A top-ranked broker team in the River Forest/Oak Park area is leaving Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices for @properties Christie’s International Real Estate, which is pushing further into suburban markets.
Zak Knebel’s the ZK Group’s six agents — Knebel, Camille Hoover, Victoria Witt, Jeanette Madock, Alice Fox McMahon and Jeffrey O’Connor — brought in more than $41 million in deals last year in the western suburbs of River Forest and Oak Park, according to a news release from @properties.
Knebel worked with @properties from 2017-2020 before taking an offer from Berkshire Hathaway to start an office in River Forest back when he was still working as a solo agent.
After building up his team, the group began to break into the higher end of the local market with an average sale price of about $950,000, Knebel said. Their work with investors and their knowledge of the condo market in River Forest and Oak Park helped them grow their business, and as the western suburban market heated up, they started brokering deals at higher and higher price points, he said.
Before long, they were the No. 1 team in the area, according to the news release. That’s when @properties reached out, Knebel said.
“They were willing to let us keep our space in River Forest,” Knebel said. “That was very important to our team.”
He said he decided to return to @properties because the firm “excels” in luxury real estate, offers better marketing, and “has emerged as the leading real estate company in the western suburbs.”
A Berkshire Hathaway spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The ZK Group will work with @properties’ Oak Park office while also maintaining its space in River Forest.
Expanding further into the suburbs has been a priority for @properties over the last year as it has begun to max out its market share in certain areas, the firm’s co-founders Thad Wong and Mike Golden told The Real Deal last fall.
The homegrown Chicago firm has been the top-ranked brokerage in the city for nearly a decade, but was acquired by national brokerage firm and competitor Compass in a $444 million deal announced in December.
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