To start, let’s go back to February 2nd of 2005. It was a frigid, snowy Chicago Winter night. Too preoccupied to be cold and too rushed to be nervous, I dashed out of a listing appointment and raced to make a first date at a restaurant called Boka in Chicago. We said our “nice to meet you’s,” shared a couple of drinks and started to get to know each other. One year later we were engaged. Two years later we were married. Three years later, here we are. Within the past week, we’ve swapped our city digs for life in suburbia; the result of a major campaign on my part to convince my husband Bill that Barrington might be just as hip and happening as our old hood, Chicago’s Lincoln Square.

The task was far from easy. What could I possibly say to get a downtown dude to consent to leaving the daily city stimulants for life in the burbs? I appealed to his appetite, his pet peeves and his love of sports, of course. Here are the top ten ways I sold him on suburbia:

#10. Bike Paths and Forest Preserves - Lakefront, Shmakefront.
Who needs to dodge the running, biking and rollerblading
masses that swarm the shores of Lake Michigan?
#9. Thank You Express Train – A 45 Minute trip on the Metra will
transport us right back into the heart of the hustle and bustle.
Plus… no more long platform waits and stop-and-go commutes on
the drafty old EL
#8. Showed Him the Door – To the Basement of our New House
He always told me he wanted his own space to watch football,
keep his tools and hang is sports paraphernalia - Honey, Have at it!
#7. Goodbye Davis, Hello Catlow - Another neighborhood movie theater in our new neck of the woods
#6. Found Him a Place to Play Hoops - Signed Him Up at Good Shepherd Health and Fitness Center
#5. Wooed Him at Wool Street Grill - The closest sports bar & frosty
beverage are just a few blocks away
#4. Filled Him With Boloney at Boloney’s Sandwich Shop in
Barrington – He keeps asking me if I’m in the mood for a Sandwich
#3. Mayor Daley Made it Easier – Chicago’s Real Estate Transfer Tax
and Sales Tax are reason enough to say sayonara to the city
#2. Goebbert’s Pumpkin Farm - A great way to get our city friends to
to pile their kids in the car and pay us a Fall visit.
#1.  Hello Baby –  We found out we’re expecting our first child – just in
nick of time. Our baby is due in September and will love
the back yard and space here that would have cost so much more in any
of our favorite Chicago neighborhoods.

I sit, as I write, surrounded by unpacked boxes and giant balls of shriveled shrink wrap. The great irony is that since we’ve moved to the suburbs, business for me has picked up immensely in the city. I’m driving down there almost every day to show properties, connect with clients and check on listings. I’m happy to have so many reasons to go back. Bill is not the only one transitioning. We’re getting used to the new pace and change of scenery; new neighbors, new streets, parking places everywhere and far fewer sirens. Even a trip to good old Jewel feels a little foreign.

I’ve had so many clients who’ve made this move before me. Some who have shared my husband’s sense of major life change and even loss. It helps that we’re still so close to our favorite city and our friends. We’re settling, unpacking and adapting, one Boloney’s bite at a time.

Written by:
Liz Luby – REALTOR
The Luby Group – Coldwell Banker
Phone: 847-691-3150
Fax: 847-512-5466
Website: TheLubyGroup.com
Blog: BurbFeeder.com

1. Tomorrow, Friday, December 14, Liz Luby will be talking to the “Build a Better Agent” group regarding E-marketing.  All are invited!!

***** Excuse my while I freak out. *****

I used to be a wanna-be actress appearing in plays and musicals.  I tested my skills on the Lincoln-Douglas Debate team in High School.  (Boy was that a disaster!)  I attended summer school at Northwestern University to learn the art of extemporaneous speaking.  (You would be embarrassed for me if you saw the fruits of that labor, but I did learn to twirl my pencil around my thumb.)  I graduated from College with a Broadcast Journalism degree, spent almost ten years as a radio DJ, TV news reporter and even took a job as an “Anchor Person” for a few years in a small Iowa market.  (One of these days I’ll dig out and dust off my blooper tapes or my fascinating report about that two headed pig.)  But something funny has happened to me since then.  I can’t explain how it started, but somewhere along the line I caught this horrible case of stage fright.  Today I tremble and lose sleep over the thought of speaking in front of people.  When our manager asked me to discuss internet marketing strategies with the other agents in our office I thought, ok, why not?  It’s nice of him to ask.  I haven’t been blogging for very long, but I can speak with some authority about websites and marketing properties online.  I can at least talk about the stuff I’m learning, right? Well, I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.  I understand there will be a few hecklers in the room, thanks to my dear mother, and business partner, Suzanne.  Will I survive?  Probably.  Will I freeze, say “duh” or run out of the room?  It could happen.  Will I speak in tongues or start to swear?  It’s quite possible. I’m not going to let my phobias interfere here, but I do know that I have an emergency escape plan.  It’s like a little YouTube parachute. When the beads of sweat show up, I’ll just play Common Craft’s video explaining Blogs in Plain English.  The video is about three minutes long. I’m hopeful that will be enough time for me to get a grip.

