Aaron McDonald got into real estate because of something he couldn’t stop thinking about. He watched multiple childhood friends lose their family's homes to unpaid property taxes and he saw up close what it did to them. These weren’t neglected properties. Most were paid off, owned free and clear, and being lost for a fraction of what they were worth. Families who had built something were watching it disappear over a tax bill. He figured that with the right person in their corner, most of those situations were preventable. So in 2005, he got his license and went to work.
Twenty years later, he’s still at it. Based in Chicago and working throughout the South Suburbs with Coldwell Banker Realty, Aaron has built his entire practice on referrals. No cold calls, no door knocking. Just clients who close on a house, catch their breath, and then hand his number to everyone they know.
His background is a little unusual for a REALTOR®. Before real estate, Aaron spent 15 years running operations at a data center, first as a senior computer operator, then the sole database moderator and trainer. It’s fast, technical work where small mistakes have big consequences and nothing waits for you to catch up. That training shows. He’s quick, organized, and genuinely comfortable with technology in a way that most agents aren’t. He uses the newest tools available to keep deals moving and his clients from losing sleep.
On the selling side, Aaron goes all in. Professional photography. Virtual tours. Social media ads with real performance data. Email campaigns. Interactive for-sale signs that give buyers instant access to photos and listing details from the curb. A personalized website for the property. Placement on every major real estate site. He lets sellers know what repairs and upgrades buyers are looking for and what to leave be. Aaron also shows his own listings personally rather than leaving a lockbox and hoping for the best. He knows how to price a home to generate real competition, and he knows the difference between pricing to sell fast and leaving money on the table.
He’s also the agent who will tell you things you might not want to hear. He catches functional obsolescence, spots pricing problems, and flags issues that could come back to haunt a buyer later. If a property isn’t right for you, he’ll say so. He’s walked away from commissions because the deal wasn’t right for his client. That’s not a line from a brochure. Ask his clients.
Over the years he’s worked with first-time buyers, first-time sellers, people upgrading, people downsizing, estate sales, investment properties, and landlords who need help with tenant screening and leases. The situations are all different. The approach is the same: show up, pay attention, and actually look out for the person across the table.
When he’s not working, Aaron spends his time with his wife of 34 years and their Goldendoodle, Prince, who has strong opinions about fetch and very little interest in market conditions.
Home Types:
Condo, Townhouse, House, Manufactured, MultiFamily
Years of Experience:
21
