Michael Opyd

<p>In August 2009, Mike quit a comfy corporate job and jumped head first into real estate with $2,000 to his name and no plan B. He entered the industry during the Great Recession in one of the most depressed markets our country has ever seen. His first few years were lean times. He was only able to help a handful of people find rentals and did not have a sale until his third year. To make ends meet, he would do odd jobs for veteran Realtors who paid him cash for his troubles while also attending broker&#8217;s open (open houses for Realtors to show off their listings to other Realtors) on Tuesdays that provided lunch and gift cards so he could eat lunch throughout the week.</p> <p>The first brokerage he joined was very poorly run. They did not offer any formal education and his managing broker was not interested in helping a new agent as she had her own business to deal with. This left him to have to find ways to educate himself. He used his first few years as a crash course in real estate dedicating himself to consuming as much information as he could. During this time he shadowed veteran agents on appointments, asked millions of questions, read anything helpful he could get his hands on, and attended any educational event that he could afford to spend the little money he had on.</p> <p></p> <p>After switching brokerages to one that offered more education and training along with a managing broker willing to help him his education went up to another level and his business began to pick up. During this time he was elected to the Chicago Association of Realtors Young Professional Network board for two consecutive annual terms. The board was made up of the top up-and-coming Realtors across Chicago, many of which went on to become top producers, lead top producing teams, and own brokerages.</p> <p>It took Mike a few years to close his first sale but as soon as he did, he began increasing my sales production year after year and has gone on to sell close to $75 million worth of real estate without any assistance. In 2018, he was recognized by the Chicago Association of Realtors as a top-producing Realtor for both total sales production and total number of sales.</p> <p></p> <p>Having experienced how challenging a career in real estate is and recognizing there is minimal education for Realtors, in 2016, Mike opened his own brokerage in Chicago&#8217;s West Loop neighborhood built on the foundation of educating Realtors. The main focus of the brokerage recruiting efforts was geared toward attracting new and newer Realtors. The goal was to provide them with everything they needed from the start to build a successful business. To do this his partner and he built a customized mentorship program that spanned six weeks covering everything from how to prepare mentally for the challenges of this career, how to work with buyers and sellers, and how to build a brand. Close to 50 agents graduated from the program and averaged 5.6 sales in the following 12 months after completing the program, higher than the national average for a new Realtor of 1-2. The brokerage also offered monthly educational workshops he would host on various topics including, goal setting, how to utilize social media, and budgeting. The brokerage had two offices, 66 agents, and closed around $200 million in sales annually. Mike sold the company in February 2024 to focus on other ventures.</p> <p></p> <p>Mike&#8217;s unique perspective into the real estate industry's inner workings has featured him in 13 online articles including Forbes, Inman, US News, The Chicago Tribune, and The Chicago Suntimes. At the same time, he has also been featured numerous times in the Chicago publication Chicago Agent Magazine both on the cover and as a contributor to articles along with being featured in the Chicago Real Producers magazine.</p> <p>In 2022, his partner and he started a real estate education company called Bluprint which was built off the brokerage&#8217;s mentorship program. The company offered a six-week program that went deeper into each topic and provided custom-built supporting materials to help agents. The company achieved mild success and was shut down in late 2023.</p> <p></p> <p>Mike&#8217;s passion is educating Realtors. Ever since he began mentoring new agents who joined a team he was a part of earlier in his career he felt it was what he was meant to do. Recognizing the need for proper education for new Realtors he has dedicated my attention to helping the people who enter the industry so they do not have to go through the challenges he did when he started.</p>