Karen Gianos : May 2007 Realtor of the Month

EVANSTON BROKERS: What would you like our readers to know about you?
Karen Gianos: I grew up in the South suburbs, but have lived in Edgewater, Andersonville and Rogers Park area since I returned to Chicago. My husband, George and I, along with our 2 dogs live in East Rogers Park on the lake. We love walking our pups up the shore into Evanston and then coming back for a swim in the warmer months. Since I’m not a big cook, we dine out at various restaurants in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Andersonville and up into the North Shore. We especially love dining ‘al fresco’. We’re really excited because East Rogers Park has been attracting more new restaurants. Our daughter is a junior at Florida State in Tallahassee so we try and fly down to see her as often as our business lets us.

EVANSTON BROKERS: Could you please tell us about your professional qualifications/experience?
Karen Gianos: I have been in the real estate industry for 18+ years, the past few in residential sales with Coldwell Banker. My husband, George, and I work as partners in our real estate business. I handle most of the first time homebuyers as well as those more seasoned homebuyers looking for their million dollar dream home. George works with our sellers listing their home with us, as well as investors looking for a multi-unit building and those looking for a smaller investment, say a one bedroom condominium that they want to rent to a Loyola or Northwestern students. We are both Certified Negotiation Specialists that work to negotiate the best deal for our clients, be they buyers or sellers. I am honest and passionate about my job. I love finding the perfect home, condominium or town home for my clients. Prior to real estate I held jobs in the advertising sales arena. I am a graduate of St. Norbert College located in DePere, Wisconsin. My pet projects are the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Diabetes Association.

EVANSTON BROKERS: What can you tell us about the company/firm you are affiliated with?
Karen Gianos: Coldwell Banker Downtown Evanston has been a major presence in Evanston, the North Shore Communities as well as the Chicago market. We also have a huge presence online with our various websites as well as on Realtor.com. Coldwell Banker dominates almost every market we are in….from Hyde Park to the Gold Coast to Lake Forest.

EVANSTON BROKERS: What real estate markets (townships, suburbs, and regions) you are currently targeting?
Karen Gianos: We currently are working with buyers that are interested in purchasing condominiums as well as single family homes, mostly in the Edgewater/Andersonville areas all the way into Evanston and Wilmette. We currently have listings on Pratt Blvd. and Jonquil Terrace in East Rogers Park. We also have a unit on the market located in the Loop.

EVANSTON BROKERS: What types of real estate properties your company/firm specializes in?
Karen Gianos: Coldwell Banker has such a large presence in every market, in every state. We have a commercial real estate division and a builders division. As Realtors that deal with every type of client, we have access to any type of property our clients want…from condominiums to town homes to single family homes (from the small home to million dollar homes) to investment properties. Our commercial division is one of the best as is our builder or developer division. And, our relocation department is one of the finest worldwide. Coldwell Banker is a major player in any market.

EVANSTON BROKERS: What types of real estate properties do you personally like to help buy/sell?
Karen Gianos: This may sound odd, but we specialize in the properties that our clients desire. We work with a lot of first time homebuyers who are buying either condominiums or town homes, as well a families looking to upgrade to a single family home. We also have clients looking for investment properties, such as a multi unit building, vacant land or something smaller for a more personal investment. We make sure to research extensively in order to find the best value for our client at the time. I personally would like to work with more buyers looking to purchase their million dollar dream home! In the end, our goal is a happy, satisfied client.

EVANSTON BROKERS: : What can you tells us about one of your recent Evanston area real estate transactions?
Karen Gianos: We have several clients looking for condominiums as well as single family homes in the Evanston area. We recently closed on a 3 bed, 2 bath condo located at 800 Elgin. Our clients were downsizing from a home in Wilmette and really wanted to live in downtown Evanston. They fell in love with this unit almost immediately since everything about it fit their needs….it has the right number of bedrooms, has great views and 2 parking spaces were included in the $577,000 price.

This is what our clients had to say about our services:
“We recently bought a condo in downtown Evanston. We cannot be more satisfied with Karen & George Gianos’ services. They understood perfectly our needs and with their help we found our dream home within our budget. They helped us tremendously during the negotiations. They are great with numbers, but also with people. Everything went smoothly and easily. Thank you again GianosTeam.”

EVANSTON BROKERS: As a professional who is so actively involved in our local community, what would you like our readers to know about your community service activities?
Karen Gianos: Since time is precious, I choose to work with a few special projects, mainly the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Diabetes Association. Last year I was Co-Chair for our American Diabetes fundraiser…a pet project of Coldwell Banker. We raised over $8,000 for the American Diabetes Association through our silent auction! We more than quadrupled the monies raised from the year before and had a lot of fun doing it. I also have participated in the yearly spring clean up that Rogers Park holds each year. I have decided that if I can’t give my full attention to the project at hand, than I should limit my involvement to just a few favorite projects.

EVANSTON BROKERS: What is the best way for a real estate buyer/seller to contact you?
Karen Gianos: They can reach me several ways, via phone, email or our website:

   Karen Gianos
   Realtor
   Office Direct  847.316.8050
   Cell           773.259.9219
   Email          GianosTeam@sbcglobal.net

My website address is: www.GianosTeam.com

EVANSTON BROKERS: While you have the floor, is there anything else you would like our readers to know about?
Karen Gianos: One of my greatest pleasures is watching a client’s face when we find “it”….”it” being the right property for them at this time in their life! “It” can be a condominium, a single family home or the right investment property for them, the key is that the new home is right for them at this time in their life. By finding my clients the right property, I hopefully have gained these clients for life. As we all know, life circumstances are constantly changing, and, the clients that bought a town home or condominium will be growing and looking to move in the future. If I have done my job correctly, I will be the first one they call when they’re ready to move again!

EVANSTON BROKERS: Often there are many non-profit service organizations that do not get the recognition that they so rightfully deserve. What community service organization(s) or project(s) from our local area that you would like the members of our online community to be aware of?
Karen Gianos: Having had a family member with Alzheimer’s disease and another with diabetes, I am passionate about finding 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 surrounding the diagnosed individual. As I have stated before, Coldwell Banker has done so much to raise money for the American Diabetes Association to help find a cure. Our office alone raised over $8,000 last year for this cause. We are already meeting to make this year’s Silent Auction even more effective and far reaching.