In February of 2013, I opened my own Real Estate Brokerage: The Margie Smigel Group, LLC. After selling my shares in the brokerage I built with partners to become one of the 100 fastest growing inner city businesses in America, I tried the other real estate options. I went to a big franchise and found that I was not cut out to be a cog in the wheel. Then I moved to a small boutique firm, but found that I never felt accurately represented by the medium or the message. After spending 28 years doing honest, careful, creative real estate. I finally admitted to myself that only I could create the kind of business that reflects the specific alchemy of the way I work. So I embarked on the path of creating something new, based on the wealth of my experience. I am interested in directing my energies to a select group of buyers and sellers who want very personal and hands-on attention to their real estate needs. My skills and talents are in finding the very best values for my buyers and negotiating for them to get the home they want. I excel in maximizing the look and value of my sellers' properties in beautiful and innovative ways and in marketing them as creatively as possible to interested buyers. I have hired just a few of the best brokers in Chicago, so that there is always someone on the ground to make the magic happen. These are brokers who are coached by me to do my brand of exceptional business, so you will know that the right kind of attention will always be paid. I do not intend to build a big business, but rather a small and powerful one. I was privileged to serve on the Board of the Chicago Association of Realtors as a Director in 2009-2010 and have served and continue to serve on the Professional Standards Committee as a panel member at arbitration and ethics hearings as well as mediating disputes. I was also a Board Member of the CAR Education Foundation and am active in the Legislative Affairs Committee. Your real estate transaction, whether as a buyer or seller maybe be the most important (and exciting) challenge you will face this year. Let us help you succeed in doing it.