Lee Diamond

Email: lee@bigshouldersrealty.com | Phone: (773) 255-6347

My name is Lee Diamond and I am the Broker of Big Shoulders Realty as well as a Mortgage Consultant with Capital Funding Mortgage Company. I’ve been doing mortgages and/or Real Estate in one form or another since 2002, and while it isn’t the career I ever imagined I would have earlier in life, I feel extremely lucky to have found two complimentary services that I love. The accidental career has somehow become my life’s calling.

I have had an amazingly vast number of jobs and careers thanks in part to an indecisive youth, a strong work ethic and a series of accidents. As of this moment, and/or in my past, I have sold blinds, worked in and eventually owned a record store, worked in record distribution, wrote for various publications, wrote, sold and or otherwise directed business conferences, built cabinets and furniture, managed a coffee house, flipped burgers and doled out hot-dogs at a food-stand, worked at countless fairs in various food-service roles, cleaned up in a cafeteria, delivered newspapers, played in bands everywhere, owned a record label, booked music at a club and for a collective as well as at least 3 incidents of babysitting in the past that did not involve relatives.

All of it has served me well. I still play the drums in two bands, I still do a little carpentry, though mostly for our house at this stage, and I have managed to incorporate much of what I have learned in a variety of ways to enhance my career in Real Estate. While I feel equipped to handle many situations, I have several areas of interest and emphasis.

My interest in Historic Preservation is born of my father who was heavily involved in the Cleveland Historical Society when I was growing up. I can remember the joy of running through soon-to-be demolished buildings with my dad and a crowbar too big for me to use effectively. I also remember my family’s frustration with a house and garage full of architectural artifacts of dubious worth. Nonetheless, the importance of preservation is engrained in me. With all the talk of green construction, the most important thing we can do for our environment is to not create more waste, and preservation not only reduces landfill waste, but minimizes use of materials. I am very eager to assist in the preservation of our architectural past and believe that the past methods of building and construction offer unparalleled excellence. I like old things. My wife calls me grampa at the tender age of 36.

I like helping first time buyers as well. I think that the knowledge of both real estate and mortgage financing makes this easier. Buying your first home is serious business and it is important to understand what is happening while you are doing it. I enjoy helping people learn about the process at a pace that they are comfortable with. I have always advocated making sustainable decisions and I think it is especially important when considering a real estate decision in such a volatile and mysterious marketplace.

I also have a very strong interest in helping teachers, as my wife was a teacher for many years and no one is less appreciated in our country than a teacher. There are a number of programs that assist teachers as well as police officers, fire fighters, emergency medical workers and a variety of other civil positions which I am well versed in.

I seek to assist families who have members with special needs including the assessing of living space for accessibility. I know the challenges a family faces with these concerns because my son has severe disabilities and I have more experience than I ever thought I would, and the utmost desire to help people in similar positions in their search.

I live in a bungalow in the Portage Park neighborhood in Chicago with my wife Chaney, son Jackson, a baby due in September 2008, a dog, four cats and four fish.

Lee Diamond

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