Trends in housing change often, and though they can be hard to predict, below you’ll find what we expect to be eight of the hottest housing trends in the next 12 months. Freestanding bathtubs A contemporary take on clawfoots,

Although the “usual suspects” of hot-selling neighborhoods – Lincoln Park, River North and West Loop – are still getting attention, the South Loop, Logan Square and the Gold Coast (where the first high-rise since 2007 recently broke ground in

Selling new construction takes additional skills than selling an existing home. Agents need to be educated about what goes on in the building process and how this relates to buyers’ needs. Stefanie Lavelle, an agent with Coldwell Banker Residential

President Obama and the FHA recently announced that it would reduce its mortgage insurance premium from 1.35 to 0.85, which makes FHA loans even more affordable. The FHA, which is overseen by HUD and insures mortgages with down payments

Short sales and REOs are statistically at an all-time low, but in Illinois, does that mean we will start to see less and less of them? Not exactly. Bert Gor, short sale specialist with RE/MAX Professionals Select, has “a

As hard as we may try, we can’t please everyone. If a client happens to leave you a negative review online, handle your reputation by following these three steps: 1. Keep your cool. The phrase “the customer is always

It’s no secret that real estate is a highly competitive industry, which is why consumers are turning to review sites more and more prior to choosing just any one agent to work with. Here are quick snapshots of a

Managing brokers obviously want to recruit top agents to be on their team. Here are some quick tips on how to effectively recruit experienced agents: 1. Figure out your value proposition – Recruitment strategies are necessary, and here’s why: agents

Top Ways to Attract Top Talent In recruitment, where there used to be a focus on the quantity of agents, now the focus is on their quality. Here are our top three tips on how to recruit and retain

Your Home Address For many years, we sent our resume and cover letter through the mail. We put our home address right on the top. Fact is, there is no longer a need to put your home address on

Reform efforts for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the prodigious government-sponsored entities (GSE) who play an integral role in the nation’s housing market, have been tossed around since the entities were taken over by the government in 2008, but

After the latest press conference involving Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and talk of interest rates, Yellen remained on the quiet side. Is that a good or bad sign for interest rates? Federal Reserve policymakers reiterated their expectation this

We took a look back at our Agent Snapshot features and have compiled the best words of wisdom from some of Chicagoland’s top agents below. IN 10 WORDS OR LESS, WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR SOMEONE NEW TO THE

With younger agents joining the force and Millennial clients increasing, there are more new, young agents in town. The average age of an agent is 57, according to the National Association of Realtors, and while younger agents might have

Real estate is the most contradictory of industries – a remarkably challenging business with a low barrier of entry. Indeed, because of that contradiction – because it’s relatively easy to become a real estate agent, but difficult to make

#109227724 / gettyimages.com Technology is ever-changing, particularly in the app market, where new products constantly provide new dimensions to our professional or recreational lives. So with that in mind, we decided to spotlight nine relatively new apps for real