Inhabiting the lap of luxury is pretty easy. But devoting your whole life to helping others buy and sell homes behind the gilded gates, not so much. Shout out to all of you out there who can make a living on luxury alone, as many have to dip their toes in and out. Speaking of dipping toes, I think my bath filled with salts mined from the bottom of the ocean mixed with champagne is almost ready, so let’s get to the gossip so I can get to the bubbles.
Starting a new job right now can’t be easy, but then again nothing is easy right now, so why not? Brian Dixon went ahead and skipped on over to Wintrust Mortgage, but I hope it wasn’t because he wanted to check out DePaul basketball games for free at the Wintrust Center. It may be a while before that perk kicks in.
I’ve seen lots of agents find creative ways to keep themselves entertained during quarantine. Lauren Mitrick Wood hosted a photo shoot inside her home in anticipation of her team’s new magazine. The only thing that’s cooler than an in-home photo shoot may be the setup that Paul Mancini has going on for his son. While his mini-me was napping, Paul inflated a bouncy house inside their home. I need to know where he got that thing and where I can get one. The pooches and I would love to burn off the stuck-at-home snacking pounds with some bouncy time.
One event I’m sure you didn’t miss is the CAR’s virtual Sales Awards on April 30. Red carpet host Amir Syed sported a Kobe Bryant jersey for the occasion, while co-host Tommy Choi opted for a tux on top and black shorts on the bottom. There’s a chance they were boxers, but I couldn’t confirm. His partner in business and in crime, Josh Weinberg, helped warm up the crowd with a freestyle rap to fill some air before the awards began. Matt Laricy showed up with a bowtie-clad baby in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other in front of a space-inspired background. But nobody beat out Brad Lippitz, who called in from a bubble bath where he enjoyed pizza and a martini while sporting his signature Cubs hat.
On May 1, Joel Schaub of Guaranteed Rate held his annual bingo event. The cards were emailed out in advance, and prizes included a Roomba, an air fryer, air pods and gift cards. But nothing tops the sponsored gifts from Gunderson Law, which were all focused on celebrating Chicago’s Malört obsession. Way to read the room! My Roomba is about to have a nervous breakdown since these days I’m always around to point out the large crumbs it’s missed, so I was crossing my fingers for that win. Spoiler alert: I came “home” empty-handed.
More quarantine birthdays! Let’s hope this is at least the second to last time I have to say this. Be sure to schedule a Zoom call with Carrie McCormick on May 14, and drive by Shelly Cellak’s house on May 19. Then, you could do a slow drive down the streets of Chicago to shout greetings into the wind to these lucky folks: Jim Chittaro, Jamie Franz, Amir Syed, Juany Honeycutt, and John Ristau on May 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 (in that order). Wash your hands, cover your face, and stay healthy, my faithful readers. Can’t wait to see you in real life soon.