Keeping It Real Podcast • Secrets Of Top 1% REALTORS ® • Interviews With Real Estate Brokers & Agents

Welcome to the February edition of Monday Market Minute with Carrie McCormick!

In this episode Carrie talks about gearing up for the spring market and some tips on how to prepare your buyers and sellers. She also mentions how inventory is low and what sellers can do prior to listing their property for optimal sales success. I provide a marketing tip on how to use your business cards more effectively!

Carrie can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 312.961.4612.

Andrew Holmes understands real estate investing. After 13 years as a traditional broker he switched to investments and has focused there ever since. In his career he has personally flipped 600 homes and currently has a buy-and-hold portfolio of 180 properties. Three years ago he found ChicagoREIA which is now the largest real estate investment association in the country with over 5000 members. ChicagoREIA brings together the industry’s leading investment experts and teaches members strategies of top investors like Andrew.

Keeping it Real Podcast listeners will receive $10 off ChicagoREIA’s upcoming three day summit in Skokie. Click here for more details!

Andrew Holmes can be reached at 630-635-5996 and [email protected].

Odds are if you are a real estate investor or have clients that invest, you’ve heard of Brie Schmidt. In addition to running her own firm, Second City Real Estate, Brie is a featured speaker at many real estate conferences. On BiggerPockets (the largest real estate forum in the country) she is recognized as one of the most prominent experts in the buy-and-hold space. She manages over 90 units of her own and teaches others how to do the same. This May she will be hosting the Midwest Real Estate Networking Summit in Chicago with 20+ speakers and 300+ attendees!

Brie Schmidt can be reached at [email protected] and 847.312.6043

In this episode we speak to top producer Niko Apostal of The Apostal Group. Although Niko’s family has been involved in real estate for over 40 years, he has blazed his own trail and become one the most successful brokers in Chicago. In this episode we talk about the importance of giving back to the real estate community through serving on boards and also tips that newer brokers can use to build their business. Niko shares one strategy that he estimates less than 1% of brokers use that skyrocketed his open house success rate! Lastly he talked about recently moving firms, and why he’s never been more excited than right now!

Niko Apostal can be reached at [email protected] and 312.216.2424.

In 2013 Rosario Terracciano closed 643 transactions, earning him the #1 position in the Chicago Association of REALTORS® and #4 in the United States (as reported by Wall Street Journal). More recently he has developed a tool, ClickInvest, to help investors locate the best single family home opportunities in Chicago. In our interview Rosario discussing the challenges he faced in building his business, why he believes most brokers don’t need teams, and why he’s happier today doing fewer transactions.

Rosario Terracciano can be reached at [email protected] and 708-369-3151.

 

 

Welcome to the first episode of our new monthly feature, Investor Insights!

Each month, top 1% producer Eric Workman will be providing information that real estate brokers need to know about working with investors. To kick off the series, Eric discusses how to qualify an investor before you choose to spend time assisting them. He walks you through a simple, but effective sniff test to ensure that your potential client is a good fit for your business.

Please let us know which investment topics you would like covered in future episodes!

Eric Workman can be reached at 630-408-5582 and [email protected].

Welcome to the January edition of Monday Market Minute with Carrie McCormick!

In this episode Carrie talks about how inventory is down and how brokers can encourage their clients to take advantage of the current real estate climate. She also answers a question about tax reform and how it may affect buyers and sellers. I provide a marketing tip on how to clone your best clients!

Carrie can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 312.961.4612.

Hasani Steele dropped by to discuss how he morphed from traditional real estate broker into niche renovator and investor with his company Steele Consulting Group. Hasani attributes part of his success to the disciplined he installed by playing college football for Northwestern University. The Chicago Association of REALTORS® has recently named Hasani “Renovator of the Year” and you’ll learn why he absolutely deserves this title by listening to this incredible interview!

Hasani Steele can be reached at 877.724.0070 or via his website.

 

Luminita Ispas is originally from Romania and her initial real estate goal was to construct the tallest building in Europe. While that’s still a future goal, for now she’s become one of Chicago’s most successful brokers! She believes educating her clients in achieving financial freedom through real estate investing. She has been teaching these seminars for 15 years and still does to this day! Lumi is also finishing up a book about this very topic coming out next year!

Luminita Ispas can be reached at 773.392.2906 and [email protected]

To attend one of Lumi’s seminars…

Date: Last Saturday of every month

Location: 1161 W Madison, Chicago, IL 60607

Karen Ranquist has been not only a top producer for the past twenty years, but an involved top producer! In addition to earning a spot in the Berkshire Hathaway Hall of Fame, she’s also served on many boards and helped shape the Chicago broker market. We’re honored she took an hour out of her schedule to talk about how she got into the business, what advice she has for brokers looking to increase production, and the importance of giving back to the community.

Karen Ranquist can be reached at 312.475.4542 and [email protected]