"MILLION DOLLAR LISTING" BIOS
Chris Cortazzo
During his first year in real estate, Chris Cortazzo sold $12 million dollars worth of property. Last year, he sold over $200 million.
A firm believer in detail-oriented sales, Chris makes sure that every showing includes fresh flowers. He feels it is important that he love the property as much as the seller should. Which is sometimes a problem -- it can be hard to release a property he's fallen in love with.
Chris believes in the value of giving back, and has acted as a mentor to "The Rookie" Madison Hildebrand, saying, "if he does better than me, I'd be really happy for him." An avid animal lover, Chris also donates a portion of every sale to PETA.
Chris' personal sales philosophy: "There's a right price for everything."
Michael Wegmann
Michael Wegmann is a family man. Raised on an Iowa farm, and armed with an MBA from Iowa University, Michael made his fortune in the dot-com industry. After selling his business and remodeling some of his own properties, real estate became the perfect means to help him grow a family with Craig, his partner of over ten years.
Michael enjoys the work of taking a property that is an eyesore and making it into something beautiful that can be appreciated by friends and family. He also understands that real estate agents run a broad spectrum, from great to horrible.
Sure of his skills, Michael does not use any marketing whatsoever -- he works entirely off of the word-of-mouth referrals from happy customers.
Michael's personal sales philosophy: "The buyer is always right. The seller is always right."
Shannon McLeod
A Louisiana native, Shannon McLeod takes pride in her Cajun roots. The southern charm, creole cooking, and soulful music have left their mark on her love of great houses. Graduating from Loyola University New Orleans, with a degree in drama, Shannon always knew it would come in handy.
"If I didn't know how to do something, I could just act like I did."
After studying some financial planning, she combined her dramatic flair with her natural interest in real estate. She knows that some people have bad experiences with real estate agents, and she dislikes being categorized as a "desperate" person. Shannon loves what she does and believes that everyone should own their own home.
Shannon's personal sales philosophy: "I can only sell something if I love it."
Scotty Brown
Chicago native Scotty Brown knew he would be a real estate agent when he sold his first 3 million dollar home.
Scotty, whose past jobs include: singer, nightclub owner, and manager for Stone Temple Pilots, made the jump to real estate from location manager. He credits his ability to talk with "just about anyone, from crack hotel owners to huge estate owners" as the key to his success.
Together with his wife ("The Closer" Tracy Brown), Scotty loves the interaction with his clients. As for the business of real estate, Scotty says that it's the competition that can wear you down, and he knows what other people think of real estate agents: "They think we're fast-talking, wheeler dealers. If you're in the business then you know how hard it is. There are a lot of us, and only ten percent are successful."
Scotty's personal sales philosophy: "Don't wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait."
Carol Bird
Carol Bird loves to have a good time. A fiercely dedicated real estate agent, the one thing that bothers her about the business is the fact that she's always "on-call."
A nimble problem-solver, Carol loves working with people: she has interesting clients, and the properties they are selling keep her work challenging and engaging.
Carol has learned that she has to take time every day for herself. As a competitive dancer, Carol says she loves the feeling of the tango--it lets her feel as though she's in a James Bond movie.
Carol's personal sales philosophy: "It's all about the client. It's not about me."
Lydia Simon
Lydia Simon has been referred to as the "Condo Queen of Malibu." A native of Woodstock, Vermont, Lydia became a real estate agent after a career as a model in places like New York, Japan, and London. As an actress, Lydia appeared off-Broadway and on "All My Children."
A few short years later, Lydia found herself within the top one percent of her company, feeling blessed and lucky to see her hard work paying off. Lydia says she knows that real estate have the reputation for being dishonest or unattentive, but she knows that her numbers speak for themselves.
Lydia's personal sales philosophy: "My father taught me three things: Be a good listener. Take interest in others. Have a sense of humor. You can apply that to any aspect of business."
Madison Hildebrand
Born in Mesa, Arizona, raised in five different states, Madison Hildebrand is the youngest participant in "Million Dollar Listing." At just 25-years-old, he's already sold more than $40 million in property.
Graduating from Pepperdine with a degree in advertising and marketing, Madison discovered real estate when he calculated the commission for the sale of his parents Malibu investment property. Since then, he's applied his awesome smile, quick wit, and business savvy to move past the learning curve and work toward the future.
Although it used to be asked by every client, he rarely gets asked his age anymore. Madison has used his charm, confidence and no-nonsense approach to earn a reputation that any agent would be proud of.
Madison's personal sales philosophy: Choose Wisely. Your doctor's wife may be a real estate agent, but that doesn't mean she should sell your house for you. Your real estate agent is an important business decision.
Ray Schuldenfrei
Ray "Mr. Nice Guy" Schuldenfrei is no stranger to the place he works. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, went to school in Los Angeles, and loves everything about Los Angeles.
With more than 30 years in real estate, Ray and his wife Dia are coming off of one of their biggest years ever. When asked about the specific moment he knew this was the job he'd have, he replies, "when you see what kind of money is made for the work being done." Ray says that working with people is fun, and the houses are fun, but sometimes it's the escrow that "brings out the ugly side."
Coming from humble beginnings, Ray and Dia live in a house where the water bill is greater than the mortgage payment on their first home.
Ray's personal sales philosophy: "Hold true to the recognition that we only get paid for doing one thing: bringing a transaction to fruition, regardless of where or when, you problem solve anything that stands in your way."
Dia Schuldenfrei
Dia "The Diva" Schuldenfrei was raised in Los Angeles's Hancock Park, in a "nice family, very normal." A stay-at-home Mom for 17 years, Dia considers herself very lucky to have been a full-time wife and mother. When her daughter, Angelique, graduated from high school, everything changed. Dia joined a neighbor at real estate school, got a job in a firm that wasn't even hiring, and then brought the firm the highest priced sale it had ever had.
While she had always been self confident, making her own money marked a new course in Dia and Ray's marriage. She was suddenly in charge. Now, Dia is "The Diva" and Ray is "Mr. Nice Guy," and together, they've sold millions of dollars worth of property.
Self-described as "tough," Dia is very direct about the part of this business that drives her crazy: "The *%$holes."
Dia's personal sales philosophy: "Treat everyone the way that you would like to be treated."
Chase Campen
Growing up in Boca Raton, Florida, Chase Campen always wanted to work in sports. He got his degree in English from Florida State, and a Masters in Sports Administration from St. Thomas University. After a stint with NASCAR, Chase found himself in Los Angeles. That's where he met his wife Angelique, who happens to be the daughter of Ray and Dia Schuldenfrei.
When Chase's team relocated to North Carolina, Chase began speaking more seriously to his father-in-law, Ray, about the profession of real estate. At the same time, the problematic birth of their twins convinced Chase that real estate was a way to provide for his family, while providing him with the amount of time he needed to spend with them.
Chase's personal sales philosophy: "Buyers and Sellers rely on the agent. It's my job to establish and execute a trusting relationship."
