Chicago Agent Magazine

09/09/2026

Peter Moulton is vice president of agent development at Fulton Grace Realty in Chicago has spent 20 years coaching real estate agents. Here’s what he keeps seeing: The agents still in the business in five and 10 years aren’t the most talented and don’t have the biggest market. They show up every day and do the work.

He's coached more than 1,600 agents across five Chicago brokerages. The best predictor of who’s going to make it is what percentage of GCI an agent puts back into the business. Struggling agents spend 3% to 5%. Agents at 10% grow steady year over year. Agents at 15% grow exponentially, usually catching fire by year four or five.

Read the latest Top Coach segment of the month here:
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2026/09/07/the-percentage-that-builds-a-real-business/

The best predictor of who’s going to make it is what percentage of GCI an agent puts back into the business.

09/09/2026

In the lending industry for 40 years, Jay Jacobson remembers how the business actually found him. After college, he worked at a national mortgage lender that was managed by a mentor who was very formative in his approach: to help Jacobson understand as much as possible about the home purchase process and mortgage lending guidelines. “To this day, helping clients navigate through the process of homeownership, whether they are buying, building, renovating or refinancing, is the hallmark of me and my team’s success,” Jacobson says. “We simply refer to it as our white-glove concierge service.”

A senior loan officer with Wintrust Mortgage, Jacobson specializes in wealth leading, as well as new construction, first-time homebuyers, VA loans and physician loans. Leading a team with over 95 combined years of experience, he helps make his clients feel comfortable every step of the way. When meeting with new clients, he takes the time to go over a thorough financial breakdown of their transaction to help them feel comfortable with the financial side of purchasing a home and get on with the exciting part of finding, designing or simply living in their new home.

Jay Jacobson, Senior Loan Officer
Wintrust Mortgage NMLS # 404161
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/whos-who-2026/jay-jacobson-2/

09/08/2026

Real estate has always been the family business for Steve Smith, whose mother was a Realtor. “I’ve literally been talking about real estate at the dinner table for 40 years,” he shares. Now a 19-year industry veteran, he is known for his unique problem-solving skills and his speed from application to closing. “We have a long history of closings in under three weeks” he explains. “I often close loans for clients that other lenders said could not be done.”

A senior mortgage consultant with Wintrust Mortgage, Smith is licensed in all 50 states and serves clients seeking down-payment assistance; conventional, jumbo, FHA, VA and USDA mortgages; and construction-to-permanent and portfolio lending. “I am always available to my clients and referral sources,” he declares. “My cellphone is constantly buzzing from a text or a call, and I respond 24/7.”

Smith has been a top performer at Wintrust Mortgage after working with another company for almost 15 years. He has been in the Wintrust Mortgage President’s Circle every year he has been with the company.

Steve Smith, Senior Mortgage Consultant
Wintrust Mortgage NMLS # 217419
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/whos-who-2026/steve-smith-5/

09/08/2026

A real estate sales career has always been about much more than buying and selling houses. It’s about families‚ it’s about communities and it’s about helping people realize one of the most important milestones of their lives with homeownership. At its heart‚ though‚ it is about providing guidance and navigating the pitfalls and difficult moments with the patience and persistence required to get the deal done. It’s a commitment to service.

That is also what brought Keisha Kidan Brown to the VAREP National and led her to volunteer as president of the Chicago chapter.

When most people think of VAREP‚ they think VA loans. This is a great place to begin. VA loans are an important pathway to homeownership. But we do much more. We fight for legislation to protect housing opportunities‚ support sustainable homeownership and protect the rights and benefits veterans earned through their service. We partner with policymakers and industry leaders to ensure these benefits are preserved well into the future.

That work has never been more important.
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2026/09/07/varep-chicago-the-power-of-service-in-real-estate/

A real estate sales career has always been about much more than buying and selling houses. It’s a commitment to service.

09/07/2026

Realizing they could provide a more well-rounded experience of full coverage and seamless service as a team, Janet Roderck and her daughter, Lena Buescher, joined forces to make up The Janet Roderick Group. “We care deeply about getting our clients the best deal for their personal situations,” they say. “We have many repeat clients and longtime referrals because people really enjoy working with us.”

Brokers with Christie’s International Real Estate, the duo represents first-time homebuyers, multifamily investors, empty nesters and growing families, as well as manage estate sales. Their market includes Bronzeville, the South Loop, West Town, Logan Square, Lakeview, the North Shore, Oak Park and Elmhurst. Going wherever their clients’ needs take them, the team has been working in other cities and states to help people relocate to Chicago.

