“I have always looked up to people who can reinvent themselves and pivot to new challenges and careers,” says Jason Roberts, REALTORⓇ and co-founder of the Spradling | Roberts team with @properties. “The concept of success changes throughout life.”

Jason, who grew up in a small town in northern Kentucky, first pursued careers in banking and mutual fund accounting then decided to go into teaching. He obtained his undergraduate degree in elementary education from Indiana University (IUPUI) and his master’s from the American College of Education. After teaching kindergarten and fourth grade at Chicago Public Schools for six years, he started to feel a change was needed. 

“During my last year, I found myself feeling very burned-out and not wanting to return to the classroom after spring break,” says Jason. “After a lot of thought, I decided to leave teaching at the end of the school year.”

But he wasn’t sure what to do next. One weekend, Jason attended a dinner party where he struck up several conversations about real estate and recent home sales in the area. His husband, Charles, noticed, and on their way home, he encouraged Jason to get his real estate license. 

“The next day I found myself researching Chicago real estate companies, and on Monday morning, I was sitting in the BHHS Chicago office discussing how to get my license,” shares Jason.

After working at BHHS Chicago for nearly seven years, Jason moved to @properties in 2021. Shortly after, his former colleague, Jonathon Spradling, also joined @properties. Partly because they already knew each other, the two REALTORS® started working together and found they did so easily, co-listing properties and sharing their expertise. 

“Our partnership started very organically,” says Jason. “We have a very similar work ethic and mindset about business.” Eventually, a formal partnership was formed. “We were on a boat tour on Lake Michigan one evening and both started talking about joining forces and creating a team. Just like that, the Spradling | Roberts Team was born.”

Co-founder Jonathon Spradling brings his own unique background to the team. Jonathon grew up on a large family farm in Missouri where he learned the value of hard work at a young age. During his school days, he always juggled multiple jobs along with his studies, but most often, he mowed lawns—over thirty lawns each week during spring, summer, and fall.

After high school, Jonathon attended a pre-dental program before switching to business school, where he focused on marketing. Although he started in real estate in St. Louis right after college, he transitioned into luxury retail, managing designer clothing and shoes for Nordstrom both in St. Louis and Chicago.

“In 2015 I moved to Los Angeles and managed a luxury retail store in West Hollywood where I helped many celebrity clients as well as many stylists for movies and TV series,” says Jonathon. “When my partner, Lino, and I moved back to Chicago in 2018, I couldn’t find a job that was the right fit: I wanted a job where I could not only use my skills in sales and customer service while still helping people feel their best, but also see the outcome of my hard work.” 

After reigniting his real estate career, Jonathon quickly found an ideal business partner in Jason. The two men combine their experiences and skills to form a dynamic, supportive partnership. In their brief time together, the pair have achieved success in short order thanks to their shared mindset and collaborative approach.

“We laugh a lot, even when things get tough or one of us is having a bad day. We support each other,” says Jonathon. “We are both very creative and often sit down to brainstorm ideas on getting new listings, marketing existing listings, and solving other challenges.”

“The real estate business can be a lonely business sometimes,” adds Jason. “Partnering up with Jonathon has really helped me stay motivated. Checking in with each other and setting goals as a team keeps us both on task.”

Jonathon’s background in luxury retail allows him to ever know how to provide exceptional, white-glove service and assess and meet the changing expectations of clients and partners. This, along with his natural entrepreneurial aptitude, gives him the ideal attitude for growing a real estate business. Jason’s knowledge of the diverse Chicago neighborhoods—many of which he has lived in—helps him match buyers and sellers based on their clients’ personal goals. His expertise in finance allows the team to provide added value to the transaction process too.

Looking forward, Jason and Jonathon hope to continue growing their client and partner network while expanding their personal skill sets. Their current vision is to keep their team small, but they are open to adding other like-minded REALTORSⓇ or other pros. Whether their team is two or twenty, however, their focus will remain on finding the best ways to serve their clientele.

“As a REALTORⓇ, you are a connector,” observes Jonathon, then adds, “You can give luxury service at any price point. I love the feeling of helping clients find luxury in whatever type of home they are looking for—whether it is a starter home or a bigger home, or whether they are downsizing or adding to their family. Luxury service is what makes your clients feel so important and cared for, and it’s what will get you their trust, referrals, and repeat business.” 

“It is important to surround yourself with people who inspire you, make you laugh, and make you a better person,” adds Jason, speaking in particular about his partnership with Jonathon. “It’s nice to have someone to lean on.”