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Chicago Proposes City-Wide Parking Pass for Real Estate Agents

by Farren Washington

chciago-city-wide-parking-pass-real-estate-agents-mendoza

Yesterday, Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza proposed an all-access parking pass that would give real estate agents access to restricted neighborhood parking zones during the day and early evening.

According to a report in Crain’s, the pass would cost $500 for city-based agents and $800 for those who work primarily in the suburbs. It would be available only to licensed agents in an effort to prevent abuse. Users would be forbidden from parking near sports stadiums during events.

Chicago’s neighborhood parking zones are designed to maintain on-street parking for residents, specifically in areas where visitors often drive in for the theaters, restaurants or stores. That system can create problems for agents who chauffeur potential homebuyers around to house hunt in neighborhoods where they themselves do not live.

The special parking pass would only be effective between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., further preventing agents from using the pass for non-business purposes. After two violations, the user would be relinquished from the permit program.

Brian Bernardoni, the governmental affairs director of the Chicago Association of Realtors, stated that his organization had been asking for an all-access parking permit for a few years. “We want to make it as easy as possible for our clients to get help when it comes to buying or selling a home,” Bernardoni said in the statement.

If approval is granted by the city council, the program will commence first as a two-year pilot.

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Comments

  • Eric Frost says:

    $500 seems steep, but should raise some revenue for the city. Honestly I don’t see getting $500 worth of tickets in a year, but would give me peace of mind, plus can think of it as charity for Rahm’s gov’t.

  • Andrea Geller says:

    Several years ago there was one which did not get much participation. What are the differences in this new one where agents would participate?

  • Jude Marchetti says:

    This can really help with getting around and not worrying about getting a ticket every time you need to park.

  • B Bernardoni says:

    A key element of the pass is that it will be for use seven days a week between 9am to 9pm. Prior attempts limited weekend and daily hours ending at 6pm. Another key feature is that this ordinance will be accessible to suburban real estate licensees to apply. The prior pass was for City of Chicago residents only. The expansion of these aspects is a strong indication of a recovering market, the value real estate licensees provide to the City and their clients and that the idea we had a number of years ago is a solid one. By changing hours and widening the scope it finally shows how advocacy efforts created a greater understanding of the City to how real estate practitioners work and the time commitment needed to execute a successful sale. As to pricing, when one looks at the financial cost of a ticket, the time taken to get a pass for a particular zone and the stress of making sure you have your parking in order – the price is inline and also a deductible expense.

  • Dilia Saeedi says:

    I am real estate management and would find this very helpful for my site visits for leasing and site inspections!

  • Thank you for the perspective, Brian! All are very important details to consider.

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