it all.” With her position cemented in the industry and her daughter halfway through her freshman year, Hilary is excited to grow her business by deepening connections with her extended community. “I’m in that mode of ‘What’s next?’ I want to expand my social media presence, and I’m starting a real estate review program to keep my clients informed about what’s happening in their markets.” When she’s not growing her business, Hilary enjoys traveling with her husband, going to the gym, feeding her audiobook addiction, and rediscovering her city. “We have street festivals every weekend between May and September – you can find me and our Goldendoodle next to a food stand listening to live music every chance we get!”
To learn more about Hilary Kaden, email hilarykaden@atproperties.com or call 773.822.4032 Top Agent Magazine
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