UPDATED, 10:06 a.m.: A top-producing residential broker in the Chicago suburbs left Compass to rejoin @properties, where he had worked for four years.
J. Maggio, who officially went to work for @properties on Tuesday, will be based out of its Hinsdale office, helping to drive growth in the western suburbs. The founders of @properties, Thad Wong and Mike Golden, announced the move in a statement.
Maggio had more than $25 million in sales volume last year, according to @properties.
He became a licensed broker in 2010 and got his start at Keller Williams. Maggio jumped to @properties in 2013, remaining there until 2017, when he moved to boutique luxury brokerage Conlon Real Estate. That became Compass’ first Chicago acquisition in 2018.
He focuses on La Grange, Western Springs, Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills and Downers Grove, but also does some work in Chicago’s West Loop, River North, West Town, Bucktown and Wicker Park.
Maggio operates on his own, saying he enjoys it “because I think a lot of clients get a little frustrated sometimes when they’re passed off to people. Of Compass, he said, “it was just a lot of bells and whistles and shiny stuff over there that wasn’t necessarily making my life any easier.”
In a statement, a Compass spokesperson said: “We respect every agent’s choice in brokerage, and we wish J Maggio the best in his next chapter and in all future endeavors.”
Softbank-backed Compass moved into the Chicago market in late 2017. In The Real Deal’s ranking of Chicago’s top residential brokerages by sales volume — from December 2017 through November 2018 — @properties topped the list with more than $6.5 billion, but Compass cracked the top 10, placing sixth with $1.4 billion.
Maggio, who shifts to @properties amid the widening coronavirus crisis, said he doesn’t think the timing makes much of a difference in the long run; brokers across the Chicago area are seeing a drastic slowdown in business.
“I feel really good about where I’m at, and at the end of the day, it’s all about my clients, right? I want to be in a spot where I can do the best for my clients and the ease of providing them with the best service,” he said.
A few months ago, Compass poached one of @properties’ top broker teams, a 10-agent group led by Pam MacPherson and Hayley Westhoff.
This updates Compass’ response with a statement from its spokesperson.