In a town like Chicago, filled as it is with historic homes and buttressed by a bedrock of residential construction that’s consistently older than the agents who sell it, it might be tempting to ignore the new construction market entirely. But the fact is, there are still plenty of cranes dotting our skyline, as well as infill projects looking to create housing in empty pockets of land in every neighborhood across the city.

And the data doesn’t lie. If you look at who’s doing the most deals in Chicagoland and who’s doing the most new construction, you’re going to see some similarities. The fact is, selling new construction is often a springboard for agents and teams, thanks to both its price point and the fact that successfully selling one condo can quickly lead to the sale of another.

But that’s not to say this niche is easy to break into. You’ve got to learn the product and get to know the people who are creating it. That’s why we spent some time with top producers who have been working in this market for years and have advice for agents who want to make a go of it. In this cover issue, we hope to demystify some of the common misunderstandings about new construction and offer examples of how successful agents have incorporated this market segment into their day-to-day lives.

If nothing else, I hope this issue will reinforce the fact that new construction is a vital part of our market that every agent needs to have a grasp on, even if they never step out of the bungalow belt. If you have thoughts on the topic, or anything else, please reach out to me at meg.white@agentpublishing.com.