Just Call Claudia

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...

Jan Steiner founded Senior Transitions Concierge 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 J...

Cadey O’Leary 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...

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...

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 livin...

How do I choose a senior living community now, if I don’t know what kind of care I’ll need 10 years from now? Lake Forest Place, a Presbyterian Homes community, was created with this question in mind. John Janco and Mary Ann Doyle from Lake Forest Place join Claudia to discuss what, exactly, a Life Plan Community is, and how Lake Forest Place gives prospective residents a way to experience the com...

In this continuation of Episode 1, Suzanne Gignilliat’s team member Joelle Hayes joins the podcast to talk about how her own path to real estate took a detour through mortgage brokerage, and how that knowledge helps her guide her clients’ financial planning today. Joelle and Suzanne share insights into Chicago market trends, how to buy even with today’s higher interest rates, and how co-ops are mo...

Luxury Broker Suzanne Gignilliat is known as the Velvet Hammer for her tenacious but soft touch in property sales, from single-family homes to co-ops. In this episode of Just Call Claudia, Suzanne discusses her journey to real estate, her work with CMFTO, and how both real estate agents and move managers can sometimes take on a therapy role during a move (and why that’s so helpful to clients). Suz...

In this second half of a two-episode series with Eric Klein, he gives expert insight into navigating differences in readiness for care between seniors and their family members. Eric and Claudia also discuss the different levels of care communities, and the new technology that Eric is starting to see in his work. To close out this first season of Just Call Claudia, Eric discusses the importance of...

Eric Klein, owner of CarePatrol Chicagoland North , talks with Claudia about navigating family dynamics in senior care and senior moves; his work helping seniors and families find the best-fit care environment with CarePatrol; and when is the best time for families to start addressing these decisions (hint: it’s never too early!). He also shares the personal story behind his career move into this...

As the Director of Community Relations at Belmont Village Lincoln Park , Jessica Roote has a unique and valuable perspective on connecting seniors with the community and care resources they need. In today’s episode, Jessica gives us a window into her world linking seniors living at Belmont Village Lincoln Park with the larger community. This can be as simple as trimming greenery so that residents...

Have you been wondering what working with CMFTO is like? This episode, with Claudia’s clients-turned-friends Barry and Arline Kaufman, gives an inside look into how a CMFTO project works, what it’s like to collaborate with CMFTO team members, and how impactful it can be to prepare your home for market, rightsize your possessions, move, and accessorize your new home in a meaningful way. Learn more...

Fiona Forde is head of sales at Trulee Evanston , where CMFTO coordinated and facilitated 95% of the initial moves when Trulee was launched in Evanston in 2021. Fiona has so much to share about making the decision to move to a senior community—and how to select the community that’s right for you. She gives an overview of the care options and partnerships offered by Trulee, including some cutting-e...

In this episode, Lyric Hughes Hale—an instrumental voice and founder in independent economic and financial journalism—and Claudia discuss their journey coming up together in the Chicago business community and how their careers have grown since those early beginnings. CMFTO has been there for Lyric through two important, complex moves: first from the city to Winnetka with a huge library of books in...

In this continued conversation, Claudia and Nancy talk about the challenges and rewards of staging properties and building relationships with their clients. Nancy also covers current trends in real estate, managing differing opinions between her clients and their adult children, and recalls the first time she met Claudia. Learn more about CMFTO on our website , Instagram , Facebook or LinkedIn . N...

Almost 25 years ago, one of Nancy Nugent’s real estate clients was in crisis: she needed to relocate quickly—in six weeks!—and rightsize her possessions to fit a smaller home. “I’ll call Claudia,” Nancy thought, “because she’s the only person I can think of who might have the skill set to do this.” And the rest is history! Listen along for the full story of how CMFTO came to be, and learn more abo...