Here we are again at our tech issue. By now everyone knows that Agent X sees technology as a necessary evil, just like putting on real pants. As much as I fight it, at some point I just have to give in. When you’re a fancy important broker who has been in the business somewhere between 20 and 100 years, you pay other people to deal with things like technology or how to get techno music to come out of your new speakers that you can’t figure out. But for people who can’t farm out the techno, this issue is for you. I’ll thank the publishers next time I see them, virtually of course.

At a time when some folks are unfortunately closing up shop, big shout out to David Wolf and Christine Lutz for starting a new venture and launching Wolf Development Strategies. What I’d like to know is how they agreed on the name. Was it a rousing game of rock, paper, scissors?

Congrats to Joel Raynes on being named NSBAR’s Realtor of the Year! And also good for all of those other association board members and leaders. We are all looking forward to an exciting new term, but honestly Joel is the one that gets to brag that he was better than everyone else all year, while the others now actually have to put in some work. This time I’m not quite sure if everybody won or if it was really just Joel.

The Keller Williams Chicago Lakeview, Lincoln Park and O’Hare offices have decided that they are getting lonely and would like to band together to form Keller Williams ONEchicago. The merger will be official in October 2020, but you know how Agent X likes to break news early, even if the press release came out a few weeks ago. I’m still ahead of the game because last time I checked, it’s still September, and this isn’t happening until October. Some of the bigwig names leading this gig are John “Shoes” Schumacher (I didn’t even give him that nickname!) as regional director, Josh Weinberg as the operating principal, and Kara Boeldt will be the CEO/managing broker. There are other people that will be heading up the office, but I am only allowed to use so many words in my column.

I went to a real event this month! Superior House held a rooftop cocktail party on 9/16 and I put on my fanciest mask and headed over to River North to party down with the @properties hosts. It felt great to be out in the world again and I saw amazing views and sipped tasty cocktails made by someone else. The real pants thing was a bit of a drag, but at least they fit (sort of).

I think I promised fall-themed birthday wishes this issue, but I changed my mind. I run this page, so I basically get to do what I want. Maybe in the actual October issue I’ll throw some pumpkin spice nicknames in your direction. On Oct. 1, please be sure to call up Natalie Carpenter and tell her happy birthday from Agent X. Then on Oct. 3, Simon Stein and Elizabeth Goodchild should eagerly wait by the phone for everyone to sing to them. Oct. 4 is a red-letter day for German Llanos and Michael Walsh, and then on Oct. 6, 7, and 8, you can give a holler to Sharbel Shamoon, Nicole Hajdu, and Ryan D’Aprile, in that order. Oct. 11 belongs to Beth Wexler, and lucky #13 is a big day for Josh Lipton.