Maria Fernandez has called Chicago home since she was nine years old, after her parents immigrated to the United States from Cuba. Since then, she’s lived within a two-mile radius of the Andersonville neighborhood. “I guess that makes me a bit of a historian in the area,” Fernandez says. A self-described “people person” who has always been fascinated by Chicago’s architecture, Fernandez left her job as a futures trader on the floor of the Mercantile Exchange for a career as a broker nine years ago. “I thought real estate would be less stressful,” she says with a laugh.

That didn’t turn out to be true, but the nerves of steel she developed on the trading floor were a benefit to her new career. Fernandez’s real estate clients trust her and describe her as very patient. “Patience is huge in this business,” she says. “People change their minds all the time, from where they want to live to their significant needs.

Serving as project manager on transactions and sharing her vast network of approved vendors with her clients are two tools Fernandez uses to help make transactions stress-free. She also enjoys those roles as they align with her desire to be of service. It is not unusual to find her vacuuming or getting rid of a mattress left behind in storage before a final walkthrough!

Fernandez is a fierce advocate for her clients, her goal is to keep the deal together always a team. There have been many properties that have been a challenge with every challenge comes wisdom. Feeling like she’s on a really good trajectory, Fernandez has recently listed her first luxury property in Ravenswood.

All of Fernandez’s business currently comes from referrals from past clients. Never too busy for referrals. A member of the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Real Estate Professionals, she estimates that about 10 percent of her other business comes from gay and lesbian websites. In the community, she volunteers at the Cook County Correctional Facility, working with women who have alcohol and drug dependency.