Interview with George Gianos : our July 2007 Real Estate Consultant of the Month.

Rogers Park Business Center recently interviewed George Gianos, who has been a long time resident of our local area and has been actively involved in all things related to real estate in Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Rogers Park, Edgewater, Andersonville, Lincoln Park, and Chicago area.

We discussed a diverse range of topics, including his involvement in our local communities in general, and his extensive experience in local area real estate markets.

It has been our pleasure to spotlight Mr. Gianos as our June 2007 Real Estate Consultant of the Month.

Read on for detailed information on George's take on the current state of our local area real estate market, his expertise, and his involvement in our local area real estate industry.

Rogers Park Business Center: What would you like our readers to know about you?
George Gianos: I have lived and worked in Chicago my whole life. Currently, my wife and I, along with our 2 dogs live in Rogers Park on the lakefront. We moved here 8 years ago from Lincoln Park looking for waterfront property, more space and value. We purchased a top floor, 3 bedroom, 2 bath condo that has fabulous lake views, along with a rooftop deck that has endless views of the city and Lake Michigan. We are literally steps to 2 beaches and 2 Chicago Park District parks. We love walking our dogs up the shore into Evanston and then coming back for a swim in the warmer months. In the last eight years, we have seen excellent appreciation in our investment as Rogers Park continues to attract more and more buyers and retailers.

Rogers Park Business Center: Could you please tell us about your professional experience?
George Gianos: I have been in involved on the investment side of real estate for the last 15 years, the last few in residential sales with Coldwell Banker. I also have been a financial advisor since 1988. My wife, Karen, and I work as partners in our real estate business. Our business website is GianosTeam.com. We are both Certified Negotiation Specialists that work to negotiate the best deal for our clients, be they buying a home or selling a home. We also work with investors looking to secure investment properties and developers looking to market their properties.

Rogers Park Business Center: What can you tell us about the company/firm you are affiliated with?
George Gianos: Coldwell Banker has been a major presence in Chicagoland for years. They dominate almost every market they are in from Downtown, the Gold Coast and the North Shore. We are proud to have their name behind us.

Rogers Park Business Center: What real estate markets are you currently targeting?
George Gianos: We are currently working with buyers and sellers of condominiums and single family homes, mainly in the Rogers Park, Edgewater, Lakeview and Lincoln Park areas all the way into Evanston and Wilmette. For our investors, Rogers Park and Edgewater are the 2 areas that we mainly focus on. We run searches on a daily basis looking for investment opportunities.

Rogers Park Business Center: What types of real estate properties does your company/firm specialize in?
George Gianos:Coldwell-Banker has a large presence in every real estate market throughout the USA. Our Commercial Real Estate Division and Builders Division also have significant presence in every state. As Coldwell-Banker Realtors that are well-prepared to help every type of client, we have access to every type of real properties that our clients may possibly want -ranging from Condominiums to Town Homes to Single Family Homes (from the small home to million dollar homes) to R. E. Investment properties. Our commercial division is one of the best as is our builder or developer division. Similarly, our relocation department is one of the finest worldwide. Coldwell-Banker is indeed a major player in every market.

Rogers Park Business Center: What types of properties do you personally like to help buy/sell?
George Gianos: Considering that we specialize in all types of real estate transactions, focusing on the kind of real estate properties that our clients desire comes natural to me. I enjoy helping first time homebuyers interested in buying condominiums or town homes, as well as families looking to upgrade to a single family home. We also have clients interested in investment properties such as multi unit buildings, vacant lands or smaller properties for a more personal investment. Regardless of the type of property involved, we always research extensively to find the best value for our client at the time. I personally like to work with homebuyers looking to purchase their million dollar dream homes! In the end, our goal is a happy, satisfied client.

Rogers Park Business Center: What can you tell us about one of your recent Rogers Park transactions?
George Gianos: I recently had a referral that wanted to upgrade to a 3 bedroom from a 2 bedroom condo. The first thing I did was get him pre-qualified with a mortgage broker to find a price point on his purchase. I then worked with him on his "wants and needs". Before I began my search, we discussed listing his condominium. At the time, there were over 240, 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo's on the market in Rogers Park with an average market time of over 120 days. I then went over his current mortgage situation and came up with his sale price. We needed to price his condo correctly with so much competition. The unit also did not have a parking garage or a parking space -which was a huge disadvantage. I went out and secured a leased space located behind his condo and listed the property.

Our search didn't take long. My client wanted a top floor, bright, 3 bedroom unit in the neighborhood. A new construction 6 flat right up the street had a 3 bedroom condo that met his criteria. We submitted a contract and I negotiated the purchase price, which was accepted. 15 days later, we had an offer on his condo and agreed to a price that was within less then 2% of the list price.

Rogers Park Business Center: As a professional who is actively involved in our local community, what would you like our readers to know about your community services activities?
George Gianos: My wife and I participate in the annual spring clean up that Rogers Park holds each year. We are also involved with the Rogers Park Builders Group and the Edgewater/Uptown Builders Associations annual fundraiser. We also regularly attend meetings hosted by our alderman to give our input and support our neighborhood. On a larger scale, we are involved with the Alzheimer's Association and the American Diabetes Association. Last year my wife Karen Co-Chaired and I worked our American Diabetes fundraiser a pet project of Coldwell-Banker. We more than quadrupled the monies raised from the previous year with our silent auction.

Rogers Park Business Center: What is the best way for a real estate buyer/seller to contact you?
George Gianos: Our contact details are as follows:

   George Gianos
   Realtor
   Office Direct: 847.316.8027
   Cell:          312.504.6381
   Email:         George@GianosTeam.com

The easiest way is to visit our website at GianosTeam.com. Our contact details are also listed on our home page.

Rogers Park Business Center: While you have the floor, is there anything else you would like our readers to know about?
George Gianos:Yes, Our goal is to ascertain that all our clients, developers and agents walk away knowing that they made the right choice in working with us. In this industry, it takes someone who goes the extra mile for you. We have an outstanding work ethic and are extremely knowledgeable of our real estate markets. We are also creative, motivated and confident. We bring a level of professionalism that is complimented by our peers. We pride ourselves on our negotiating skills and sales experience. Whether you're buying a home, selling a condominium, rehabbing a property, or building your million dollar dream home; after our initial meeting, you'll know that you have hired the right team. Our service is unprecedented.

Rogers Park Business Center: What community service organization(s) or project(s) from our local area you would like the members of our online community to be aware of?
George Gianos: Having had a family member with Alzheimer's disease and another with diabetes, I am passionate about helping find a cure for both of these diseases. My work with the Alzheimer's Association is more about making people aware of this dreaded disease. This disease affects everyone -not just the diagnosed individual. As I have mentioned earlier, Coldwell-Banker continues to help raise money for the American Diabetes Association to help find a cure. Our Evanston Coldwell-Banker office alone raised over $8,000 last year for this cause. We are already exploring ways to make this year's Silent Auction even more effective and far reaching.

On that note, we thanked Mr. Gianos for his support for our local communities, for sharing with us his insight on local area real estate markets, and for setting aside time for this interview.

Publisher's Note: We plan on continuing to spotlight our local area businesses, professionals, non-profit entities, and individuals that make a difference in our local communities. If you would like us to consider spotlighting a local area business, a professional, an organization, or a community supporter, please do let us know. We look forward to hearing from you.