By Cynthia Gregory In partnerships between homebuilders and agents, trust is essential. This may be why a growing number of Chicago-area builders and developers offer unique Realtor programs that encourage agent participation as well as offer incentives for their

By Cynthia Gregory Most buyers believe that negotiating the lowest possible purchase price is the way to go in this market, but in fact, focusing on cost alone can end up draining hundreds of dollars every month from an

By Peter Ricci A few years into the new millennium, when the housing market was performing swimmingly and terms such as “subprime credit crisis” and “credit default swap” were found more in economic journals than evening newscasts, Christine Ingraham

By Christian J. Barron At press time, there are 45 days and counting for all agents to get their licenses renewed. Are you one of the many, many agents – and there are many out there – who have

By Russ Bergeron Questions agents have pertaining to education and training have answers that often go hand-in-hand with their budget. While virtually all agents agree that education is vital to staying successful in the industry, some worthwhile classes and

By Joe Bean If you’re one of the 15,000 salespeople and brokers who has completed your state-mandated real estate license transition, good job – you have not procrastinated about something particularly important to your

By Stephanie Sims Are real estate courses and training seminars really preparing agents for what they will actually experience in the “real world” of the industry? An ongoing murmur in the real estate community has been that real estate

Anyone who has gone outdoors in the past few years can see how much the market has changed. Neighborhoods that once were filled with families and newly remodeled houses are now littered with foreclosures, and such dramatic transitions indicate

By Christian J. Barron Designations and certifications acknowledging experience and expertise in various real estate sectors are awarded by NAR and each affiliated group upon completion of required courses. NAR and its affiliated institutes, societies and councils also provide

By Nicole Etter Can every agent be a top producer? If all agents in the business were top producers, then there wouldn’t be special skills differentiating them from the rest. Only the top agents stay on top year after

What are the top 10 qualities every top producer should have? Here were the top 10 qualities top producers shared with

What sort of guidance were top producers following early on, leading them to attain top producer status today? Several top producers remember the best piece of advice they listened to – and look where it got them! Here, they

By Cynthia Gregory According to Mary Opfer, a RE/MAX agent in Cary Grove/Crystal Lake, while marketing is important, nothing beats what clients truly want – a knowledgeable professional who genuinely cares. Opfer credits her success as a top producer

By Peter Ricci Among the many spectacular claims and observations found in Steve D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner’s best-seller “Freakonomics” book, perhaps the most noted (and infamous) was the statement that real estate agents sell their own properties

By Kristi Waterworth Most top-producing Realtors, when asked for the secret to their success, might name off a half dozen customer-centric business practices and talk about how they built their career in little steps. Few will credit a $1

By Dan Provost The October 2011 issue of Realtor Magazine reported that in September, Realtor.com had more than 50 million visits. During that same month, Zillow.com saw more than 28 million visits while Trulia.com had more than 21 million