Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Julie Latsko chose to go back to her roots in order to work in and help the communities she grew up in. Having lived in the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park and River North areas over a period of 30 years, she maintains a seasoned and deep understanding of the city she loves and serves.
A former model, entrepreneur and graduate of Harrison College of Design, Latsko developed and fine-tuned her abilities as a historical preservationist and interior designer/project manager before becoming a real estate agent. She explains, “Over the span of my design career, I designed homes in California, Michigan and Illinois … plus, I restored and decorated a historically significant mansion in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood,” she said. “I enjoyed the challenge of modernizing this landmark home as well as decorating vacation homes, a restaurant and several high-rise condominiums. This helped me also realize I wanted to be in a position to help others achieve the dream of owning a home they loved.”
After her 15 years spent as a residential interior designer, Latsko decided to take her relationship with real estate a step further. Four years ago, she obtained her license as a Realtor, and since then she has been working for Compass, serving both first-time and luxury homebuyers in many parts of Chicago, including the South Side. Over her career, she has grown her business by 200% in transaction volume; in addition, recently, she received the Compass Entrepreneurial Principal Award.
Latsko credits much of her achievement in the real estate world to her genuine enjoyment of partnering with and advocating for her clients, combined with her keen sense of structure and aesthetics. As she says, “My design and construction background along with the depth of experience I have on the luxury end of design and real estate gives me an edge regardless of the price point my client is searching,” she said. “I gain an immense amount of satisfaction from helping others along the homeownership journey.”
In her free time, Latsko enjoys traveling and spending time with her two teenage daughters.
