As if trying to wrap my head around all the new technologies in real estate weren’t enough, now we’re getting into predictive analytics. While a lot of this flies straight over my head, I’ve got experts on staff to help me sift through it. But I know most of my loyal readers are doing it all on their own, which is why we write cover stories like the one in this issue! If you read between the lines, we’re basically telling you how to develop real estate ESP. You’re welcome.
The Who’s Who photo shoots are in full swing. At one, I overheard Mo Dadkhah confessing that he hated the socks he was wearing for his close-up. But you probably won’t even notice when you check out his sharp new suit and on-point pocket square. Sam Powell posted a time-lapse video of her shoot on her Facebook page, which showcased what I’ve known all along: how cool and easy she is to work with. High five!
In other gossip, Lauren Mitrick Wood and Charlie Wood are currently working remotely …from Cassis, France. Charlie shared a quick video of Lauren on a boat ride to make sure we were all properly jealous. And did you see that Guaranteed Rate filmed a vid with hall-of-famer Frank Thomas? He reminisced about owning his first home. Turns out the Big Hurt isn’t hurting anymore when it comes to real estate.
Events have started to heat up with the weather. On April 30, Illinois Realtors trekked to Springfield for the annual Realtor Lobby Day. Folks who took the pilgrimage included Evelyn Fred, Carrie Bey Little, Sheena Baker and Megan Oswald, among others.
May 2 was a big day, which was rough because I was a bit hungover from the May Day celebrations the night before. That’s a thing, right? NAHREP held their 8th annual Success in Real Estate Conference all day at Drury Lane in Oakbrook. The conference featured a powerhouse panel on recruiting, building and mentoring a team. Moderated by CA’s own Anne Hartnett, the panel included Drussy Hernandez, Tricia Riberto, Bernie Miller and Jim Racine. I’m sure everyone learned a lot, but my favorite parts were the mariachis and the Rio showgirls dancing in the aisles.
After the conference, I headed down to “The Skinny on Airbnb & 1031 Exchanges” at Novel Coworking in River North. Though I learned a lot about how to make money on short-term rentals from hosts Carrie McCormick of @properites and Jeff Stogsdill of State Farm, I didn’t learn how to get skinny. Does that count as false advertising?
Happy birthday to all these spring babies! Doug Horwich will celebrate on May 13, while Airbnb expert Carrie McCormick celebrates on May 14. Shelly Cellak will party on May 19, unless she wants to hold for a day and celebrate with Glen Tomlinson and Jim Chittaro on May 20. I’m waiting for the invite to a huge party with Jamie Franz, Amir Syed, Juany Honeycutt and John Ristau, as all of these heavy hitters will get another year younger on the 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th, respectively.