After nearly 30 years and more than $2.2 billion in residential sales, Jennifer Ames is loving life and is filled with gratitude. Her relationships with her clients and colleagues and the opportunity to be of service are what motivate her every day. A “roll-up-your-sleeves kind of a girl,” Ames has been known to stage her clients’ homes with furniture or accessories she pulled out of her own home. Her attention to detail and willingness to go the extra mile make all the difference, and her award-winning results speak for themselves.
Ames is especially thankful for the opportunity to pay it forward, sharing all that she has learned with her “real estate family” at Engel & Völkers. She enjoys leading mastermind meetings, hosting networking events and mentoring advisors who want to take their business to the next level. She is passionate about helping her advisors solve problems, win listings and negotiations, and advise clients regarding staging and pricing.
As a license partner with Engel & Völkers with offices in Chicago, the North Shore, and Michigan, Ames prioritizes building a welcoming, collaborative culture. Ames recently hosted her brokerage’s 2nd annual Pride Leadership Summit for LGBTQ+ advisors and allies in the Engel & Völkers America’s network. She describes it as “a great couple of days where we all learned something about ourselves and the people we love.”
Since she brought Engel & Völkers to Chicagoland nearly five years ago, colleagues from throughout the Americas, Europe, South Africa, and Dubai have come to visit. “The fact that we get to work with amazing professionals from all over the world is a gift,” Ames reports. “Networking is not just about building a robust referral business; we have made some awesome friends along the way!”
Ames treasures the time she spends with her business partner and husband, Paul Lazarre, and their three sons, who are now much taller than her and attending boarding school on the East Coast. She loves to cook, read, dance, flyfish, travel, and entertain and is adjusting to life as a part-time empty nester.
