Real estate was a career Frank Scaletta had always thought about and knew he had a passion for, but he actually worked in a different field: payroll. It wasn’t until he found himself at a crossroads in his career, not wanting to take a promotion, that he finally decided to take a different path.
While working a full-time job with his third child on the way, Scaletta jumped into the industry in the middle of the Great Recession. “I fell in love with it right away,” he says, noting he enjoyed working with families, investors and individuals. “As my production started to increase, I went full time.” To him, real estate is not a job, but a lifestyle.
Ten years later Scaletta, an agent with Interdome Realty, is happily assisting a variety of buyers and sellers in Chicago and the suburbs, including first-time buyers, investors, flippers, nonprofit organizations and commercial clients. For three consecutive years, he has been named a Top Producer by the Chicago Association of Realtors.
“Being a good listener is the key to being successful,” he says. “I try to step back and really listen to what the client is saying. There are times they do not know how to articulate it, and that is when you have to know how to ask the right questions.”
As a first-generation American, Scaletta knows the value of hard work and determination, a work ethic he put to use recently while assisting a nonprofit organization in purchasing its first property after renting for more than two decades. “There was really nothing on the market that would fit their needs,” he says. “I decided to search canceled listings. Then, I did find one, and after a lot of phone calls and persistence, we were able to put together the transaction.”
His family is why he does what he does. The highlight of his life is traveling with them, hosting parties and spending time with extended family and friends. To give back, he volunteers as a youth soccer coach for the Thunder Soccer Club. “My passion for helping others live out their American dreams is second nature to me,” he says. “I’m proud to be from Chicago. That’s why I live, work and raise my family here.”
