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2021 Distinguished Alumni Awards Honoree
Joseph Sesso
Executive Director of Sales and Marketing & National Speaker
Homes.com
As an influencer in the real estate property portal industry, Joe Sesso has spoken in front of more than 35,000 professionals in 49 states. But before he began sharing real estate strategies in seminars and books, Sesso was on the other side of the equation – learning from his Harper College instructors.
He attended the college from 1993-96, graduating with an Associate of Arts degree in general studies. Harper is something of a legacy for the Sesso family. His brother, sister and nephew are graduates.
“Harper College taught me how to be disciplined and goal-oriented,” Sesso said. “It also was the catalyst to my real estate career. I took my real estate licensing course at Harper, and from there I was hooked on the real estate industry.”
He built upon that foundation at Indiana University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2006, then returned to IU for a dual degree program to earn his MBA along with a master’s degree in global management in 2014.
While earning those degrees, Sesso worked in the worlds of real estate and digital media, extolling the virtues of technological advances for real estate professionals. He served as Realtor.com’s national speaker and digital media sales executive from 2008-10, traveling the country to speak to Realtors about the best ways to market themselves online.
He later joined Homes.com in 2011, also serving in a national speaker role while being promoted multiple times – most recently to executive director of sales/marketing in 2019. Earlier this year he was named to RIS Media’s Newsmaker 300 list, a “who’s who” in residential real estate.
In addition to his work in speaking, sales and marketing, Sesso is a #1 Amazon bestselling author. Between 2008 and 2020, he wrote three books for real estate professionals, racking up awards and collaborating with industry experts such as Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran.
“It’s been a journey of more than 20 years in the making,” he said, “and it all began with my time at Harper College.”
Originally from the Chicago area, Sesso now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, with his wife of 21 years, Elaina. He splits his philanthropic efforts between the Midwest and the Sunshine State, giving to the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Palm Beach, as well as PAWS Chicago and the Humane Society of Broward County. He recently purchased a brick at Harper and supports other educational institutions. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sesso started the annual Thanksgiving food drive at Homes.com, benefitting the Boca Helping Hands food pantry.
