About
Born and raised in Chicago, I came to real estate by way of engineering and law. I graduated with honors from both Northwestern University (with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering) and from Boston University School of Law. I practiced law for almost seven years at both Jones Day and Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago in their Intellectual Property Litigation departments. While practicing law full time, I started my own real estate brokerage firm, Greco Realty & Brokerage, L.L.C. (GRB, LLC), and sold an average of $9M worth of real estate a year on a part-time basis. GRB, LLC grew to four agents and an assistant before Century 21 Sussex & Reilly acquired it in 2002. I left C21 Sussex & Reilly in 2004 to join Rubloff Residential Properties creating The Mario Greco Group in the process. Rubloff is one of the oldest and most prestigious real estate brokerages in Chicago and has recently merged with Prudential Preferred Properties to create Prudential Rubloff Properties, Chicago’s premier residential brokerage.
The BEST in Chicago
Here is a look at the numbers that detail my unprecedented rise to the very top of the Chicago real estate market, since 2002:
- The Mario Greco Group ended 2011 ranked #1 statewide and #41 nationally by The Wall Street Journal & REAL TRENDS’ The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals
- I have been the City’s top producer in the following neighborhoods:
- Lakeview (including the Blaine & Nettelhorst School District)(2010 and 2011)
- Lincoln Park (including the Lincoln School District)(2008)
- Roscoe Village and North Center (including the Bell & Coonley School District)(2008 and 2011)
- Andersonville, Ravenswood, and Uptown (2010 and 2011)
- Irving Park and Old Irving Park (including Disney II Magnet & Bateman School Districts)(2008 and 2011)
- Avondale (2011)
- I have been the city’s #1 full-service Realtor® since 2008, selling over $450 million worth of real estate in that span
- I have been in the top 1% of all Chicago Realtors® every year since I started selling real estate, amounting to over $900 million worth of real estate since 2002
Selling Property for MORE in LESS Time
Since 2002 and through the end of 2011, my listings have sold for 97% of the original list price (v. 91% for the City of Chicago) and in an average of 78 market days – 65% faster than the City of Chicago average. Since 2008’s “crash,” my listings have still sold for an average of 96% of
the original list price (8% above the City average) and 60% faster than the City’s average market time. In addition, since 2002, my listings have sold for almost 25% more than most properties marketed “by owner.”
The Mario Greco Group’s UNIQUE Approach
I use a proven team approach to selling your listing that is unlike any other, and the results speak for themselves. Nineteen (19) group members handle every administrative aspect of a transaction, from processing the listing paperwork to ordering the closing gift. Each member has the same specific duties on every transaction and they are all experts at their portion of the transaction. This structure allows me to do nothing but show and sell my listings and interact with my clients. I am reachable at any time by phone or email – but just as importantly, my office phone is answered 7 days/week to ensure that no showings are missed and that clients or potential clients speak to a live person no matter when they call b/w 8:30am and 6:30pm every day of the week including weekends.
Leveraging the POWER of Prudential Rubloff
Furthermore, my relationship with Prudential Rubloff allows you the best and most comprehensive marketing package of any brokerage in Chicago:
- Listing on the Multiple Listing Service of Illinois
- Highlighted exposure in Sunday ads in the Chicago Tribune
- Individual feature newsprint advertisements, including quarter, half or full-page spreads when available and applicable
- Individual spot advertisements in other selected newsprint and special marketing media (e.g., Chicago Magazine, Chicago Social, Chicago Lawyer, Crain’s Chicago Business, Wall Street Journal, etc.)