Click on the center arrow to play the “Blogs in Plain English” Video:

I was on Cuba Road driving to a client’s house in Deer Park today to deliver a key and a Christmas gift. On the way, I unexpectedly traveled through a glistening crystal forest. The sunlight was illuminating the remnants of yesterday’s rain, skipping through the treetops. For a moment, I felt like a trespasser in this fragile, foreign yet familiar land. The wheels of my car turned and crunched their way into Cuba Marsh. The air was as sharp as my icy steps as I stomped through snow and jagged frozen weeds to get closer. Every living thing I found had been shocked into submission and buried beneath layers of wintry glass. I hurried, with my camera, knowing that the passing minutes plus the heat of the sun would melt away this temporary place. Surrounded by cracks and splashes of disappearing ice, I jumped back into my car, cranked the heat and continued on my way. I think I’ll return in the Spring to catch up with this new neighbor.

Tags: Lake County, Barrington, Deer Park, Illinois, Cuba Road, Cuba Marsh, Winter Weather, Ice Trees, The Luby Group, Liz Luby, Photography

Suzanne Luby
Real Estate Consultant
Suzanne Luby has been selling real estate in the Barrington Area and Chicago’s Northwest Suburbs for nearly 25 years. From first time home buyers to the most skilled real estate investors, Suzanne works with all types of clients and has remained a top producing agent through the real estate market’s many changes. Suzanne’s knowledge, negotiating skills and sales record have earned her consistent corporate recognition, numerous awards and a reputation as one of the most seasoned REALTORS in the Chicago Northwest Suburbs.

In addition to consulting both home buyers and sellers, Suzanne is often called upon to share her knowledge with other area REALTORS by leading workshops at Coldwell Banker’s Barrington office. Every year, she invests a significant amount of time and money to stay up to date with the latest trends in real estate. She has earned such advanced professional designations as GRI (Graduate REALTOR Institute), CRS (Council of Residential Specialists), ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative) and SRES (Seniors Real Estate Specialists) . She is also part of an idea sharing network of top selling REALTORS from across the country.

Prior to becoming a licensed REALTOR, Suzanne and her husband, Tom, raised four children. Five years ago she recruited her oldest daughter, Liz Luby, to join her real estate team. Her son, Jim Luby, is also an experienced and reputable REALTOR in the City of Chicago. Suzanne’s daughter, Erin Luby, is a teacher, administrator and cross country coach at St. Ignatius College Prep High School in Chicago and her youngest daughter, Christine Luby, is becoming one of the top sales people at HumanScale Corporation, a company that sells high-end ergonomic office furniture.

Suzanne also has a degree in education and spent years teaching High School Literature, Drama & Public Speaking classes before the arrival of her first child, Liz Luby, 30-something years ago. Her background as an educator prepared her well for the real estate industry. There is no one more skilled at advising clients and teaching her team about the real estate business. From interpreting national trends locally to guiding clients through daily transactions, Suzanne is a reliable and expert real estate consultant who holds herself and her team to the highest professional and ethical standards.

When Suzanne is not selling real estate, she loves to travel and she is a voracious reader. She especially enjoys reading books about the real estate industry, spending time with her family and taking care of her two grandsons, Liam and Charlie.

Suzanne’s Real Estate License Number: 076316750

Liz Luby
Real Estate Consultant
After spending nearly a decade working as a Broadcast Journalist in the TV News business, Liz Luby earned her real estate license about five years ago and joined forces with Suzanne Luby. Since they formed their partnership, The Luby Group’s annual sales record has nearly doubled and their business continues to grow. Liz has been a tremendous asset to The Luby Group because of her communications background.

