LoftHunt.com
Jennifer Liu and Mike Hulett of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty have been in the real estate business for a long time. Liu took a position as a leasing coordinator for a private property management company while working towards her graduate degree and grew to love her work, which included new construction projects, resale listings, commercial properties and representing buyers. To date, Liu’s projects have ranged from $6M to $20M. Hulett began his real estate career in 2000 as a sales agent for a nationwide developer, selling large residential projects in various locations around the country. He ventured into the brokerage community and started Atland Realty LLC, a boutique River North brokerage, from 2004 to 2008. In spring 2008, he merged the successful practice with Jameson and now operates as the Atland Group with Liu as his partner.
After the pair joined forces, they discovered selling to a niche market – buyers looking for loft homes – which is how lofthunt.com came about. The group has in excess of $120M in sales to date.
“We’re honored to win this award. We think we were nominated because the website has been around for so long and people have come to know it over the years. The design is simple, but it is one of the few places on the Web that buyers can search for just lofts. We often blog about market conditions and buying and selling tips, and we get positive feedback from clients, as well. It’s hard to stand out on the Web, but the loft niche allows us to do that.”
RUNNERS-UP:
Emily Sachs Wong, Koenig & Strey (emilyknowschicago.com); David Wolf, @properties (davidwolfresidential.com)