Chicago Agent’s readership is a mix of agents, lenders, managing brokers and developers. You operate in the city and the suburbs (many in both), fall into a wide range of age groups, come from a variety of professional backgrounds

The phrase “real estate coach” probably calls a few industry giants to mind: Tom Ferry, Mike Ferry, Brian Buffini, Barbara Corcoran. What can real estate agents expect from a coaching program with a high-profile brand? We asked Sandra Anchor,

In many professions, there comes a day when an individual can’t go any further without outside help. “One of the things you ask yourself is ‘What is my time worth?’ and what is a non-money-making task,” says Elizabeth Pyle,

For Emily Sachs Wong, “top producer” is more than a flattering tagline on a business card or email signature. It’s become almost a calling card, a facet of her business. “There’s no question that there is name recognition that

Not every real estate association tracks or recognizes top producers. And every one that does has its own method for ranking agent performance. Locally, the Chicago Association of Realtors recognizes agents and teams at different award levels. Agents must

We surveyed local agents to tell us what they think consumers associate with the phrase “top producer.” Here is a selection of their responses:   “Someone who’s busy and experienced.”   “An agent who makes lots of money and

The road to “top producer” is paved with discarded practices and self-defeating habits, and only those who can learn not to get in their own way will make it there. Here are four bad habits that can hold agents

The rise of the real estate team is an industry trend that’s here to stay. According to REAL Trends’ 2016 Real Estate Teams Playbook, there are currently 35,000 to 50,000 real estate teams in the U.S., and the number

To get a feel for our readers’ experiences with the real estate team phenomenon, we asked them to take a short survey, starting with a simple question: Why did you want to join a real estate team? “I wanted

A real estate team’s leader will set the tone for that team’s performance and culture, so agents considering joining up will need to carefully vet who’s at the helm. Pamella Capitanini, a real estate professional with Jameson Sotheby’s International

Our cover story details how top producers often oversee teams of agents, and a glance at Chicagoland’s top-selling professionals shows just how productive teams can be. According to Chicago Agent’s Real Data report, nine of the top 10 agents

Keeping a team of real estate agents organized and on task can be a difficult and thankless endeavor. Luckily, there are many technologies available to help real estate teams work together, giving team leaders one less thing to worry

The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae, created in 1938) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac, established in 1970) are government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) in their eighth year of conservatorship under the FHA. That is an exceedingly

Our survey respondents shared their thoughts on the following question: “If you had the power to change the mortgage system, how would you change it? “Eliminate repeated requests for previously submitted documents. It should not require more than 30

Prior to the Great Depression, potential homebuyers’ options for financing housing were limited to private companies. The loan products available at the time – typically short-term renewable loans – featured short maturities, large balloon payments and high down payments.

As we prepare for a new administration, many wonder what lies in store for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Treasury, Steven Mnuchin – a former Goldman Sachs partner and hedge fund investor