By Carlo Calma  With Election Day getting closer and closer, where do President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney stand on the state of the real estate

By Amber Statler-Matthews  An improved job outlook, a stabilizing real estate market and a quality, luxury product may help to increase condo sales in Chicago. At least, that’s what Related Midwest is forecasting. The real estate development firm has

By Christian J. Barron 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. Here are four tips

By Kristi Waterworth  Housing starts are climbing – up 21.5 percent year-over-year in July nationally and a whopping 33 percent year-over-year for the Chicago area, according to the US Census Bureau. Based on July’s numbers, 2012 could see as

By Peter Ricci Brokers opens, when successful, are more than just meetings between agents at a home – they are exclusive congregations where agents are introduced to new properties for their clients. With the right audience and the right

Are you hosting your open houses the right way, or do you just think you are? Take our quiz to find

By Shannon O’Brien Open houses have been in the news lately, but those news stories don’t necessarily have to do with selling real estate. There has been an alarming increase in the number of assaults and attacks that have

By Stephanie Sims If the entrepreneur bug bit you and you’re thinking about branching out on your own in this industry, remember these important

Sure, the idea of branching out on your own and being the one in charge is glamorous, but are you really ready for everything that managing your own brokerage entails? Find out by taking our

By Shannon O’Brien In the best of times, striking out on one’s own to open a brokerage is challenging. Doing so in 2007, on the edge of the housing market collapse, would seem like a recipe for disaster, both

The Traditional Broker/Agent Commission Split The vast majority of agents are compensated by a broker via sharing the gross commission amount that the broker collects. The client isn’t charged to pay the agent in this model; the broker and

1847 Brokers begin hosting informal meetings (the first one was in New York) to exchange information about properties for sale and establish standards of practice, typically held once a week. Throughout the 19th century, lawyers and businessmen served as

By Peter Ricci According to data from REAL Trends, @properties was the only large brokerage in Chicago to increase its sale volume in 2011, and it was one of only two to increase its number of transactions as well.

By Stephanie Sims How do real estate models and mortgage processes can differ from country to country? Canada Some brokerages in Canada charge a buyer agreement fee and some do not; according to Ross Kay with RE/MAX Garden City

Do you really have top-notch negotiating skills, or just think you do? Take our quiz to find