Katie Paolucci is a lifelong Chicagoan, and has grown deep roots in the city's real estate scene from a young age. Her early start, combined with her experience managing over 150 properties and a BS in Business Management, brought her to The MG Group in 2015 as a Listing Concierge. Today, Katie reflects on her journey and her love for Chicago's fast-paced real estate market in our latest team spotlight.
How did you get involved in the real estate business?
I've been drawn to real estate since I was a child. My mother has been active in the residential side of the business for over 35 years, and growing up I would accompany showings, group meetings when she managed her own brokerage, and sat open houses on the weekends with her - the industry has essentially been ingrained in me since elementary school. My mother's incredible work ethic and can-do attitude inspired me to learn the business. In 2012, I started with a real estate investment company and crossed over to the brokerage side after hearing learning about The MG Group's track record of being the #1 team in Chicago to that point (and since).
How long have you been at MG Group? What have you learned from your time at MG?
I’ve been a part of the MG Group since 2015 and have learned the ins-and-outs of property pricing, marketing presentations and new listing prep, transaction management, marketing both our properties and the Group’s agents, negotiating everything from sale price to inspection credits, and so much more. The most important thing I’ve learned, though, is how important communication is in each transaction and for each client not to mention with the agent on the other side of a deal. No matter how inconsequential something seems, there is always a call made, email or a text sent communicating new knowledge to a client, group member or the other agent. With so many moving pieces in a typical real estate transaction, our Group’s expectation for clear and consistent communication makes each deal go as smoothly as possible and avoids the hiccups that send other deals sideways.
What keeps you passionate about what you do?
What keeps me passionate about my career are the clients that we work with. Providing exceptional client support and clarity throughout one of their life’s largest purchases keeps me motivated. I am flattered by the trust that our clients place in us during what can be a very stressful time. Secondly, I feel very fortunate to be a part of an amazing team and interact with both the sales and office staff while having their support through each transaction. We receive hundreds of emails/texts each day so there’s always a new question to be asked involving our sales consultants and/or office staff to keep the ball rolling. We all have the same goal and with strong leadership we all stay on track to have successful careers and professional working relationships.
How does MG Group stand out from other teams, in the Chicago area or even nationwide?
I believe The MG Group stands out from other teams by the shear number of transactions we’ve handled since 2001 – and because of that there is literally nothing we haven’t seen before . Our attention to detail comes through on every deal and our clients feel safe and know that the closing will happen. Working with the office staff, I see first-hand how much time, energy and communication gets passed on to be sure nothing gets missed on a daily basis. The MG Group has a step-by-step approach which allows each client to get the full view from the moment they sign a listing agreement to the closing – and beyond. This approach includes a listings manager – which is myself, a marketing manager, scheduling team and a closings manager – someone from our staff is almost always available to assist our clients with their requests or concerns.
What accomplishments are you most proud of with MG Group?
To date, I’ve helped in the process of over 2,500 closings for our group, and that means I’ve helped that many people sell their home during my time here. This foundation led me to get my real estate license transitioning to a Sales & Marketing role where I hope to have an even greater impact on our clients’ lives by combining my transactional experience with my interest and experience in sales. Having had nearly a decade of experience with The MG Group on the office side, I’m excited to embark on this journey.
What trends are you seeing in the Hyde Park residential market that are most interesting these days, or in looking forward to 2024?
The most interesting thing about Hyde Park is the explosive growth that it has experienced over the years. According to Time Out, Hyde Parkis one of “top 20 coolest neighborhoods” in the world in 2023 coming in at #19. Having grown up in Hyde Park, it’s kind of mind-boggling to see the changes within the last decade alone. Now having my real estate license, I look forward to serving our clients across Chicago and especially in Hyde Park!
