Agent Spotlight: Christina McNamee

It’s clear the way to @properties broker Christina McNamee‘s heart is through chihuahuas. Her two chihuahuas to be exact.

Diving headfirst into the real estate industry after college, Christina’s 15-year foundation was set early on. And while she might not be a morning person, Christina certainly is a hard worker, able to navigate challenging transactions with ease. It’s her style of doing business and transparency through the process that mold life-long clients for Christina.

At Home with Christina McNamee

@properties: How do you start each day?
Christina: I would love to say I start each day by jumping out of bed, making myself an amazing, health-focused breakfast, hitting the gym and then pre-planning for my daily activities but to be honest I am not a morning person at all.

So each day I start by peeling myself out of my nice warm bed and then coffee, lots of coffee.

@properties: Describe your own first home.
Christina: My first home was a two bedroom/two bath townhome in Schaumburg. I only lived there for a little under two years but owned the property for ten years and rented it out before renovating and selling it in 2015.

@properties: What is the first big-ticket item you bought when you moved into your current home and why?
Christina: The first big-ticket item I bought, though it took me almost four years after I moved in, was my kitchen remodel.

For anyone considering painting your kitchen cabinets, I highly recommend doing it. It was a little unnerving at first, but I’m so happy with the results and I just wish I hadn’t waited so long to do it.

At Play with Christina McNamee

@properties: What do you love most about Lakeview?
Christina: I was never into Whole Foods before it became my next-door neighbor but now I love being walking distance to the new Lakeview Whole Foods. I am there ALL.THE.TIME.

I do meet ups with my girlfriends at the upstairs wine bar and conduct work meetings with my team in the main floor coffee shop area. I also love the proximity to the Southport Corridor and Lincoln Avenue.

We love having a variety of shopping and dining options as well as being walking distance to Wrigley to catch a concert.

@properties: Where is your favorite local restaurant?
Christina: I’m a sucker for the All-You-Can-Eat King Crab legs on Tuesdays at Fahlstrom’s. My Friday night favorite is the Prime Rib at Crosby’s Kitchen.

This summer I am really looking forward to spending time on the patio and adding Tied House to my favorites list.

@properties: What do you read every single day?
Christina: Emails & text messages. Crain’s Morning 10 and Apple News Trending Stories.

@properties: How do you stay involved in your community?
Christina: I don’t volunteer as much as I should, but I have the closest philanthropic ties to the two Chihuahua rescue groups we adopted our pups through, Heather’s Foster Dogs and Perfect Pooches.

Most people don’t know that chihuahuas are the second most common breed found in shelters after pit bulls. They’re often subject to euthanasia or re-abandonment, which is why I support these rescue groups.

My chihuahuas can be downright sassy, but they’re loyal and lovable too!

@properties: You have a full free day in your town with no obligations & cost is no object. What would you do?
Christina: Sleep in as late as humanly possible. Rent a boat or yacht on Lake Michigan, invite all my closest friends and throw a dinner party and cruise around until sunset.

Then make our way to some trendy rooftop and finish the night off, eating and drinking unlimited calories along the way.

@properties: What is your proudest achievement to date?
Christina: My proudest accomplishment was getting the winning bid for a client in a multiple offer situation on property that had 11 other competing offers.

I found out our offer was not the highest priced offer they received, but we ended up winning the bid because the seller and their agent appreciated our style of doing business and transparency during the bidding process.

At Work with Christina McNamee

@properties: What was your first job in real estate?
Christina: My first job in real estate was working for Pulte Homes selling new constructions homes at the Del Webb’s Sun City location in Huntley, IL.

@properties: How did your previous experiences prepare you for real estate?
Christina: I started working for Pulte Homes right out of college, so my entire 15 years of work experience has been in real estate, either new construction or resale.

The six years of selling new construction homes for Pulte taught me the ins and outs of the building process, general costs of construction and how to calculate mortgage payments and closing costs. By the time I transitioned into general brokerage, I had a pretty solid foundation of how to effectively prep, price and sell a home.

@properties: What is your favorite part of the job?
Christina: Taking on an especially challenging transaction that seems like it could be impossible and then navigating the client through a seamless and successful closing. Nothing feels better than working those small miracles and then having a client for life.

@properties: Tell us the craziest thing that has ever happened to you on the job.
Christina: Back when I was working for Pulte Homes the sales team was in charge of changing the light bulbs in the model homes.

While I was on light bulb duty, I had to change a bulb in a ceiling-mounted light fixture in a hallway of one of the models. As my arms were stretched up to unscrew the bulb the middle two buttons of my shirt popped open exposing my bra. Just then a couple walked-in and let’s just say they saw more than just a model home that day!

@properties: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Christina: Fake it until you make it. When I first started selling real estate, I wore pantsuits and heels every day and walked around holding blueprints I barely knew how to read.

@properties: What is one piece of advice you’d give to a new real estate agent?
Christina: Always answer your phone. Even if you don’t recognize the number, or think it’s a telemarketer, or even if it’s in the middle of dinner and your spouse is rolling his or her eyes at you.

When the phone rings always answer the call. You never know what opportunity is on the other end.