My Owner’s Rolodex: the people I send building owners to
A roofer, a real estate attorney, a building inspector, an environmental geologist and a commercial banker. Tell me what your building needs and I’ll make the introduction myself.
Pick what you need and give me the building’s address. I’ll get back to you within one business day. The introduction is free, and nobody on this list pays me for it.
Owners call me about more than selling.
A roof starts leaking, a buyer’s inspector finds something, a lender asks for an environmental report, a contract needs a lawyer. After years of commercial deals in Lake County and the northwest suburbs, I know who I’d call. These are the people I send my own clients to.
Five people I send owners to
Roofs, windows and remodeling
An Elgin contractor who handles pitched and flat roofs on commercial buildings, plus windows and remodeling. I’ve sent him clients who needed flat roofs priced and replaced.
Whoever does the work, get the quote in writing with the scope spelled out before anything starts.
Ask for a roofing intro →Real estate attorney
A Mount Prospect real estate attorney I use on my own deals. He charges flat fees for most transactions.
Ask for an attorney intro →Building inspection
A McHenry inspector for commercial and residential buildings. He uses a drone to look at roofs, and he does radon testing too. He inspected the Glenview building in my case studies before my clients bought it.
Ask for an inspector intro →Environmental reports (Phase I and Phase II)
A Palatine geologist, licensed in Illinois, who writes Phase I and Phase II environmental reports. He did the Phase I on a former gas station in Chicago for one of my clients, and he worked on the same Glenview building.
Ask for an environmental intro →Commercial loans
A senior commercial banker in Lake Forest. His team lends mostly on medical office, office, industrial and multifamily buildings; retail isn’t their focus. I send him clients because he answers fast and straight: when a deal I sent him didn’t fit, he told me so the same day and said why.
Ask for a banker intro →Facing a big repair? Before you spend on it, get a read on what the building is worth with the Value Estimator, then use Seller Net to estimate what you’d keep if you sold instead.
Ask for an introduction
Got it. I’ll get back to you within one business day, and I’ll make the introduction myself.
Nobody on this list pays me for the introduction. I make these intros because I’d rather be the broker you already know when the day comes to sell or lease.
Owner questions
Does the introduction cost anything?
No. You pay the pro directly for their work, at their price. Nobody on this list pays me for the introduction.
Why aren’t their names and numbers on this page?
I make the introduction myself. I tell them who you are and what the building needs, so they know you came through me.
Do I have to be selling my building?
No. The list is for owners, whether or not you ever sell.
What if what I need isn’t on the list?
Pick “Something else” and tell me what it is. If I know someone good, I’ll introduce you. If I don’t, I’ll tell you.
Thinking about selling instead?
If a big repair has you weighing a sale, I’ll give you a straight opinion of what the building is worth first.
Jason Bitton is a commercial real estate broker with RE/MAX Commercial in Libertyville, IL — #1 RE/MAX Commercial Broker in Illinois (2022, 2024, 2025) — serving Lake County, the North Shore, the O’Hare corridor, and the Chicago suburbs.