Life & Real Estate | 5.14.24
So much life and so much real estate has happened recently! I haven’t had a minute to sit down and write it all down. The spring market is always this way: hectic, nonstop, high-pressure, and lots of fun, too.
Mother’s Day delights: Andrew woke me up this past Sunday with a sweet card and small gift, and then we packed up the girls to go to my parents’ house for brunch. Our girls had one of their best days ever: they played with their new dress up box (a bin of princess jewelry and clothes/shoes that my mom put together for them), they ran through the sprinkler in the backyard, and they had ice cream cones in the sun — cue chocolatey, melty goodness alllll over the place. This day was special. I got to spend it with my mom, and I also got to witness my kids’ sheer delight. Being a mother is so many things, but mostly, it is a gift. They are gifts. Thank you, Lord!
So very honored: Each year, the real estate community gathers for the Chicago Association of Realtors Sales Awards, a night to honor achievements in both volume and number of transactions. I’ve attended nearly every single one since 2015 — even the two virtual Sales Awards during the pandemic! The past few years have been extra-special, as I’ve received an on-stage award on behalf of my incredible team. This time around, though, was different: Melanie Everett & Co. took home a platinum award! This is the highest honor in our industry. My team attended with me and we had so much fun celebrating. We started the evening at my place, then called an Uber to take us to the venue. After the ceremony and reception, we found ourselves at the historic Green Mill for live music and martinis. The. Best. Night! I’m so grateful to my incredible team and our clients who continue to trust and refer us.
A neighborhood wine stroll: Andrew and I have lived in Lincoln Park since 2018, and we absolutely love raising our family here. From the historic rowhomes dotting Fremont to the small businesses on Armitage to Holly’s school, there are so many special and wonderful aspects of this community. Andrew and I are both members of the LP Chamber of Commerce, so it made all the sense in the world for M&Co. to sponsor Lincoln Park Uncorked: An Armitage-Halsted Wine Stroll. As the tote bag sponsor, the M&Co. logo was printed on every attendee’s tote bag. On the night of, my friends and I had a ball! We sampled wines at local shops, rode in a pedicab (too much fun), and caught up over dinner at Summer House. Thanks, LP Chamber!
All about listings: The last time I spoke on a panel for the CAR Young Professionals Network, it was 2019 and the topic was buyers. I was invited to speak once more a few weeks ago, but this time, it was all about listings! I built my career on buyers, and will forever be grateful for that portion of business, but my team and I have also become relentless in our push toward more listings. It was such a treat to speak to a packed YPN crowd at Manny’s Deli about how we’ve grown our listing business.
Here were a few of the questions and my answers:
What do you do to make a beautiful listing? What is most important aesthetically or “branding-wise” for the listing?
We do so much to make our listings stand out! From the jump, we bring in our designer/stager, Leah of Hampton and Wells. We hire her to meet with the sellers and give them tips on how to set up their home for success on the market. Next, we bring in our incredible photographer Brent, who really puts heart into his photos. Finally, we market and brand that listing — from our landing pages to IG slides, we work hard to tell the home’s story and pull highlights. We put a ton of time into the listing description to tell that home’s story in a transportive way. We have also recently introduced listing-specific branding by way of “seals” that are meant to reflect our brand seal.
How do you prepare for an open house?
We love to throw a party! An open house is just like a party. The vibe has to be right. It starts with music — we have quarterly playlists and we play these at the open houses. We serve water or Spindrifts. If there is a candle, we light it. And we dress for the party!
