Chaz Walters’ Expert Guidance for Buying a Home in Illinois
Chaz Walters does things differently, by design. He frequently finds himself going north when others are going south and is comfortable with that. He has the lead dog’s perspective, seeing clearly where he is going rather than being a follower and seeing the same backside scenery all the time. Born and raised in Northbrook, IL, and a lifelong resident of Chicagoland, Chaz works hard at being noticed and staying on people’s minds. Reaction is mostly positive on the constant ad campaigns; even with some negative feedback, Chaz believes that all exposure is good. “It’s when there is no reaction that I get concerned.” With this in mind, he usually launches a new campaign every 2-3 years.
Chaz has been a top real estate producer in the area from downtown Chicago to the North Side for the last 18 years, mostly with Coldwell Banker (CB). Chaz Walters’ “Hot Property” brand was developed with CB, stood alone for a while, and is again associated with the Coldwell Banker company. Chaz opened his brokerage in 2004 but found that the demands of running the business kept him from doing what he does best: selling real estate and personally delivering great service. He averages 80-120 transactions a year with sales of about $50 million. His buyer/seller breakdown is about 75%-25%, allowing him to focus on listings but keeping him in touch with buyers’ needs. His focus on serving his clients also gets him noticed in the industry; among many awards and accolades, Chaz was recently noted in Forbes Magazine as one of Gold line Research’s top 10 most dependable real estate agents in the Central United States. Chaz Walters’ clients find him to been energetic, honest, and passionate about taking care of their real estate needs. “It’s not a job when I’m selling real estate,” he states. “I’m good at selling properties that people have an emotional attachment to—I connect with people and help them get what they want.”
Chaz started his sales career with Centex Builders right out of college, working out of a trailer selling lots and houses on a converted horse farm. Even tackling the project alone some of the time, he helped sell out the development in less time than half the 5-yeargoal. “I sold myself out of a job,” he jokes. He also learned much about the foundations of the real estate business, experiencing the entire excavation/design/build cycle and taking a 12-week course on selling properties. Moving into the resale market, Chaz learned to value pricing and staging as critical elements in existing home sales, much as they had been with new home sales. Walters will suggest pricing for clients, but will go with their requirements. He does not hesitate to manage their expectations, though, when a higher price gets them fewer showings and offers than they wanted. He will also take on listings that did not sell the first time: “I don’t mind being the second broom in the room, because it usually sweeps it clean!”
The real estate market downturn in about 2007 caused big changes for clients and their agents. Chaz found that foreclosures and short sales became a larger part of his business, much like most other agents. He started the short sale process at his brokerage before it was a common situation, and continues to provide top-notch service in these more complicated transactions. For all transactions, Chaz relies heavily on a full-time assistant in the office and some scheduling/contact management software that he has used for more than 10 years and tweaked to match his methods. The human/computer team provides up-to-the minute information on listings and has become a very effective combination for taking great care of clients’ needs and wants.
Top real estate agent in Illinois Chaz Walters continues to excel in his craft, taking more than 90% referral business. He takes for granted that he will be working hard to provide better service than other agents, and that his is not a 9-5 work day. “It’s one of the few jobs I know, outside of being a doctor, with a 24-hour on-call demand. When the deal is ready, you’ve got to take care of it. ”With his years of experience in Chicago with a big national real estate company and with his own brokerage, he feels exceedingly well qualified to serve the needs of homeowners and buyers in his hometown. He takes this to heart with his next marketing slogan: “Seasoned to perfection: Chaz Walters Hot Property.”
CHAZ WALTERS HOT PROPERTY®/ COLDWELL BANKER RESIDENTIAL CHICAGO, IL 773-868-3080 [email protected]
