2010 Top Producer, Awarded by the Chicago Association of Realtors

It was pretty much a given that Kelly Rizzo-Parker was going to enter the real estate industry. Her parents have been two of the most sought-after Realtors in Chicago since 1977, and she grew up living and breathing everything having to do with real estate. She began working for the nation's leading condominium developer in 1995 under the tutelage of her parents, Sharon and Santo. She became a licensed Realtor in 1999 and quickly began learning development as well as gaining a thorough understanding of general real estate brokerage.

Kelly gained expertise by working on 6 large condo conversions with a total of over 2500 units. In 2004 Kelly was co-sales manager of 2000 N. Lincoln Park West, which became the most successful vintage condo conversion in Chicago history.

In 2005 Kelly and her parents founded Rizzo Realty Group, a family run brokerage firm specializing in investment properties and vacation homes. In a three-year period the Rizzo family and their agents sold over 600 condominium units nationwide. They also gained a tremendous amount of positive buzz in Chicago by putting on 'Building Wealth Through Real Estate' seminars. These seminars were educationally based and made an effort to demonstrate that real estate is the best and most secure long-term investment.

Kelly recently decided that she wanted to get back to her roots of providing excellent service to homebuyers and sellers in Chicagoland. She was committed to finding the most cutting-edge tools available in the industry, and she quickly realized that Dream Town Realty was a perfect fit. Kelly looks forward to helping many clients experience the best Chicago has to offer.

Kelly currently resides in Lincoln Park with her husband, Brad, and their two puppies, Kona and Hilo. She loves traveling, cooking, scuba diving, snowboarding, going to concerts, boating, riding their Harley, and experiencing the constant excitement that Chicago has to offer.

Sharon Rizzo is a familiar name in Chicago real estate. Her 32-year career is peppered with professional accolades, multimillion-dollar deals and industry recognition among local and national developers. More recently, she was a Chicago Association of Realtors Golden Eagle winner in 2003 (i.e. top agent in the city) with over $114 million in residential sales. In 2005, Sharon had more than $60 million in sales, making her the #1 CAR agent in Lincoln Park. That same year, she co-founded a family-run brokerage with her husband Santo and daughter Kelly, which later evolved into The Rizzo Group... now at your service through Dream Town's state-of-the-art offices.

While the main specialization of The Rizzo Group is short sales and distressed property transactions, Sharon remains the “go to” for development, investment and luxury sales. She has a lifetime of experience in Chicago real estate and has worked with many of the city's leading condominium developers. Despite economic changes and housing trend roller coasters, Sharon has always effectively navigated the market to provide unrivaled expertise and outstanding service to clients in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate.

Sharon has been in the business for the better part of three decades, but she also has an impressive history outside her real estate credentials. In addition to being a medical reporter and on-air broadcaster for NBC news, Sharon was a national spokesperson for two divisions of the Big Three automakers and a motivational speaker who presented around the country. She has a Bachelor's and Master's degree from Indiana University.

As a sales manager for condo conversions in the Gold Coast, Sharon was responsible for 6 major high-rise residential buildings. She also developed a highly-successful educational seminar “Building Wealth Through Real Estate” with her realtor daughter Kelly. The duo has traveled throughout the U.S. presenting the program, which demonstrates how real estate is one of the best and most secure long-term investments available to this day.

“Enthusiastic, extremely knowledgeable, friendly” and “does whatever it takes to get the job done” are words that Karen's clients have used to describe working with her.

“Seeing my clients smile at the end of a sales or buying transaction and hearing the words, “Well done,” is what I strive for. That is why I chose to work for Dream Town, -- we think alike and Dream Town gives me the excellent professional resources I need to get the job done.” Karen has found that recommendations from her past clients are her best marketing tools.

Karen brings her real estate skills to Dream Town from having a successful career with other agencies. Prior to that she enjoyed a successful career in specialty toy sales as Owner/ President of Richard Swan Associates, Northbrook IL, managing annual sales of $7 million to high-end retailers. With extensive experience in management, sales, customer service and technology, Karen is at home in the real estate world. Having lived in the Chicago area for most of her life, she is a great resource person.

Knowing her clients are busy people, Karen strives to bring them the best sales or buying opportunities in the least amount of time, with all the details spelled out clearly.

Karen and her husband David love exploring Chicago's diverse communities, taking in concerts at Ravinia and Millennium Park or spending time with their six children. A graduate of Colorado State University, Karen received her Masters of Arts in Speech Pathology from the University of Houston. She and her family attend Willow Creek Community Church, North Shore.

Lauren Shimmon comes to Dream Town with over 5 years of experience in real estate. Having grown up in the western suburbs, and now residing in River North, Lauren has extensive knowledge of Chicago and all of its unique and diverse neighborhoods.

Previously focusing on new construction and investment real estate, the change in the market has recently shifted her focus. Lauren is one of the few short sale Certified Realtors in the city with a vast amount of knowledge in this growing sector of the market. She has helped numerous distressed homeowners get out from underneath their properties, as well as negotiated many short sales and foreclosures for her buyers. A contributing factor to her success with short sales and foreclosures is a result of her partnership with one of Chicago's leading foreclosure law firms.