Janet Roderick Realtor & Lena Buescher, Brokers
The Janet Roderick Group, atproperties Christie’s International Real Estate
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/whos-who-2026/janet-roderick-lena-buescher-2/

09/07/2026

The September issue of Chicago Agent Magazine is now live and this month, the focus is all about new construction and how it can alleviate — but not end — Chicago's inventory shortage. 👷
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/our-current-issue/new-construction/

New construction promises to be a solution to the low-inventory problem plaguing the Chicagoland real estate market. But will it be enough to overcome the numerous obstacles — economic uncertainty, rising interest rates and the war with Iran — holding many people back from the transaction table? All signs indicate it’s helping move the needle forward. But still not far enough.

In our cover story, Jim Letchinger, CEO of JDL Development, shares what agents need to know breaking ground on new construction. Other expert sources in this feature include Jeff Benach of Lexington Homes and Rick Champine of M/I Homes, Inc.

Find all new feature and articles from the September issue on our website!

09/06/2026

After 14 years in the business, Matthew Neistat remembers walking construction sites and listening to his grandfather talk about deals ever since he was five years old. “My grandfather, my uncle and my father were all in real estate, so it felt natural,” he says. He has invested in land and apartment deals himself. “I don’t just sell real estate,” he declares. “I live it.”

Neistat learned Chicago by working it. His first six months were all rentals — every client, every price point. “It wasn’t just the grind, it was the listening,” he remembers. He learned by asking questions, remarking now, “The more I asked, the more I learned about people and what was important and what wasn’t.”

A Chicago Association of REALTORS® Top Producer, Neistat received the 2025 Gold Residential Award in Jameson’s city hub office and is consistently listed among Jameson’s Quarterly Best.

Matthew Neistat, Real Estate Broker
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/whos-who-2026/matthew-neistat-2/

09/06/2026

💸 Higher mortgage rates are weighing on housing affordability and demand for newly built homes, while construction activity also slowed in July, according to three reports released in August.

⚒️ The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said housing affordability worsened in the second quarter of 2026 as mortgage rates and new-home prices increased. At the same time, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported that applications for mortgages to purchase newly built homes fell in July, while Census Bureau data showed a sharp decline in housing starts and completions.

In Illinois, however, housing is more affordable in some parts of the state than in other markets. Decatur was the least cost-burdened market on the CHI, with a typical family spending just 16% of its income on a mortgage for an existing home. Peoria and Springfield also ranked among the least burdened markets, at 18% and 20%, respectively.

More details here:
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2026/09/02/new-construction-slows-amid-shifting-demand-affordability/

Higher mortgage rates are weighing on housing affordability and demand for newly built homes, while construction activity also slowed in July.

09/06/2026

When Leila Keene had an opportunity to leave a corporate computer job for a more personally satisfying career, she chose real estate. “The instant I saw that look of joy and gratitude on my first client’s face, I knew I made the right choice,” says Keene, a top producing real estate consultant with Baird & Warner Real Estate. Plus, she likes that earnings are based on how hard she works and not on the whims of others. Thirty-four years later, the profession remains her passion.

Keene assists buyers and sellers, from first time to luxury, in the city and suburbs, a territory she knows well from decades of exploring it with clients. “My 16 years in the corporate computer world helped me understand that you must know all about the industry you’re working in,” she says.

Leila Keene- Baird & Warner Real Estate, Real Estate Consultant
Baird & Warner
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/whos-who-2026/leila-keene/

09/05/2026

A Chicago native, Jim Abbott always knew he wanted a career in real estate. “I would look through floor plan books when I was a kid,” he remembers. “And this city has such great varied architecture; I would stare at all the houses while riding my bike through the neighborhoods.”

Founder of The Abbott Group at Baird & Warner, Abbott specializes in luxury, new construction, relocation and investment properties. The Abbott Group includes four agents and represents clients from the South Loop to the North Side of Chicago, as well as the North Shore, Northwest and West suburbs. A small boutique team, they form close relationships with their clients, offering concierge-style service based almost entirely on referrals. “Over the past 12 years, I’ve helped many repeat clients, from when they first purchased a home to moving several times and are now in single family homes or transitioning from the city to suburbs.”

Jim Abbott Broker, Founder
The Abbott Group, Baird & Warner
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/whos-who-2026/jim-abbott-2/