Posted by chicagomedia.org on June 07, 2008 at 17:10:15:
What do rock 'n' roll and real estate have in common?
Oak Park's Roz Byrne.
Ruling the airwaves on WLUP radio to selling $8 million worth of property two years in a row at Gloor Realty was a natural progression for Byrne, who's only half-kidding when she says she honed her sales skills "persisting" her way in the world by "politely bugging" program directors until they hired her.
She became a good listener interviewing the likes of '80s singer Cyndi Lauper and former Led Zepplin frontman Robert Plant.
Plant "would make any interviewer sound good because he was very forthright with information" while the band Aerosmith "definitely has a place in my heart," said Byrne, who is likewise pleased at how Michael Moore turned out.
"He used to follow me on the air Sundays with a talk show and was always late. After he did 'Sicko,' I e-mailed him and told him I once thought he was a loser who would never amount to anything. But after seeing all his movies, I e-mailed him to thank him for being a voice of reason in these crazy times." recalled Byrne, who eventually moved on to Chicago's own NINE-FM and WCKG-FM.
The music stopped for Byrne when the Federal Communications Commission deregulated the industry, eliminating many "ma and pa" stations. She moved on to radio sales and eventually real estate in Oak Park/River Forest where she became a "one-woman welcome wagon" who gives newcomers "Roz's Referral Directory" listing everything from acupuncturists to where to donate gently used household items. She also gives $100 of each commission to the charity of the client's choice.
And yes, she has had clients who remember her radio days and she loves it.
While she sometimes worries some clients may not want a "rock 'n' roll Realtor," she agrees there's value in being well-known in the community.
"After all, people don't usually go to the Yellow Pages looking for Realtors," she said.
(River Forest Laves)