Compass’ Jeff Lowe Taps Grace Kaage for New North Shore Shop

Chicago’s top residential broker wants a piece of the ritzy suburbs along the North Shore.

The Lowe Group, headed by Jeff Lowe, is teaming up with longtime Compass executive Grace Kaage to launch his office’s new North Shore division.

Lowe has been recognized repeatedly as the biggest residential broker in the area. In 2023, The Lowe Group topped The Real Deal’s ranking of top Cook County residential brokers with 182 deals and $225.9 million in deal volume. That was down from 291 deals and $381 million the year prior, when he was also the top-ranked broker.

Kaage said in a statement the move is a “tremendous opportunity.”

She comes to the Lowe Group with experience leading her own sales team before switching to a leadership role as Compass’ managing director for Illinois and Indiana. It wasn’t immediately clear how or whether Compass planned to fill her existing position. She previously held broker positions under the @properties and Coldwell Banker banners.

She currently lives in the North Shore in Winnetka and designs and develops properties in the area. She has served on the Chicago Association of Realtors board of directors and received awards from the organization.

“Our clients have been asking us to expand beyond the city for years. We’ve found the right partner to lead our North Shore division,” Lowe said in a statement.

His brokerage isn’t alone among high-volume Chicago shops pushing into the North Shore. Last year, Leigh Marcus of @properties — who has also been consistently ranked among the top brokers in Cook County despite his tumultuous past year — added Winnetka-based veteran Peter Cummins to his team. (Cummins was already affiliated with @properties.)

Both of Chicagoland’s two priciest sales occurred on the North Shore in Winnetka last year, rather than in the city, and both were brokered by @properties’ Jena Radnay.

Lowe’s previous clients include former Chicago Cubs president Theo Epstein, former Bears running back Matt Forte and Judd Malkin, who helped build the JMB Realty empire alongside billionaire Neil Bluhm.