Katie Barreto

Broker
RE/MAX Signature Homes

“Real estate was always a passion of mine,” Katie Barreto says, “and I knew eventually I would fulfill that dream.” Before finally making the move into the industry, Barreto worked for nine years at Career Education Corporation, where she learned how to manage sales and business plans. She was promoted several times including her most recent role as national director of sales, in which she managed over 100 employees. “When I first started in real estate, I was still working for my previous company,” she explains. “I continued to work part-time as a broker for the first two years until I had built my client portfolio and could make a smooth transition into a full-time career.”

Barreto is making a name for herself in the Chicagoland market as a broker with RE/MAX Signature Homes. As a broker who relies solely on referrals, she works with clients ranging from residential homebuyers to commercial clients and investors. RE/MAX has named her to the 100 Percent Club for the past two years, an honor given to agents whose paid commissions in a given year totaled $100,000 to $249,999.

No matter what the opportunity, Barreto dedicates herself to catering to her clients. For example, a client she worked with for several years spoke Spanish as his first language, and in order to improve her client’s experience, Barreto took a series of classes so that she could achieve fluency. “Being able to speak to my client in Spanish was a great accomplishment,” she says.

Barreto is also proud of achieving her goal of averaging a market listing time of 20 days. “For only being in real estate full-time for three years, I have had quite a bit of success by helping people through one of their most important decisions of their lifetime,” she says. “Nothing can top that satisfaction and success.”