WICKER PARK — A growing River North residential real estate company opened a new outpost on Monday, sharing a building with the RSVP Gallery just steps from the elevated Bloomingdale Trail.
“Bucktown was a natural choice for our second location and, in many ways, felt like a homecoming to our agents who already live on the Northwest Side and have closed numerous transactions in the area,” said David Wolf, president of Related Realty.
Located at 1755 N. Damen Ave. — along a block that both Wicker Park and Bucktown boosters lay claim — Related Realty's new 3,000 square-foot office will eventually employ 75 full-time brokers. Wolf said he plans to hire the brokers within the next year.
The brokers will mostly specialize in helping buyers and sellers of residential homes but will also assist with rental properties, too, Wolf said.
Related Realty is an affiliate of The Related Companies. Prior to founding Related Realty in 2012 and opening its main office at 350 W. Hubbard St. in 2013, Wolf previously ran his own brokerage group, David Wolf Residential, which was part of @properties.
“With a physical presence on Damen Avenue, we’ll be much closer to our existing clients while simultaneously breaking into new neighborhoods where we can introduce buyers and sellers to the highly personalized service that has made Related Realty one of the fastest-growing residential full-service brokerages in Chicago," Wolf said in a news release.
Projected to have sales near $500 million in 2015, up from $300 million in 2014, Related Realty tapped Bucktown/Wicker Park for expansion in part because of The 606, a system of ground-level parks that are connected by a 2.7-mile long elevated path.
“Our Bucktown office’s proximity to the [CTA] Blue Line and 606 access point at Churchill Field — steps from our building — will be a convenience not only to our brokers, who have the ability to work out of either Related Realty location, but also the clients they serve," Wolf said.
Related Realty's new office is located on the second floor of a four-story building at 1753-55 N. Damen Avw. which houses luxury apartments on the top two floors.
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