Family-led team cites culture, support infrastructure and agent-first philosophy as key reasons for choosing Baird & Warner over competing brokerages
Baird & Warner, Chicagoland’s largest independent and locally owned real estate brokerage, announced that the Guzzetta | Mercado Group has joined the firm, bringing its multi-generational team and more than a century of combined real estate experience to Baird & Warner’s Edgebrook office on Chicago’s Northwest Side.
Led by husband-and-wife team Joe and Madeline Guzzetta, along with Joe’s father, Kenneth, and Joe’s brothers Bryan Mercado and Tim Guzzetta, the team made the move to Baird & Warner from RE/MAX Properties Northwest after evaluating multiple competing brokerages. While the team initially expected to join one of the industry’s larger, consolidated national brands, they ultimately chose Baird & Warner for its combination of technology, agent support and culture. The decision has already yielded results: Within just their first quarter of joining Baird & Warner, the Guzzetta | Mercado Group surpassed their production numbers from the entire 2025 year.
“When we started exploring our options, I honestly thought we would land at one of the national mega brokerages,” said Joe Guzzetta. “But after meeting with Baird & Warner, everything changed. The presentation was organized, transparent, thoughtful and tailored to our business. Instead of telling us why we should fit into their model, they showed us how they could help us achieve our goals. We left that meeting feeling like Baird & Warner was the best-kept secret in Chicago real estate.”
“At other brokerages, we felt like we were being interviewed, not the other way around,” added Madeline Guzzetta. “At Baird & Warner, we felt welcomed from day one. We met leadership face-to-face, everyone took the time to understand our business, and we never felt rushed or pressured. Baird & Warner listened to what we wanted to build and immediately started showing us how they could help make it happen. As a family of Realtors, we were looking for a family business, and that’s exactly what we found.”
The move represents something of a homecoming for the Guzzetta family. Joe’s grandfather previously worked for Baird & Warner out of the company’s Edgebrook office, and his father, Ken, also spent part of his real estate career with the firm.
The team cited Baird & Warner’s investments in technology and its acquisition of Dream Town Real Estate, along with the company’s extensive support infrastructure, as major factors in their decision. They pointed to tools such as Baird & Warner Transaction Services, which handles listing entry, marketing, paperwork and vendor coordination from offer to close, as well as the company’s AI-enabled social media management platform, as resources that help streamline operations and allow the team to focus on their clients and growing the business.
“I honestly don’t know how I was functioning before we had access to Baird & Warner’s experts and systems,” Joe added. “Now we spend less time on the back-end work and more time serving our clients. We had an earlier perception that Baird & Warner was old-fashioned, but that changed once we saw all of the tech tools available to agents. While the technology is impressive, what stood out even more was the number of brokers who spoke positively about the company. We reached out to Baird & Warner agents we knew, and they all said the same thing: they were happy there. That told us everything we needed to know.”
The Guzzettas also noted how the recruitment process itself reflected the highly supportive agent-first environment at Baird & Warner. In contrast to some brokerages utilizing remote meetings, the Baird & Warner approach emphasized personal connection, transparency and a collaborative spirit.
“The Guzzetta | Mercado Group exemplifies the kind of entrepreneurial, collaborative and growth-oriented professionals who are helping shape the future of our company,” said David Bailey, senior vice president and general sales manager at Baird & Warner. “As a family-based team, they are a natural fit for a family-owned company like Baird & Warner, where independence and a deep commitment to taking care of our agents are at the core of how we operate. Their early success is a reflection of their talent and work ethic and what’s possible when agents are supported by the right people, technology and culture.”
About Baird & Warner Real Estate, Inc.:
Established in 1855, family-owned Baird & Warner is Chicagoland’s largest independent real estate services company. The Baird & Warner brand has been synonymous with making real estate easier through experience, innovation and integrity for more than 170 years. Steve Baird, the firm’s fifth-generation owner, has been consistently recognized among the industry’s most influential leaders. Baird & Warner is a 10-time Chicago Tribune Top Workplace award winner, and with almost 2,700 broker associates and staff in 30 offices and comprehensive mortgage, title, insurance and relocation services, it ranks among the nation’s top real estate firms. Learn more at BairdWarner.com.
Guzzetta Mercado Group_Baird & Warner: The Guzzetta | Mercado Group joined Baird & Warner’s Edgebrook office and quickly saw results, surpassing its entire 2025 production within just its first quarter of joining the brokerage. (Credit: Baird & Warner)