Juggling the responsibilities of selling with growing a real estate team is no easy feat, especially for high-powered agents who handle much of their team’s lead generation and sales activities. Melanie Giglio-Vakos, a real estate professional with Jameson Sotheby’s

The laws that dictate how real estate transactions are carried out, who takes part, and how they represent themselves and their clients can seem ridiculously broad or laughably specific. Agents are subject to business regulations that address access and

In 2007, Hiroshi Horiike, a multimillionaire from Hong Kong, plunked down $12.25 million in cash for a beautiful mansion in Malibu, one that overlooked the Pacific Ocean and featured numerous amenities. Except there was a problem. In 2009, when

Agents work for their listings. They put in the time and the effort, the blood, sweat and tears. But no matter how hard they work, agents do not technically own their listings: their brokerage does. Most agents in this

No real estate agent is infallible, and that’s why they have Errors and Omissions Insurance (E&O). Brokerages require their agents to be covered by E&O Insurance, and for good reason – it can protect agents and their offices from

We asked agents what the biggest legal gray area is that they encounter in their day-to-day business. Of the responses we received, “Agency,” “Dual Agency,” “Disclosure” and “Procuring Cause” were the most common, but we received many other interesting

We asked agents, developers and lenders to vote for peers and colleagues for our eleventh annual Agents’ Choice Awards, and the winners are all on the following pages. The top three vote-getters were the official nominees for each category, but

Guaranteed Rate is the eighth largest retail mortgage lender in the U.S. Headquartered in Chicago, the company has approximately 175 offices across the country and is licensed in all 50 states. Founded in 2000, Guaranteed Rate has helped hundreds

Marlene and her daughter Dena are the No. 1 mother-daughter Baird & Warner and Chicagoland real estate team. They are consistent top producers, ranking in the top 1 percent of the North Shore for closed volume in 2015. Rubenstein

PulteGroup, Inc. is one of America’s largest homebuilding companies, with operations in approximately 50 markets throughout the country. In its 65-year history here in the Greater Chicago area, the company has been known for its innovative life-tested home designs,

After fifteen years as founder and managing director of a successful management consulting firm specializing in developing customer experiences, Thomas Downing was well prepared to follow his dream of a career in real estate. After being licensed for only

Mark Kowalik was born and raised in Chicago’s southwest suburbs. After graduating from Colorado State University, Kowalik returned to Chicago, where his passion for Chicago’s history, active lifestyles and bicycling came together to forge a successful career managing Chicago’s

Ginger Downs, RCE, CAE, CIPS, IOM, is chief executive officer of the Chicago Association of Realtors, where she is responsible for leading and maintaining the association’s national standing as a premier Realtor organization. Downs was appointed to her current

Prior to joining @properties, Rick Sobin’s ten years of experience in real estate sales and management fueled a passion for helping agents tap into their unique strengths and natural skill sets to build their businesses. “I realize that no

As managing broker of the largest real estate office in Naperville, Linda Fogarty feels that it is her responsibility to offer a productive, supportive and educational atmosphere for affiliated agents. Fogarty has created an environment where everyone feels important

The Boss Group, headed by broker John Vossoughi and his partner Nathan Binkley, is a nine-agent team. Each agent was personally recruited and trained. This group has stood out at @properties, ranking among the firm’s leading producers in 2013,