While there are several big issues in the industry, it’s clear that short sales and foreclosures top most agents’ lists as the biggest pains in real estate today. Dealing with unprofessional and uncooperative agents follows as a close second.

Luxury might still be in demand, but at what price? Only 3 percent of agents surveyed have sold a home for more than $5 million. The majority of agents surveyed — 38 percent — said that the most expensive

Getting cut out of a commission isn’t fair, but according to our cover story’s sidebar, Keeping it Legal, it can happen. Has anything like this ever happened to you? Vote and comment

With all the inventory available on the market, where does new construction fit in, and is it in demand? According to readers, there are buyers out there who do want new construction — just not as many as in

An overwhelming percentage of readers think ethics violations should have stricter punishments, although only 40 percent of agents have encountered someone trying to do one of the most unethical things an agent can do: someone stealing their listing.  

Want to know how to attain top producer status? Lucky for you, we talked to several top producers while putting together our latest issue. These are the top tips straight from their

There is a lot of speculation as to what makes a top producer. What’s the secret? Support from the brokerage? Working more hours? We surveyed readers, including top producers, to find out what they think ultimately contributes to the

We asked 2010’s top producers how they felt about their top producer status and how training, technology and the managing broker may or may not have affected their

The jury is still out on whether listing presentations on paper, electronic devices or both are best, but it’s clear that readers believe the listing presentation plays a big part in getting the

Looking for real estate data that shows a mastery of the market? LeapRE, the data experts of Chicagoland, show us below the number of listings compared to closings in the past two years, as well as the inventory on

There appears to be skepticism and pessimism among agents regarding obtaining home loans and the lending industry itself, but as things slowly start to look up for the housing market, hopefully Fannie/Freddie will eventually ease up when it comes

Take our new poll and let us know what you think will happen to mortgage rates this

Additional Comments: “Due to a significant amount of foreclosures and short sales on the market, and also because of consumer perception, buyers expect to get good deals and they negotiate aggressively. The homes that close are the ones where

In Chicago Agent’s newly released Chicagoland’s Best Offices 2010 issue, a survey of the magazine’s readers reveals that there are a number of reasons that agents choose one office over

In our recent Survey Says feature, we asked agents how they would rate their satisfaction with their managing broker. Additional Anonymous Comments: “Our broker is very supportive without being ‘in your face’ all the time.  He lets us do