As a former news Anchor and Reporter for KFXB-TV in Dubuque, IA and WHBF-TV in The Quad Cities, IL, Liz mastered the art of news writing and story-telling. She now uses those skills to promote The Luby Group’s brand and effectively market it’s listings both in print and online. During countless interviews with various news sources, Liz learned to get to the root of an issue by asking relevant questions and being a good listener. Today, these skills help her better assess the needs and goals of her real estate clients. As a former morning news producer and writer for Fox News Chicago, Liz developed her skills as a team leader. Under intense deadline pressure, she consistently produced and earned recognition for high quality newscasts. Today, she applies these skills in the real estate realm by guiding seller and buyer clients through transactions with a knack for problem solving and expert attention to detail. Like Suzanne, Liz makes continued learning a high priority. She is one class away from earning her CRS (Council of Residential Specialists) professional designation and is part of a network of top selling REALTORS from across the country.

When Liz is not selling real estate, she loves spending time with her family and playing guitar with her husband, Bill. She enjoys reading, running and photography. She has also recently taken up blogging, which fits right in with her love of journalism and story-telling. Liz plans to use her blogging hobby to help give The Luby Group’s clients increased online exposure and better access to information about local real estate.

Liz’s Real Estate License Number: 076389102

Susan Prokos
Buyer Specialist
Susan is a very big asset to The Luby Group because she has lived in the Barrington area for over 15 years with her husband and three sons. From the neighborhoods to the schools to the sports teams, Susan knows the community very well and she welcomes the opportunity to share her knowledge and experiences with her clients.

Prior to becoming a licensed REALTOR, Susan and her husband, Dean, raised three great sons who are now 17, 19 and 21. Two are in College and one is still a Senior at Barrington High School. Even her golden retriever, Chief, is male. With so many men in her household, Susan has become a pro at understanding the male psyche! Ask her anything about the hottest sports teams. She definitely knows how to talk the talk.

When she’s not selling real estate, Susan and her family love being on their boat. They own a marina in Wisconsin which they have run since 2003. She is also a former school teacher. She taught special education and other classes for eight years. The skills Susan developed as a family business owner and an educator prepared her well for real estate. She is a sharp business woman and a hard worker with great inter-personal skills and a fun, likeable and laid-back attitude.

“I feel fortunate to be a part of such a talented team of REALTORS and I love the “hunt” of finding a home that fits perfectly into my clients’ lifestyles and their needs.” – Susan Prokos, Buyer Specialist

Susan’s Real Estate License Number: 476424962

Christine Snelgrove
Client Care Coordinator
Christine Snelgrove joined The Luby Group two years ago as a Licensed Assistant. She is an invaluable member of the team, preparing the print marketing materials and managing The Luby Group’s Client Care Systems. As a licensed REALTOR, Christine is a vital team participant with a thorough understanding of the business.

Christine has a BA degree in Interior Design and a MS degree in Business/Human Resource Management. Prior to joining The Luby Group, she held professional positions in Finance and Human Resource Management. She was previously the Assistant to the Manager of the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage Barrington office.

When Christine is not busy managing The Luby Group’s Client Care Systems, she spends time with her family, including her husband, the V.P of Topco, Inc., a son at Embrey Riddle Aeronautical University, a daughter at Utah State University and a son who is a freshman at Barrington High School. Christine has lived in many locales throughout the United States and Canada, residing in Barrington for the last twelve years. Her experiences provide her with an intimate knowledge of selling homes and the relocation process from beginning to end.

“It has been a pleasure working with this dedicated team of real estate professionals. Suzanne has an expansive knowledge of the real estate business and Liz’s expertise in web marketing, up-to-date ideas and energy are impressive.”

Christine’s Real Estate License Number: 476423952

In the meantime, I could spend all hours of the day and night glued to this computer, but I should probably get out and find a Birthday gift for Bill. Any ideas?

Thanks for reading,
Liz Luby
The Luby Group – Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
847-691-3150
www.TheLubyGroup.com

Luby Links:
http://TheLubyGroup.com
http://LubyProperties.com
http://BarringtonHomeBuyer.com
http://BarringtonHomeSeller.com
http://BestByOwners.com