Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Missirlian and Georganna Yessaian.
Stephen and Georganna are a husband and wife real estate team and many of their clients would describe them as the perfect match. Together, they complement each other in such a way that they are able to offer their clients exceptional service from the very beginning of their home search to well after their clients have moved in. Before becoming a real estate agent, Stephen started his career as a lender, which allows him to help guide his clients through the often difficult and tedious steps of obtaining a loan. Often times, buyers have no idea what to expect or where to even start with their home buying process, so having Stephen help walk them through the process is a huge advantage most real estate agents aren’t able to offer their clients. Georganna started her career in client services straight out college, and has over 15 years of experience in developing and managing client relationships. She brings to the table a personal devotion to help her clients throughout the entire process and treats each transaction as if it were her own. Together, with their passion and belief in real estate, they offer their clients a complete road map throughout the buying and selling process from beginning to end, and they make it fun!
Stephen and Georganna joined their careers in 2008 by forming their own company, Chicago Apartment Seekers. This came as a result of the market crashing in 2008 where home financing became increasingly difficult and renting was once again a major part of the Chicago housing market. The primary focus of Chicago Apartment Seekers was to help landlords find qualified tenants to fill their vacant units and also to assist renters in finding their new apartment in such an already huge city that was growing faster than people could keep up with. As Chicago Apartment Seekers grew, the housing market started to rebound and people were once again looking to purchase. Our client base of renters turned into buyers overnight and it became apparent that the company needed to tweak some aspects of the business model in order to service our changing client base. Thus, Missirlian Properties was formed which is a boutique real estate brokerage firm specializing in sales, rentals and investments throughout the Chicagoland area.
Stephen, Georganna – we’d love to hear more.
To this day, there continues to be two core elements of the business; Missirlian Properties and Chicago Apartment Seekers. We have had over 1500 transactions since our inception all the while keeping it a small business with just 5 agents. Our mission has always been to provide exceptional service customized for each of our client’s needs to achieve their real estate goals and we believe that this approach has been the main reason for our success.
Although our company continues to evolve as the market changes, our core business model has remained the same – we treat every client with the same level of service and attention, whether it be a renter or a buyer. We pride ourselves on this approach as it has allowed us to grow with our clients throughout the years and help see them through the various stages of their lives. It’s a pretty cool feeling when you have numerous clients (who have become great friends) who you’ve helped find their first studio in the South Loop to be close to Lollapalooza, or in Old Town to be right by the lake and the Wells Street action – and then helped them with their first condo purchase, or their move to the suburbs. With each stage in these peoples’ lives, it is so rewarding that they come to us over and over again to help them out with their next move, the next chapter in their life. As time has continued to go on, many of our clients have now met their partners in life and are starting to grow their own families, and there is nothing better than getting that call from them saying that it’s time to move on….
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being on 100% commission based income is rarely a smooth road, especially at the very beginning. Most people who get into real estate later in their careers typically have a significant other who works in a different line of trade, so there is at least 1 steady income coming into the household. Not us! We both decided to do real estate full time, so there were definitely some stressful times. However, as our client base grew, and the more rentals we did, our business grew exponentially and quickly from referrals. Especially when we had clients who were roommates looking for rentals, we would get twice the amount of referrals from 1 transaction.
Another struggle we continue to experience are what we call the ‘real estate traveling Gods’ – if you want to stay busy, all you have to do is go out of town. The second we plan to go anywhere, even Michigan for a long weekend, the phone starts ringing and people want to see places ASAP, of course. Heck, it took us over a year to go on our honeymoon. And on our first day there, we kept having to go into the lobby from the beach (for service) to go back and forth on a foreclosure deal for our clients who were buying a home for their mom. Another time we were in Disney World standing in line with our niece to go on a ride and were negotiating another contract.
What else should we know about the business?
Missirlian Properties is a boutique style real estate brokerage specializing in residential sales, rentals and investments in the Chicagoland area. We are a company comprised of 5 full time agents, and work cohesively together as a team. One of our agents, Anthony Maltese, specifically specializes in the luxury rental market, and is truly an expert at what he does. He knows the luxury rental market inside and out, and offers his client expert service and advice leaving no stone unturned in their quest for the perfect apartment. Anthony works alongside his wife, Mio Maltese, who also does luxury rentals in addition to residential sales. Both originally being from New York, they bring to the table that quick wit and savvy approach that their clients love.
We believe that our strongest asset that truly sets us apart from other real estate brokerages, is our team approach when servicing our clients. In this fast paced real estate market, where listings are advertised on so many different sites and properties move so quickly, our clients can expect to get an immediate response from us and an even faster showing confirmation. It’s more important now, more than ever, to view a newly listed property immediately, and more important to act fast and submit an offer (if it’s the right property of course). Waiting even one day can cost you the property of your dreams. This is an approach that we instill with our clients who are actively looking to buy or rent. Our clients truly appreciate us always being by their side and running around with them until they secure a property they love. Once we help get their offer accepted, our jobs have really just begun. We are advocates for them and guide them through the entire process, negotiating inspection items and making sure they don’t miss any contingency deadlines. We are by their side from our initial meeting all the way to the closing table.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
The luckiest part of our career, without a doubt, are the relationships we have made and friendships we have built with our clients. Some of our best friends we actually met on Craigslist! We helped them originally rent, then buy and finally sell, and just recently visited them in Miami. Who would have thought, Craigslist of all places?! Was it because of luck that they responded to one of our apartment listings? Or was it our business approach making sure to contact them immediately and get them in for showings that same day? It was probably a combination of both, but either way, we feel very lucky to be doing what we do.
Contact Info:
- Address: 616 West Surf Street
Suite B
Chicago, IL 60657 - Website: missirlianproperties.com and chicagoapartmentseekers.com
- Phone: 773-236-2787
- Email: team@missirlianproperties.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/missirlianproperties/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/missirlianproperties/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-apartment-seekers-chicago-5
- Other: https://www.zillow.com/profile/Stephen-Missirlian/
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