RE/MAX Central in Roselle, Ill., has become one of the largest real estate offices in the northwest portion of the metropolitan Chicago real estate market, with a roster of 60 agents, as a result of a recent merger with its sister office in West Dundee, Ill.
The growth of RE/MAX Central, located at 455 N. Roselle Road, results from a strategic business decision by Kathy and Bill Jansen to combine the operations of their RE/MAX Central West office in West Dundee with those of the Roselle office.
Today, the residential real estate business is significantly different than it was just a few years ago. Agents do much of their work from home offices or from their cars, relying on portable laptops and smart phones. At the same time, an overall reduction in home sales activity nationwide has put a premium on operating real estate offices with maximum efficiency. In response, the Jansens made the decision to consolidate the agents in their offices to a single location.
“You have to make these decisions to stay successful in this business,” Kathy Jansen says. “We are very thankful here. We are doing quite well in comparison to many other offices. We just thought it was time to consolidate. The synergism will be great!”
Ten agents from RE/MAX Central West moved to the RE/MAX Central office in late February. They will continue to serve clients throughout Chicago’s west and northwest suburbs.Bill Jansen, who served as broker/owner at the West Dundee office, said he is looking to forward to watching the brokerage’s agents work together under one roof.
“It’s nice to have all of our people in a single location,” Jansen says. “The business today is filled with challenges, and one of those can be keeping everyone’s spirits up, especially in a small office. When you have a bigger office, with so many more people coming up with creative ways to close deals and service clients, it tends to have a positive emotional impact. Agents often are inspired by the success of other agents.”
Both of the Jansens said it’s important for real estate brokerages to adapt to today’s challenging economy.
This is why Bill Jansen and fellow agents, for example, have held public seminars on short sales and foreclosures. It’s also why Jansen is working with charities to help them find lower-priced properties, and why he has increased his involvement in commercial real estate.
“If you are doing business the way you used to do business, in my eyes, you are out of the business,” he says. “You have to think outside the box. There is a great deal of opportunity in this business. You just have to find a way to maximize it.”