Serhant launches Chicago brokerage team from temporary Wicker Park office

Real estate brokerage Serhant is expanding into Chicago, beginning operations in temporary Wicker Park space with more than 40 agents. The New York-based company said it will serve Chicago and the North Shore, adding another brokerage option for local homebuyers, sellers and real estate professionals.

The firm plans to establish an office in the North Shore area, but the announcement does not identify a specific community or permanent address. For now, Wicker Park is its confirmed local base. The company also plans to increase the size of its Chicago team, though no hiring timetable was provided.

The Illinois operation is launching with four founders whose backgrounds include @properties and Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty. Dina Lissner will lead Serhant Illinois as managing director. She previously served as managing broker of Baird & Warner’s Highland Park office, bringing experience in the regional brokerage market to the new operation.

Founder Ryan Serhant started the company in 2020. He became widely known through nine seasons of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing: New York” and later starred in and produced Netflix’s “Owning Manhattan,” which follows his brokerage’s luxury real estate business. The firm handles luxury properties as well as the marketing and sale of newly constructed homes.

Technology is part of the company’s approach to its expansion. In 2024, Serhant introduced an internal artificial intelligence platform called S.MPLE, with tools for finding prospective clients, marketing properties and managing transactions. The company also reports more than 11 million followers across its social media accounts. Those resources are part of what it is bringing to its new Illinois agents, rather than a guarantee of particular results for customers.

The arrival follows other changes in Chicago-area real estate. Baird & Warner acquired Dream Town last year, creating what was the region’s second-largest brokerage by 2024 sales volume. Compass acquired Chicago-based @properties Christie’s International Real Estate in December 2024. Serhant, meanwhile, first moved beyond New York in 2023 and now operates in 20 states, with Illinois joining California, Colorado, Massachusetts and Texas among its expansions this year.