S
teve Koleno, a leading broker with over 1,700 sales and $684 million in volume last year, has joined Dream Town Real Estate to focus on luxury homes in Illinois. This shift marks a significant change from his previous business strategy, which centered around working with large single-family rental companies owning tens of thousands of properties. Koleno's experience includes stints as vice president of American Homes for Rent and selling 208 houses in four months for a private equity fund.

    As the sole broker on his team, Koleno expanded his practice by obtaining licenses in multiple states to serve clients across the Sun Belt and East Coast. However, he now aims to leverage his success to establish a long-term presence in Chicago, working with individual luxury home buyers and sellers. Koleno is seeking independence as a "non-traditional" broker, which led him to partner with Dream Town, one of the largest independent brokerages in the city.

    Dream Town's founder, Yuval Degani, notes that Koleno's independent mindset aligns with their brokerage's values. Koleno plans to focus on working with individual clients within a specific price range, but his experience with large corporate buyers is deeply ingrained. He sees opportunities in working with builders or developers, particularly in high-volume listings.