For luxury properties (in this case, properties with a sale price of at least $1 million), LeapRE found that DuPage and Lake Counties had the largest percent of properties experiencing reductions, at 41.5 percent and 41.25 percent, respectively; however,

By Christian J. Barron What builds an effective online presence? When a potential client searches your name in their Google toolbar, what will they find? What will make your listings come up on the first page of a Google

By Matt Farrell It seems that, as an industry, agents are so eager to have every tool available, that they might buy what’s being sold without doing their own research to see if it really works. What people interested

By Gary Lucido If you want to read an article about how to develop a killer blog that will quickly deliver numerous phone calls from clients ready to do business with you, then read no further – because I

Rich Rogala, Digital Strategist, Business Development Coach, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage  With approximately 90 percent of all potential clients starting their home search online, according to 2011 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, many real

A content sharing service that allows members to “pin” images, videos and other objects to a virtual pin board, the social media site Pinterest is more than the latest hot fad. According to recent web analysis, it was one

By Megan Oster “You do not want your video to look like the Blair Witch Project.” Stephen Schweickart, CEO of VScreen, is referring to one of the seemingly minor mistakes some real estate agents make when filming videos of

By Peter Ricci Google may be one of the more valuable tech companies in the world, but it is hardly one to rest on its laurels. Every week, it seems, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company is launching a new

Hiring an assistant can be a significant investment in your business – but do you go virtual, in-office or a hybrid of both? By Joe Bean Anyone in this business who wants to be successful knows it’s more than

By Peter Ricci Finding a good virtual assistant can be harder than it initially looks. After all, how can you be confident that a remote employee, someone you may never officially meet, will complete many of your organizational tasks

So you have finally decided that you need some help with your real estate business, but one question remains – do you need an in-office assistant or a virtual assistant? Here are some situations to consider when making the

These can’t manage your social media platforms, but if you’re looking for someone to manage your agenda and help you find files online, try one of these virtual

Sure, you might need an assistant, but an assistant doesn’t come to you trained and ready, knowing what tasks to do for you off the bat. If you don’t have much spare time to begin with, do you have

By Peter Ricci and Stephanie Sims When it comes to selling new construction, what statistics and knowledge about the industry will help close the deal? Here are some important current trends and data every agent selling new construction should

By Stephanie Sims In a country where bigger has been better for so many years, finally, recognition is being given to the little guys. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chicago started its first Small Projects Awards last year,