As many of you know – but of course not all of you, because that wouldn’t make sense – it’s a beautiful view from up here at the top. I’ve managed to get my name on the top producers list for the last 20 years, and I plan to have it there up in lights for about 20 more. I’m sure you’d like to know my secrets, but people pay thousands of dollars to find out how I’m able to do what I do, so I’m certainly not going to just tell you for free. That’s what the rest of this issue is for. This section is just for the gossip, so here we go.
First off, Matt Forte is the most recent professional athlete to leave the burbs and plant his football in the city. He just spent a little over $4 million for a stunning mansh in River North. He’s now got 9,000 square feet of home situated in what Thrillist has named the No. 5 sexiest neighborhood in the country.
My buddy Thad shared some sage advice about how to keep hamsters alive, starting with not putting them in the same cage. Advice to live by my friends.
Either “Million Dollar Listing: Chicago” was a big fat lie, or it wasn’t interesting enough to actually get put on the air, because I haven’t seen any ads or teasers or anything about the show on Bravo. And believe me I watch a lot of Bravo, so if they were going to air a new show, I would most certainly know about it. Perhaps the fellow that we hinted might be featured (whose initials may or may not be AS) was just pulling our leg from the beginning? However, there are still eight more episodes left of Patti Stanger fixing up millionaires with inappropriate mates, so maybe the eligible mortgage lender who was rumored to appear on the show will end up making his appearance in the next couple of months. I’ll keep you posted.
WCR Chicago and CMK Realty hosted a CEO Bootcamp on Jan. 28th at 1620 S. Michigan. Wells Fargo Home provided the grub, which I thought would be slightly healthier since it was supposed to be a bootcamp and everything. Oh, and my new yoga pants were a big hit.
The Real Estate Investment Association hosted a cocktail party on Jan. 29 at John Barleycorn. The member’s only event sounded like fun, but I went to the wrong Barleycorn so I missed out. Next time I’ll read the fine print a little more carefully. Does this city really need more than one John Barleycorn?
On Feb. 4, West Suburban WCR attempted to help us all understand the mysterious creatures known as the Millennials. They hosted a networking lunch in Downers Grove with a presentation from Brian Kwilosz of Exit Realty entitled, ““How to Market to the Millennial.”
Birthdays! Mosella Clair and Craig Achtzehn celebrated their Groundhog’s Day birthdays on Feb. 2 over and over again, while Daniel Gonzales hoped for six more weeks of winter on Feb. 3. Sara Bonert, Arsiak Vartenian and Amy Settich may share a Feb. 4 birthday, but they have never shared a sandwich. Turns out February is a busy month for birthdays, because we’ve also got Lane Sears on Feb. 5, Jim Stengal on Feb. 6 and then Emily Santos and Mark Eshelman on Feb. 7. Art Schalk looked at some art on Feb. 8 in honor of his birthday, while Kelly Wong may or may not do the same thing to celebrate Feb. 9. Hamza Ishaq will celebrate on Feb. 10, while Laura “don’t forget the extra ‘a’” Gaan narrowly escaped a Valentine’s Day birthday on Feb. 12.