In 2013, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), home sales were at their fastest pace since Feb. 2007, when they were 5.79 million. In addition, home sales have remained above year-ago levels for the past 26 months.

In 2013, our cover stories ran the gamut, from examinations of the MLS to in-depth analyses of where Chicagoland’s housing markets are heading. Which stories generated the most interest from our readers? Click through to find

What’s on the horizon? We asked an expert panel for their predictions for what will happen in terms of inventory, mortgages, new construction and more. Read on for an outlook of what next year

Good agents are dependable, reliable, proactive and diligent; great agents possess those qualities and a few more skills: adapting quickly to shifting priorities, publicly praising others, privately discussing sensitive issues and speaking up when others won’t. Managing brokers want those

We’ve all heard cringe-worthy stories of some recruiting methods – mass texts; the same email copied and pasted to several agents within the same brokerage and being pushy. So, what are the biggest faux pas a hiring manager can

If you’re like most agents, recruitment strategy isn’t top of mind until you decide to join a new brokerage. But when the time comes to make a change, it’s wise to consider the mindset of a managing broker. Think

An agent looking to join a new firm might hear the same sales pitch from each managing broker they visit. How does a broker differentiate their firm from other brokerages? When it comes to recruitment, managing brokers need to

Agents tend to get a bad rap. According to a poll last year that Gallup, a research-based, global performance-management consulting company, conducted last year, only 20 percent of consumers believe that agents have high ethical standards. In addition, a

What are the top complaints that are funneled through the Illinois Association of Realtors’ legal hotline? We asked the organization, which keeps track of the topics agents call in to get advice about. Below are the top 10 most

Getting confused or forgetting what the specific articles are in NAR’s Code of Ethics? Here’s a simple breakdown of the code by section: In summary, here are the main takeaways from each section of articles: Articles 1-9: When representing a

When litigation arises from a real estate transaction, agents are usually bystanders, watching intently as buyers and sellers volley in court like tennis pros. However, in rare instances, agents and brokers battle each other in the courtroom. The most

How does the ethics complaint process really work? Click on the infographic below for a better idea. Interested in learning about the hottest law topics for agents? Click

Matt Laricy, a third generation Realtor, is the managing broker for Americorp Real Estate, a company his father started. He also heads his own team, The Matt Laricy Group. His hard work, charisma and true passion for his business helped

Zeke Morris, former president of the Chicago Association of Realtors (CAR), had his engagement with members and a desire to deliver what they need to serve their clients at the heart of his presidency, with a special focus on

Margie Brooks began her career as a Baird & Warner agent in 1994. By 1996, she was a top-producing agent on the North Shore. She has been a top producer consistently since then. Her success stems from her passion

We asked agents, developers and lenders to vote for peers and colleagues for our eighth 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,