“Let’s put aside our reticence and engage in some real talk about gentrification.”

“I encourage you to check in with the brokers in our cover story, who are taking a longer view on the luxury market.”

“We gathered some great insights and advice from Chicagoland brokers who had been using open houses to expand their business, get qualified leads and even sell properties, and who will continue to do so once this pandemic is behind us.”

“Even in these chaotic days, it’s still important to take the long view. We need to know how the lives of agents and managing brokers have changed in the past year, not just the past month.”

When life is back to some semblance of normal, agents will still have to contend with listing aggregators, antitrust challenges, discount brokerages and other disruptors. We want you to be ready for it. That’s why we’re bringing you the latest in terms of how these challenges will impact you and the industry you know and love.

“Midwesterners are practical people at heart, and though we haven’t always been the best stewards of the environment, we know the difference between stormy weather and a tweetstorm.”

“The brokers we spoke to for our feature on solo top producers have varying strategies for tackling the multitude of tasks involved in being a top-notch real estate professional, but one element ties them together in my mind: an absolute dedication to personal service.”

“When I approach our annual Real Data issue, it’s with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Data is just numbers until people begin to give it meaning.

The argument could be made that policies are even more important to have in place — and up to date — in real estate. The fact that most brokers are independent contractors means that they have much freer rein than many other professionals out there. So if managing brokers don’t have a document they can point to that spells out what brokers can and can’t do, they’re automatically at a disadvantage.

It’s important for real estate professionals to understand how unique the lending picture is in America because of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and how regulators and lawmakers are proposing to change the situation.

“In an effort to save workers from being exploited, lawmakers all over the country are considering rules that could dampen the gig economy. But as someone who has freelanced myself, has seen many colleagues build viable careers out of this way of life, and who has written for and about those who find success as independent contractors, I see a way of life that’s being unfairly maligned.”

While Jan. 1, 2020, indeed marks the end of a year, it is also the end of the decade. So my question to you is: Is this the end of an era?

In many ways, the work of an agent and a managing broker could not be more different. Agents compete, while managers consult. Agents rustle up new clients to call their own, while managers recruit others to join their team. Agents are accountable to their own yardsticks, while managers answer to a whole host of parties, from the public to brokerage owners to their own sales associates.

This is the broker I hope you’re striving to be: Someone who understands your clients and your area well enough to be a celebrated matchmaker.

Though this is an individualistic and competitive industry, it’s also one where we regularly lift each other up. And for many of those doing the lifting, it comes as naturally to them as drinking water and breathing air.

When evaluating a threat, there are two conflicting tendencies that pull human beings in different directions. The part of us that favors stasis and calm is predisposed to brushing off concerns about potential disruption. But as real estate professionals know well, this stance can backfire. What if the threat is real and complacency delays our response?