Well, folks: We made it. Another year is in the books, and most of us are taking this moment to reflect back upon our victories and the lessons learned from moments that may not have been so proud.
But when that’s all said and done, it’s time to look forward. Because, while Jan. 1, 2020, indeed marks the end of a year, it is also the end of the decade. So my question to you is: Is this the end of an era?

I’ve read at least a half-dozen — maybe even a dozen at this point; I’ve lost count to be honest — reports on what’s to come in the real estate market: locally, nationally and globally. A lot of folks see more of the same, but many others see turbulence and unavoidable change on the horizon. What does 2020 hold? Will it be, as T3 Sixty predicts, the year that real estate brokerage changes forever? Or will 2020 precipitate, as Goldman Sachs has predicted, a parting of the clouds?

No one really knows what the future will bring. But I find that the closer my crystal ball is to home — and the closer my predictors are to me personally — the more likely they are to ring true.
That’s why we gathered some of the smartest Chicagoland real estate folks we know to tackle the big questions: What real estate myths deserve to die off in 2020? How can agents prepare for a changing market? And what does the industry need to do to move toward a positive future?

These and many other queries will be addressed by experts and by readers just like you. But if you have a point of view that’s not represented in these pages, I hope you’ll share it with me at meg.white@agentpublishing.com. See you next decade!