BESPOKE HOMEOWNER SERVICES
& CLIENT REPRESENTATION
OVERVIEW
CLIFTON WARNER is Chicago’s first luxury residential management company to simplify and elevate home enhancement and ownership for sophisticated and discerning people. Whether providing support for complex projects, caring for your primary residence, or simplifying the challenges of owning multiple properties, CLIFTON WARNER brings to Chicago the highest level of representation with personal and detailed care for your residence, once available only in the finest vacation home destinations like Aspen and Palm Springs.
At CLIFTON WARNER, we have streamlined the experience of owning your luxury properties, providing meticulous services essential for the enhancement and maintenance of your homes. While you enjoy your mobile lifestyle, our honest “eyes and ears to the ground” approach will provide you peace of mind while avoiding unnecessary expenses.
INSPECT
Know your home and what it needs – even when you are away
SERVICES
Coupling web access with reliable and trustworthy vendors and in-house project managers, you will experience up to the minute reports of activity completed in your home. When a service is finished, you will not only know the status, but will receive images of the completed work. Imagine your residence being monitored, tested, and cared for as if you were living in it full time.
Client Representation / Special Projects & Capital Improvement
Maybe it is time to make a restorative change, an adaptive repurpose, or an expansion of your space. Perhaps you are completing improvements in a multi-unit building where you need a reliable advocate to navigate between the building developer, homeowner’s association, architects and various trades. Our project management team will meticulously oversee your project to ensure that your resources are used effectively, achieving the result you desire at an appropriate cost. No matter the size of the project, we will oversee it to its timely completion, making sure your needs are respected, and your property’s value is enhanced. All in a manner that maximizes your peace of mind.
Home Inspections & Check-In
All the essential aspects of your home functions will be regularly checked, including any custom or specialized needs. This may include flushing toilets, running water during colder months, monitoring climate control systems, checking your fireplaces, and keeping an eye out for any conditions that need attention. By proactively monitoring your residence, we will identify potential maintenance issues before they become expensive problems.
Technology Inspections
Your investment likely includes various expensive technology systems, such as lighting controls, motorized shades, cameras, wireless internet, audio and video systems, and security. Our team has world-class knowledge in this arena and will review these various systems to make sure that when you come home, the TV/cable works, you have internet throughout, and all other systems are functioning properly.
Housekeeping
Using experienced cleaners with attention to detail, your home will be kept looking like it was just built. By using honest and dependable professionals who really care, as well as our detailed records of your preferences, your residence will always be just as you like it. How should the pillows be arranged on your bed? How do you like your laundry folded? Is there a particular home fragrance you prefer? Your residence will be more than clean – it will feel like home.
Maintenance
We will provide assistance to handle all of the regular and mundane maintenance needs of your property, on time and accurately. Through vetted sources, scheduled annual or biannual maintenance and system checks will be completed so that your home is running at peak efficiency.
Repair
When a repair is required, we will ensure the job is done quickly, correctly, and cost effectively, performed by insured and reliable companies. By providing a quick response, we can help keep small problems from getting larger. Our crisis team knows the right people to call and we will be there with them to make sure difficult problems are overseen with a keen eye for costs.
Personal Services / Special Requests
We enjoy doing the little extras that save you time, and let you feel cared for. Personal errands, home chefs, shopping, and procuring holiday decorations are some of the many services we are happy to accommodate.
ABOUT US
John Baumeister and Jacob Kaufman first met while collaborating on 432 W. Grant Place, a luxurious 7-unit condominium building in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago. Jacob was the developer and a homeowner, while John provided the sophisticated technology to run all aspects of the building, from audio/video and security, to internet and HVAC controls. Working together again after years of regular breakfast meetings where they pondered the state of the industry and brainstormed about new projects together, John and Jacob are excited to offer their combined experience in a new way to serve the needs of those wishing to simplify and elevate their home ownership experience. CLIFTON WARNER originated from John and Jacob’s realization that sophisticated homeowners were missing an important service. Many regularly asked for additional management services for their luxury residences from John’s firm, Tech Tonic LLC, an A/V and smart technology consultation, design, and client representation firm for luxury and estate homes. They identified a need for bespoke home management solutions accomplished through clear communication, the finest service, and the latest smart technology.
John Baumeister
John studied at the University of Illinois where he garnered a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering while studying Music Composition at the school of Music and Man/Machine Interfaces in the school of Psychology. He has had multiple award-winning firms in the electronic lifestyle arena for over 35 years. His work has been filmed by various networks for national syndication as well as being awarded national honors for best Integrated Home and Technical Design. His work has been published in Robb Report, Electronic House, Residential Systems, and numerous other luxury publications. He believes his technical knowledge, eye for detail, and desire to keep everyone informed are his greatest assets. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Mary, and three audacious kids.
Jacob Kaufman
Jacob earned a BA in the History of Art from Yale University, and a Law Degree from the University of Pennsylvania. Jacob spent 20 years working in the real estate industry, first as a real estate lawyer with a major Chicago law firm, and then as a residential real estate developer as a partner and COO of Belgravia Group, Ltd. Jacob has extensive experience in all aspects of residential real estate, from acquisitions and finance, through design, sales, and marketing. Jacob is most proud of his role in the creation of 600 Lake Shore Drive, 432 W. Grant Place, 565 W. Quincy, Chelsea Townhomes, and numerous other projects around Chicago. Jacob is also an artist, creating landscape-based paintings showcased in his first solo gallery show in Santa Monica, CA in 2014. Through his many residential developments and artistic explorations, Jacob has acquired a deep sense of how to live well on many levels, from basic practicalities through an understanding of the poetic potential of beautiful living spaces. Jacob’s varied career enables him to provide the highest quality customer experience. Jacob, too, lives in Chicago, doing his best to keep up with the lives of his two young adult kids.
