Ginger Downs

CEO, Chicago Association of Realtors

Always moving forward, Ginger Downs, CEO of the Chicago Association of Realtors, has numerous plans. This year, in addition to educating and helping agents through the Illinois license law transition, she is spearheading exciting developments at CAR.

In particular, Downs says, the organization is in the final stages of developing a subscription-based program for commercial real estate practitioners to increase presence among stakeholders involved in economic development across Chicagoland. Once implemented, she is excited to see where the strategy takes CAR.

“Once launched, the program will be a catalyst for commercial redevelopment in the region and a resource for high-quality services and products for subscribers to utilize and value,” she says.

Downs is also initiating a CAR2U program, where CAR will get any product or service out to agents’ locations. “Rather than asking members to come to our office to fulfill their needs as they have traditionally, we are serving them more frequently online and through our CAR2U program,” she says. “When the situation calls for personal interaction or service delivery, we are traveling to their brokerages to provide functions such as dues renewal and tools such as lockboxes, forms and contracts, and are even bringing classes to Realtor offices. Most of this effort falls within our CAR2U program, which serves the motto: ‘You’ve Become More Mobile – So Have We!’”

Downs doesn’t shy away from strategies that not only help CAR, but also its members: Chicagoland agents. Technology is on her mind to take the association further in terms of member engagement and education.

“We are continuing to explore new applications of technology to member services, which is critical as more Realtors work on the go or in non-traditional office locations that depend on mobile tools,” she says. “Moving forward, it’s a goal to develop and introduce new technologies that help Chicago Realtors work more efficiently and have more regional market data and tools they need at their fingertips.”