The battle for residential brokers is heating up in Chicago.
Compass hired @properties’ Schwabe Group, an eight-broker team led by David Schwabe, following last week’s signing of an independent brokerage.
David Schwabe and his team of seven agents signed with Compass Chicagoland, the brokerage said Wednesday. Schwabe’s team, which sold 115 homes totaling more than $40 million last year, will be based at Compass’ Arlington Heights office.
After more than a three-year run at @properties, Schwabe said he wants to take advantage of Compass’ Concierge, a program that helps sellers to finance at zero interest for home repairs and is paid back after property sells.
“We have been staging homes with our sellers for over 15 years, so the Compass Concierge program is a game-changer for our sellers who want to maximize net profits and sell their home quickly,” Schwabe said, according to a statement from Compass.
Schwabe started his real estate career 20 years ago, founded Schwabe Group in 2006 and worked with Coldwell Bankers before signing with @properties in 2018.
As the Chicago residential market gains, the competition for brokers is also intensifying. Compass hired the three-broker team HomeCo Chicago last week, while it lost a group of agents it recruited three ago from @properties. Pam MacPherson, who led her team to $100 million in residential transactions last year, returned to @properties after fulfilling their two-year contract with Compass.
Since Compass entered the Chicago market in late 2017, the brokerage scooped up a few of @properties’ top producers, including new development specialist Heather Gusfafson and agents Cindi Sodolski and Jordan Euson.
Compass’ office at 2350 North Lincoln Avenue ranked second in total sales in Chicagoland with $313 million in the third quarter of 2021, according to Chicago Agent Magazine’s top 20 offices in the area.