Kevin Van Eck, @properties vice president of training and brokerage services, was recently named Managing Broker of the Year in the city category at the ninth annual Chicago Agent Magazine Agents’ Choice Awards. The event was held on Oct. 14 at 850 Lake Shore Drive Luxury Apartments.

The Chicago Agent Magazine Agents’ Choice Awards are voted on by peers in the Chicago real estate industry. Also nominated for the award were Rick Druker of Baird & Warner and Joe Siciliano of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage. Continue reading

@properties, the No. 1 residential brokerage firm in the city of Chicago and the largest independently-owned brokerage firm in Illinois, announced today that Rick Sobin has joined the company as vice president of brokerage services.

@properties co-founders Michael Golden and Thaddeus Wong said Sobin, 46, will be stationed in @properties’ new East Lincoln Park office, which is opening this fall in the Webster Square mixed-use development at Lincoln and Webster avenues. He will oversee broker training and marketing and assist in the office’s daily operations.

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Michael Golden and Thaddeus Wong, co-founders of Chicago real estate firm @properties, were named winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2013 Award in the Midwest, in the Services category. The awards were presented at a special gala on June 27 at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago.

The award recognizes outstanding high-growth entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. It is widely considered one of the most prestigious business awards for entrepreneurs. The finalists and winners were selected by an independent panel of judges. Continue reading

@properties announced that, for the second consecutive year, company co-founders Michael Golden and Thaddeus Wong have been named finalists in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2013 program in the Midwest.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award is considered to be one of the most prestigious business awards for entrepreneurs. Each year it recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in areas such as innovation, financial performance and commitment to their communities. This year there were more than 100 nominations in the Midwest region, and Golden and Wong were among the finalists who were selected by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala on June 27, 2013 at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago. Continue reading

Following a year that included national and global expansion, new tech launches and industry honors, @properties Christie’s International Real Estate is looking forward to continued growth and innovation in 2023 and beyond. As we resolve to continue delivering the best service in the real estate industry, we look back on some of our highlights from the past year.

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@properties Christie’s International Real Estate has always been on the cutting edge of the brokerage industry, and winning “Brokerage of the Year” at this summer’s Inman Innovator Awards only affirms the company’s status as a trailblazer more than 20 years since its founding. Innovation has taken many forms during @properties Christie’s International Real Estate’s journey to becoming the #1 real estate brokerage in Chicago and a top 10 firm in the country. Following are ten innovations that @properties’ co-founders and co-CEOs Mike Golden and Thad Wong consider the most important in the company’s history:

1. What’s in a Name

According to Wong, the name “@properties” was meant to position the firm as a forward-thinking company founded on the cusp of the internet age. The name came to Wong as he rode a department store escalator past a Christmas tree adorned with ornaments bearing the “@” symbol.

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@properties has been named to the 2022 Inc. 5000 List – the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies – for an incredible 13^th time. The announcement comes on the heels of the tech-focused company’s “Brokerage of the Year” honor from Inman News and follows its December 2021 acquisition of Christie’s International Real Estate.

Since its inception in 2000, @properties has become the 9^th largest brokerage firm in the nation with over $23 billion in annual sales volume, according to the latest RealTrends 500 ranking. @properties co-founders Mike Golden and Thad Wong attribute much of the firm’s growth to its industry-leading technology, marketing, and agent-training programs. With the addition of Christie’s International Real Estate, the company now offers clients the enhanced benefits of a worldwide luxury real estate network spanning 48 countries and territories. The company also has a close relationship with Christie’s, the world-leading art and luxury business founded in 1766, giving clients another conduit to Christie’s auction, private-sale, and appraisal services.

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More than 60 @properties Christie’s International Real Estate agents were honored as elite producers during the company’s annual Timeless celebration, held May 15 at The Old Post Office in Chicago. One @properties staff member also received a watch for their outstanding contributions to the company.

At the yearly event, previously known as the Road to Rolex, 69 @properties Christie’s International Real Estate agents from Chicago, southeast Wisconsin, northwest Indiana and southwest Michigan were recognized for achieving a minimum of $10 million in annual closed sales volume and $250,000 in gross commission income for their first time with the brokerage. Each agent received a Rolex, Breitling, Omega, Hublot, Cartier, Panerai or IWC watch to commemorate the accomplishment, joining the nearly 850 agents who have earned a place in the prestigious group since the awards program was founded in 2004.

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Purchasing a home is a major milestone for anyone, let alone a first-time homebuyer. The process is certainly exciting, but it can also be confusing or stressful – and sometimes all of the above. Here are eight tips to ensure your first homebuying experience is successful.

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Chicago Agent Magazine announced its 2022 Agents’ Choice winners, recognizing the individuals, companies, and developers within the industry who have made an impact in Chicagoland real estate.

Representing two spectrums of achievement in their @properties Christie’s International Real Estate careers, agent Ilana Steelman took home the award for Rookie of the Year (city), and industry veteran Jim Barcelona was awarded Managing Broker of the Year (suburbs).

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