More than ever before, knowledge is the key to providing exceptional service to your clients in this fast-changing and sometimes challenging real estate market. With Lauren's extensive background in investment real estate and now short sales and foreclosures, she can provide her buyers with the best chance to find the best deals. After all, buying a new home is a huge event in her client's life.

Lauren attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and was a member of the Women's Track & Field Team. She received numerous awards during her tenure at U of I and graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Sports Marketing. She prides herself on her work ethic and her passion for helping individuals achieve their ultimate goal, whether buying or selling in today's tumultuous market.

Amanda comes to Dream Town with a unique background in real estate. Although she's been a licensed Realtor for almost 2 years, as a lifelong Chicago resident Amanda has been involved in the real estate business for much longer than that. She comes from a family that has been amongst the top-producing agents in Chicago for the past 25 years.

Having graduated from the University of Iowa in 2009, Amanda partnered with her family and the Rizzo Group — one of Dream Town's most prominent, top-producing teams. She entered the real estate industry at a rather turbulent time; however, this could not have been better timing for her career. With distressed sales being a large percentage of Chicago's real estate transactions, Amanda has developed a real expertise in dealing with short sales and foreclosures. For the past year, she has negotiated directly with banks and lenders and has become very familiar with all of the in's and out's of this ever changing sector. With that knowledge and experience, she has a completely different skill set when representing her clients in any type of transaction. Whether it is a distressed sale, luxury sale, investment, development or rental, she will negotiate the best deal for her clients. Amanda's goal is to learn as much about this market as possible and she is a firm believer that in the long run this will put her a cut-above any other agent in the city.

Amanda currently resides in Lincoln Park. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Communication Studies and minors in Spanish and Human Relations. Amanda was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority throughout her four years. She loves attending sporting events, and is a huge Chicago sports and Iowa Hawkeye fan. Amanda prides herself in her diligent work ethic, her ability to listen to exactly what her clients are looking for, and the wealth of knowledge she has gained over the past years that now benefits her clients.

Michelle Lavoie began her career as a successful Real Estate Consultant in 2001, where she worked alongside a nationally acclaimed Condominium Developer in downtown Chicago. Always interested in the finance aspect of the industry, Michelle chose to pursue her license as a Mortgage Broker in 2005 after taking some time off to raise her little girl. She worked for one of the nation's top lending institutions until 2008, when she was recruited back into Real Estate world to serve as head of business development for a successful Team, to whom she brought over 35 listings in that year alone.

Educated initially with a degree in Fine Arts in Interior Design, Michelle can help her buyers see each “house” as a home. Her many areas of expertise enables her to offer her clients, whether buyers or sellers, an entire package of services. Michelle's sales experience, coupled with extensive real estate knowledge, ensures your real estate needs will be carried out professionally, efficiently and personally.

As a Chicago native, Michelle is also well versed in the various neighborhoods that encompass our city's unique culture. With over 9 years of sales experience, Michelle is renowned for her tough negotiation tactics that benefit her buyers and sellers, as well as dedicated advocacy on the behalf of her elite clientele.

Michelle currently resides in River North with her daughter Alex. In her spare time she enjoys the outdoors, especially summers on Chicago's breathtaking lakefront. As the weather turns cold, you can find her inside the gym relishing an intense workout. She loves to travel, to spend time with family and friends, and to volunteer at her daughter's school, where she is the Brownie troop leader. Last but not least is trying all the new and exciting restaurants and venues Chicago has to offer.

Peter joins Dream Town with a plethora of experience in both the residential real estate and luxury construction industry. As a third generation family member involved in the industry, Peter is no stranger to real estate. His father and grandfather successfully operated suburban-based Childs Realty Group, a commercial leasing firm, of which they sold in the late 1990's. Following the sale of Childs Realty, Peter had the opportunity to witness firsthand the residential construction industry alongside his father, who to this day still runs and serves as the Principal of Distinctive Custom Homes LLC, a north shore based luxury home builder.

Having moved eleven times in the past fifteen years, Peter understands the importance and emotional process of purchasing a new home. Whether you're a first time home buyer or have moved several times, Peter carries the same philosophy that differentiates him from other brokers: Creating a strong trusting bond with you to make the home buying process smooth and most of all, FUN! With his caring personality, Peter always puts his clients' needs above all and truly focuses on solidifying the client relationship before diving into their home search. "Forming a trusting, caring bond is my number one priority when first sitting down with a client," says Peter. "Without trust and loyalty, the partnership cannot be utilized to its full potential," Peter believes. Timely and efficient communication is a MUST in order to be an efficient broker in assisting the client. Peter recognizes this and truly takes "customer service" to a whole new level. "When I call someone to ask a question, I want an answer immediately. Real estate is no different, I empathize with my clients needs and pride myself on my quick and efficient communication skills," says Peter.

Peter holds a Business Administration and Finance degree from Elmhurst College and loves all that Chicago has to offer from fine dining to sports. An avid exercise nut, you're certain to find Peter running along the lake with any spare time that he has!