Winnetka @properties office gets new VP
Yesterday, @properties announced that Karen Mason is the new vice president of brokerage services for the firm’s Winnetka office. An agent with the company for 11 years, she’ll also co-manage the Glencoe office with Jorge Abreu. This move is part of @properties’ expansion on the North Shore. Mason will focus on day-to-day management duties such as recruitment, training and operations, allowing Amy Corr, executive vice president of culture and agent development, to expand training and business-planning services for agents.
“Our culture is one of our most valuable assets, and because Karen has been with @properties for so long, she understands how important it is to our success,” said Mike Golden, @properties co-founder, in a press release. “She also has great relationships with our agents and tremendous knowledge of all of our systems, making her a great addition to our management team.”
The Winnetka office is the top-producing office on the North Shore, with over 160 agents and $700 million in sales for 2019. The office in Glencoe, which opened earlier this year, has more than 30 agents.
Essex grows South Side team with new hire
Essex Realty Group announced last month that it had expanded its team to capitalize on an increase in South Side transactions. Erica Trejo, having worked as an intern for Essex since 2019 with a focus on multifamily transactions, joined the team as an associate, responsible for asset valuation, market research and marketing. “In the short time Erica has been with Essex, she has quickly established herself as a quick learner with integrity, perseverance and problem-solving skills. She became an integral part of the team while working as an intern and we are fortunate to have her join as an associate,” director Brian Mond said in a statement.
Proper Title opens Naperville office
Title insurance firm Proper Title LLC announced this week that it is opening a new office in Naperville, adding to the 10 offices the company already has in the Chicagoland area. “Since we expanded into the western suburbs two years ago, we have been capturing more and more market share of the area’s title business,” said Kathy Kwak, who was recently promoted to executive vice president of operations and counsel at the company.
Proper Title hired two industry pros earlier this summer: Richard Bales as a senior underwriting consultant and counsel and Kim Behrens as an escrow officer for the Naperville office. With both most recently having worked at Chicago Title Insurance Company, they have 31 and 20 years of experience, respectively.
Road to Rolex winners announced
A new class of @properties’ Road to Rolex winners were inducted last week, honoring agents who achieved $250,000 in gross commission, or about $10 million in annual closed sales, for the first time. The 47 winners were honored with a Rolex or Cartier watch of their choice. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings, the celebration that usually takes place onstage was transformed into a personal video message from @properties founders Mike Golden and Thad Wong. The watches and Veuve Clicquot champagne were delivered by each winners’ managing broker.
“We’re fortunate to have an incredible group of agents at @properties and we’re continually blown away by their growth and success,” Golden said in a press release. “It’s hard to believe we’ve given away almost 500 watches for what is such a significant achievement, but it really speaks to their drive and dedication.”