- Professional, four-color marketing and sales brochures highlighting the listing and containing information about floor plans, pricing, amenities and finishes
- Targeted flyers, postcards and mailers
- Periodic Brokers’ open houses
- Inclusion of your listing on the www.rubloff.com website (an award-winning and the most visited website for Chicago real estate), the MLS, www.realtor.com, www.chicagotribune.com, www.craigslist.org, www.zillow.com, www.homegain.com, www.trulia.com, www.mariogreco.com, and literally dozens of others – some that you know and many others that you may have not heard of but that are important to getting your listing sold
- Hyperlinking of MetroMaps/Restaurant Reports, interactive floorplans (i.e., floorplans with photos of your property embedded in them so that a user can “float” through your home online and get a feel for light, orientation, etc. all from the floorplan), videos and still photo tours to all of the above websites
The PRESTIGE of Rubloff and LUXEHOME25®
Prudential and Rubloff merged at the end of 2009 and with that union two of the most recognized names in Chicago and national real estate joined forces to give their clients an unprecedented mix of marketing reach and prestige. As a result, sellers of luxury homes benefit from an outstanding blend of print and electronic media specifically targeted to affluent home buyers through Fine Homes International, and from my appointment to the LUXEHOME 25®, as one of the top 25 luxury brokers in Chicago. As part of the Luxury Portfolio network, Fine Homes International also offers exposure to more than 700 of the top selling luxury real estate firms worldwide.
- Fine Homes listings have a 4-page branded full-color laminated property brochure
- Fine Homes has an ad in The Chicago Edition of The Wall Street Journal twice monthly
- All Fine Homes listings are on NYTimes.com, the New York Times website
- All listings are enrolled in the Unique Homes program, a network of over 650 of the top luxury real estate firms in the world
- Fine Homes properties get rotation in the Prudential Rubloff Sunday Tribune ad in their own dedicated section
- All Fine Homes are put on the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate website (luxuryrealstate.com) and the highest profile listings have the opportunity to be featured in the high production value magazine Luxuryrealestate.com
What’s NEXT?
Even if you have no interest at this point in hiring me or any other Realtor®, please take a minute to consider the following questions and please feel free to call or email me for help in finding the answers.
- When do you want to be moved and do you know how long it will take to complete all the steps after you have found a buyer?
- What data have you used to set the price and how much negotiating room have you factored in?
- Do you know the difference between pre-qualified and pre-approved and what a conditional loan approval letter is?
- Do you have a copy of the Lead Paint Disclosure Form?
- Do you understand all of the closing costs that you will be expected to pay?
- What identification or information will you get from strangers that want to see your home?
- Are you available to show your home all of the time?
- Do you know where to run ads and how to word them to get the best response?
Again, I am writing not to pester but to offer some help and advice in getting your home sold as quickly as possible for as much as possible. I invite you to go to www.mariogreco.com to get an idea of the wide range of properties we represent. While there, you can read my residential real estate blog, as well as testimonials from past clients.
Please do not hesitate to contact me for a free consultation. I would be happy to send or bring to you examples of our marketing pieces described above. I look forward to meeting you and sharing my knowledge, experience and proven track record with you.
About The Team
Mario now leads The Mario Greco Group at Prudential Rubloff. He and his group specialize in representing clients who purchase and sell condos, townhomes, single-family homes and income property within the City of Chicago, the Northern and Western suburbs. The Mario Greco Group consists of 19 additional team members: Jaclyn Gilbert, Contracts and Closings Manager; Allie Durec, Contracts and Closings Coordinator; Laura de Luna, New Business Manager; Jim Streff, Scheduling & Contacts Manager; Allie Tomkie, Scheduling & Contacts Coordinator; Nicholas Sverkounas, Marketing Manager; Derek Nutter, Marketing Coordinator; Ryan Silhavy, Client Services & Projects Manager; Kevin Fitzgerald, Buyer Specialist – City; Lehigh Cohen, Buyer Specialist – Northern suburbs; David Adams, Buyer Specialist – Western suburbs; Robert Bialkowski, Fred Merritt, Alex Nettey, Haakon Knutson, Barry Knowlton, Patrick Sullivan, Andrew Thurston, and Alice Jordan – Sales & Marketing.
Please click a name below for additional information:
SALES STAFF
Mario Greco
David Adams
Robert Bialkowski
Lehigh Cohen
Kevin Fitzgerald
Alice Jordan
Barry Knowlton
J.Haakon Knutson
Fred Merritt
Alex Nettey
Patrick Sullivan
Andrew Thurston
OFFICE STAFF
Alexandra Durec
Jaclyn Gilbert
Laura de Luna
Derek Nutter
Ryan Silhavy
Jim Streff
Nicholas Sverkounas
