Since the day we met, we shared the dream of owning our own business. Although we each loved our corporate careers, there was always a desire for so much more. We can't quite remember how the conversation first started but our earliest memories together include late night strategy sessions over a bottle of wine and Italian food. I know, nerdy…but that’s us!
And for over 10 years, we kept looking for the "perfect" opportunity at the “perfect" time. We evaluated business after business and spent years with various local business owners exploring every opportunity. Finally, in May of last year, we found the perfect fit…an AMAZING local business that has been supporting customers, communities and small business owners for over 38 YEARS. It was built on a similar dream that we had and the owners sacrificed so much to get it off the ground in 1978. And, of course, the business went on the market right right as we closed on a new house and gave birth to our second child. So much for timing 😃
We spent many late nights talking through all the risks and challenges, and quite frankly, all the reasons why passing on this chance was the safer option. Expensive, risky, and very different from life as it currently was (which was wonderful!)...there was much to consider as we evaluated the biggest decision of our lives to date. But what if we looked back in 10 years and wondered what could’ve been? What if? We knew from all the homework we had done that this business was a rare gem in a great industry ripe for some new faces and fresh ideas. It also perfectly leveraged our backgrounds of operational and sales leadership. There would always be excuses and reasons why we should wait, but opportunities like this wait for no one. The time was now, the opportunity was right, and we pulled the trigger.
One year ago this Saturday (I know! Can you believe it’s been a year?), we called our friends and family to let them know that we had just bought a real estate company. But not just any company…we had just become the proud owners of RE/MAX Suburban, the #1 RE/MAX in Chicago and #16 in the country. I thought the response would be a bit of “are you joking?”, “get outta here” and “shut up!” Boy was I wrong. It was an emotional mix of pride, support, love and encouragement.
Within the first month, we realized owning RE/MAX Suburban was exactly the dream we had hoped for…and even more! It is a business built around family, professionalism, loyalty, and ethics…and most importantly, helping others be in business for themselves, but not by themselves. Just like us.
We ❤️ RE/MAX Suburban. And we ❤️ RE/MAX Suburban agents even more. They welcomed us with open arms and have a passion for their customers and for this business more than any other brokerage out there. Believe me, we know. We painstakingly evaluated every competitor and real estate business in a 60 mile radius while purchasing and nothing even came close to RE/MAX Suburban. After learning what we learned, we can’t even imagine why anyone would do business elsewhere! The productivity and professionalism is world class. In fact, RE/MAX Suburban agents do, on average, triple to volume of our competitors. THEY ROCK!
We are forecasting to do well over $1Billion in production this calendar year, with growth far exceeding the market. We are reinvesting heavily in our offices, tools, and technology for our agents. And we are so fortunate that our beliefs align with the strong foundation already built at Suburban. We believe in supporting our agents as individuals, not competing with them. We believe in helping them win more listings and close more deals, not telling them how to run their business. And most importantly, we believe in supporting hard working entrepreneurs that have the same dreams we do.
It is with a grateful heart that we celebrate our first year in the 38th year of RE/MAX Suburban history. THANK YOU to our families, friends, agents, and peers! If you have a dream of doing something different or new, we hope you take the chance on your dreams!
With Gratitude,
Chad and Sarah
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