Karen Arenson

My career in residential real estate sales has offered me the perfect blend of all that I love - teaching, learning, exploring, guiding, and mentoring. My true passion is the "Ah ha" moment that occurs when I have helped others achieve their potential, find the home for their next chapter, or realize an important achievement. Being able to make a difference in people's lives gives me great joy.

I began my career in residential sales with a boutique brokerage in the city. When my husband and I moved to the North Shore, I shifted my focus to serving communities along the lakefront. Having received a master's degree from Northwestern University and been on the faculty at New Trier High School, Lake Forest High School, and Lake Forest Country Day School, I was already intimately familiar with the North Shore and my transition occurred seamlessly. Within a year, I was an award-winning agent and very involved in the community.

In 2007, I took my career to a new level when I became the Managing Broker of an office in Wilmette. Over the years, as I successfully mentored both new and seasoned brokers, the scope of my responsibilities grew and eventually, I was Managing Broker for more than 200 agents in offices in Winnetka, Wilmette, and Highland Park.

I joined Engel & Voelkers because the company's culture and values truly align with my own both as a manager and as a real estate advisor. The consistency and quality of this global brand is unsurpassed. And, from the top down, Engel & Voelkers is committed to providing its advisors with superior quality training, marketing, technology, and a white glove experience. With their robust support and heart-centered leadership, every advisor in this high-end boutique firm is equipped to better serve their clients and take their business to a new level. I am thrilled to be able to offer personalized coaching in a high-integrity environment.

While residential real estate was not my first career, it was destiny from a young age. We left my childhood home in Hinsdale when I was age eight and moved again and again, living in five states over five years. With each new move, my world was turned upside down. From this experience, I learned how to assimilate, make new friends, the importance of family, and how to create a sense of home wherever we lived.

I have lived with my family in our current home in Glencoe longer than I have lived anywhere else. Perhaps that's why we enjoy getting out, traveling, and experiencing new cultures, but while we love to hike and have had some remarkable adventures in remote corners of the world, there's still no place like home.