Just Call Claudia

Respecting Seniors’ Wishes and Needs with Senior Transitions Concierge

What do universities and senior communities have in common? It’s all about the vibe! Tune into Just Call Claudia to hear the second part of my illuminating conversation with Jan Steiner and Caroline Folkl of Senior Transitions Concierge. In this episode, we also discuss some of the other services that Senior Transitions Concierge can help seniors connect with, and as always, Jan and Caroline each share the one item they would never edit. With that, we wrap up Season 2! Thank you, as always, for your support of Just Call Claudia. I hope you learned as much as I did this season! Learn more about CMFTO on our website [https://www.cmfto.com/], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cmfto], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CMFTO] or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cmfto].

How to Identify the Right Senior Community with Senior Transitions Concierge

Jan Steiner founded Senior Transitions Concierge [https://seniortransitionsconcierge.com/] after working in a variety of senior living communities and identifying a need: she watched as, over and over, families came in feeling very vulnerable and in need of unbiased guidance as to what community would be best for their loved ones. Senior Transitions Concierge now offers this unbiased guidance to families in Chicago and beyond. Listen as Jan and her colleague Caroline Folkl discuss how their work helps families and when they can best be of service. We also touch on what to do when parents resist moving, why their fee structure helps them make the right, unbiased recommendations, and how the general public’s perception about “the home” can—and should!—change. Learn more about CMFTO on our website, I [https://www.instagram.com/cmfto/]nstagram [https://www.instagram.com/cmfto], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CMFTO]or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cmfto]. Jan Steiner has lived in the Chicagoland area for over 25 years and has worked in senior living and real estate much of this time. Having gone through the process of finding the right care for her parents and watching others as they struggled through this most difficult task, she realized there was a serious need for support for seniors transitioning. Her passion is to help families through this very stressful time. Senior Transitions Concierge [https://seniortransitionsconcierge.com/] provides the best options for families to choose from for a healthier lifestyle for their loved ones and then does the legwork, researching the options and providing the best for the adult influencer to evaluate. She helps guide clients through the maze of options, connecting them to reputable, reliable service providers who will help their loved ones age in grace. Caroline Folkl has worked in a wide range of care communities, from hospice and palliative care to skilled care and assisted living, and she brings this knowledge to her work at Senior Transitions Care. Caroline firmly believes there is not one cookie-cutter community that works for everybody and enjoys working with families to find what’s best for them.

Success, Luxury, and Life (and Career) Pivots with Broker Cadey O’Leary

Cadey O’Leary [https://cadeyolearycollection.com/] is a successful, award-winning Chicago broker who has seen firsthand how helpful CMFTO can be in a move. As a client and collaborator with CMFTO, she describes her personal experience moving from a single-family home to a condo during a time of transition in her life, and details how CMFTO has been an exceptional asset for her clients and development projects. In addition, Cadey is a friend, and I’m so excited for her next venture: Boutique by Design, a consultancy that works closely with developers of boutique condo buildings and single-family homes—and their investors—to create impactful, intentional products that embody true luxury and have lasting impact in the market. Listen for more on this new venture, and Cadey’s insights into the Chicago real estate market! Learn more about CMFTO on our website, I [https://www.instagram.com/cmfto/]nstagram [https://www.instagram.com/cmfto], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CMFTO]or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cmfto]. Cadey O’Leary is founder and CEO of Cadey O’Leary Collection [https://cadeyolearycollection.com/], a boutique residential real estate brokerage committed to delivering an exemplary real estate experience. She possesses strong expertise in luxury new construction, the city’s upper condo market and Lincoln Park. Cadey and her team have collaborated with several developers in helping design, market and sell new condominium projects and Single-Family Homes across the city’s north side, many of which have achieved new pricing thresholds. She led the intensive ground-up developer collaboration and successful sellout of The Orchard Private Residences, Lincoln Park’s premier address and the standard for luxury on the city’s north side. Over the past five years, she and her team have brokered one-third of Lincoln Park’s upper-market condo sales of $2 million or more. Cadey’s latest initiative—Boutique by Design™--reflects her business’s intentional scale, strategic approach to growth and uncompromising commitment to exemplary service. She has established a new business under this moniker to consult developers and their investment partners in designing, marketing and selling refined residential offerings. Cadey is dedicated to nurturing long-term relationships with her clients, colleagues and partners across the city and beyond. She has curated a network of brokers and service providers that reflect her standards of service. She is a long-term resident of Lincoln Park.

Selling Your Historic Home and Following Your Passion with Broker Alex Wolking

Top Chicago broker Alex Wolking has a movie-worthy career journey: at age 12, his father (also a broker) asked him to print off a listing from the MLS. Alex immediately got hooked on checking listings and started riding his bike to open houses and chatting up agents in order to gain as much knowledge of the industry as he could. Flash forward to today, and he’s an award-winning Chicago broker who specializes in historic homes and continues to keep his finger on the pulse of the industry. In this episode, Alex and Claudia discuss staging and selling historic homes, attracting the right buyer, and how to really listen to clients in order to best serve them. Learn more about CMFTO on our website, Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cmfto/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CMFTO]or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cmfto]. A second-generation broker with a career spanning over two decades, Alex Wolking [https://alexwolking.com/] has been immersed in the industry from an early age, developing an exceptional understanding of market nuances and client care. Alex has been a driving force in the Chicago real estate market, specializing in the sale of historic single-family homes, co-ops, and luxury condos. Alex and his team consistently rank as top producers in Chicago’s northside, especially in the Uptown, Lakeview, Lincoln Square, Edgewater, Ravenswood, and Andersonville neighborhoods. Alex’s boutique team employs a collaborative approach coupled with innovative marketing strategies, earning him recognition as a trusted advisor to the most discerning sellers and buyers. Beyond his professional achievements, Alex is actively invested in his community, serving on boards and committees dedicated to Chicago’s historic preservation and community development.

How Using a Move Manager like CMFTO Can Give You the Best Start at a Senior Living Community

In part two of Claudia’s conversation with John Janco and Mary Ann Doyle of Lake Forest Place, the group discusses the move-in process for Lake Forest Place—insights that can help a transition to any senior living community. As we’ve heard so many times before, John and Mary Ann highlight how earlier is always better when making these important decisions, and how robust and lively the senior living community is. To close out the episode, John and Mary Ann share which item they would never edit, and Claudia even gives her blessing for John to continue paying for a storage space for his precious, not-to-be-edited collection! Learn more about CMFTO on our website, Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/cmfto/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/CMFTO/] or LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/cmfto/]. John Janco, Senior Director of Sales and Marketing at Lake Forest Place, started his career at Palmer House Hilton in 1985. His hospitality career took him across the country: from Houston, to Las Vegas, to Dallas, to Saugatuck. When his late father-in-law moved into a senior living community, John was inspired to transition careers. He began working in senior living communities and was named a Senior Director at Lake Forest Place in 2024. John lives in Lakeview with his husband (and his Christmas village!). Mary Ann Doyle, Marketing Coordinator at Presbyterian Homes, began her career in various hospitality and food companies, including the Conrad Hilton Hotel, Unilever, McCormick Spice, and American Home Products. After taking time to raise her family, Mary Ann reentered the work force and took on a position in admissions in a skilled nursing community. She has been with Lake Forest Place for 11 years, setting up marketing events and assisting residents with their move into the community. Mary Ann is a longtime Libertyville resident and enjoys spending time with her husband and adult children. Her best role yet is Grandma to her grandson!