Fulton Grace Realty/Matt Engle Group

Formerly a logistics broker at CH Robinson, Matt Engle came to the real estate industry because of a podcast. When he realized that meeting the logistics needs of companies was not fulfilling him, Engle considered attending business or law school, before stumbling upon a real estate investing podcast called Bigger Pockets. Deciding to pursue a career in real estate, he went on to become an agent at Fulton Grace Realty. Today, Engle invests in and holds real estate himself, and helps a variety of buyers, sellers, investors and landlords with their real estate needs.

Three years into his career in real estate, Engle works with clients in Chicago, focusing especially on the downtown markets. New for Engle is his relationship with Zillow, which has helped him better serve his clients. Though he was unsure at first about how to navigate gaining clients through Zillow Leads, he found that complete transparency has led to building strong and effective agent-client relationships. A major sales accomplishment for Engle was the $1.3 million condo he helped a client purchase thanks in part to the service of Zillow Leads.

Engle has increasingly been able to help past rental clients purchase their first home. He recognizes the value of having a background in rentals and the opportunity it creates to make a good impression on a client who will then seek his assistance down the road. “From a business perspective, I can be my clients’ Realtor for life — from rentals and condos to single-family homes and investment property, and much more.”

With the growth of his business, Engle made the decision to hire a full-time assistant last year and believes it will lead to maintaining an even higher level of service. Clients have described him as responsive, excellent at communication, and one who is always on top of deadlines. Engle is dedicated to upholding the high standards his clients expect of him, even as business expands.

Engle is excited to see what the future holds for the four-unit investment property he purchased at the end of 2017 with one of his best friends. “Once we rent them all out, we plan on refinancing, pulling out the equity and using it to buy more units. It has been a huge learning experience.”