Rich Neal's proven track record for selling properties faster and at a higher price than the industry average has earned him a spot in the top 10% of brokers in Chicago five years running. His extensive experience and commitment to sales and exceptional personalized customer service have resulted in a 98.5% sales-to-list-price ratio and an average on-market time of just 16 days (versus the city average of 63 days)*.
A native of Champaign, Illinois, Rich honed his business skills through success in retail — from the sales floor to buying offices, to store management, he learned the buying, selling, and negotiating skills that helped him market a $100M category of luxury retail goods. The common thread throughout has been his passion for customer service; Rich was designated a Customer Service All-Star, the highest honor at Nordstrom, and was named @properties Christie's International Real Estate's Rookie of the Year after working for the company for just six months.
Giving back has always played a prominent role in both his personal and professional life. After years as a weekly volunteer, Rich was named to the Board of Directors at Nourishing Hope (formerly Lakeview Pantry), the city's largest food pantry, providing over 1.7 million meals every year to needy Chicagoans. He also serves on the Professional Standards Board for both the Chicago and Illinois Associations of REALTORS®.
Rich brings a global perspective to the real estate business. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Marketing from the University of Illinois and spent a life-changing year studying at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. While his career has afforded him the opportunity to inhabit some of this country's most exciting cities (including New York, San Francisco, and Boston), he has always considered Chicago his home. The Windy City is an ongoing source of inspiration, from its history and architecture to its incredibly diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. He's lived in various neighborhoods, from his urban pioneer days in Wicker Park in the early ˜90s, to Uptown, the Gold Coast and Lakeview, where he currently resides with his partner Ben and their French Bulldogs Gigi and Susan.
*MRED, LLC, based on closed sales data, 01/2022-12/2023
