Mike Koerner grew up in Deerfield and graduated from Deerfield High School in the Class of 2003 before majoring in geological sciences at Ohio University. He spent his college summers working a wide variety of jobs ranging from concession worker, swim instructor, lifeguard, and perhaps most influential to his real estate career, a spice salesman at farmers markets in Chicago and Southern Wisconsin. This is where his first sales techniques were developed.
After graduating from Ohio University in 2007, Mike pursued a life long passion for food, working as a chef in several establishments including a fine dining, local, and organic restaurant. As a young boy, Mike was a picky eater until his Italian grandmother took him under her wing and taught him all the family’s classic dishes. Moreover, Mike’s parents, language teachers in the New Trier and Lake Forest school districts, brought additional French and German influences to Mike’s kitchen. Mike enjoyed his work as a chef but found that working professionally as a chef watered down his passion for food. Now, his cooking skills are the gift that keeps on giving to friends, family, and clients.
Real estate found Mike through his hard work in Chicago’s ever growing estate sale market in 2010-2014. Mike was recruited for real estate by his mentors for his natural people skills and ethical way of handling business. He worked under a team before joining Diana Kim to create The Kim-Koerner Team. With his partner’s native Korean tongue and Mike’s knowledge of bridging food and culture, the two were able to offer far more than real estate to their clients.
Although real estate was Mike’s main calling, it was evident that Mike had several other specialties, given his entrepreneurial spirit. He aided in overseeing multiple construction and snow removal projects in the Deerfield/Highland Park area, which is where his family business operates. In doing so, he was able to develop long term business relationships and friendships that naturally led to the next step: discussing when to buy or sell. In the current market, Mike understands what the millennial buyers and sellers are looking for.
