Getting back to the fundamentals of building your real estate business is the guiding principle we’re hearing about a lot over the last year. Long gone are the days of selling homes hand over fist to the highest bidder, and the top names in the business are telling us time and again that it’s time to get back to basics.

It’s a recurring theme in this month’s cover story, where we speak with top producers about their approaches to finding success in a cooling market. The return to fundamentals takes a number of forms, such as spending more time on lead generation, strengthening relationships with past clients and becoming an expert in your market, among many others.

These tips come from real estate pros who regularly end up on top-producer lists like our annual Real Data report in this month’s issue. In our Real Data report, we work with Midwest Real Estate Data to bring you a rundown of the top agents, brokerages and individual sales of 2022. If ever there were an official list, this is it, because it’s based on every sale reported in the regional MLS database.

We also hear from the Chicago Association of REALTORS® this month in our Association News column, penned by 2023 CAR President Sarah Ware. She gives members some vital tips on some of the tech tools available to members to help grow their business.

Building a business of potential clients is one way to get back to basics, but what do you do when the conversation with a client turns to pricing? We’ve got you covered with some solid tips in this month’s Top Coach column by Mike Pallin, president of the Floyd Wickman Team.

Do you aspire to become a top producer? Maybe you already are one and would like to offer your own wisdom on how to reach the upper echelons of Chicagoland’s real estate market. Share your ideas with us at Tim.Inklebarger@agentpublishing.com.