View more in our 2010 Spring New Construction Digital Edition

If you listen to the chatter, you’ll hear that the industry is picking up. Agents have told me that they’re extremely busy lately, and things are moving faster than they imagined. Some have already had a better year than they did during all of 2009.

The snow has officially melted, and I’m able to slip my car into my parking space without barreling over a mountain of snow and ice. This doesn’t mean the snow is gone for the season – I recall a blizzard at the end of March a few years back – but at least I can put my boots away for the time being.

Fair weather also means that the selling season is in full swing. And while you may think that new construction has completely halted, think again. We’ve got almost 200 properties in the following pages that will prove this notion to be wrong.

My friend who was recently looking for a condo waffled between wanting something quaint and vintage, and longing for a brand new home where she could claim to be the first inhabitant. Not only are the appliances and fixtures brand new in a new construction home, but – in many cases – one can choose everything from a floor plan to the type of cabinets. Not to mention the fact that developers out there are eager to get units sold and were throwing incentives at my friend left and right.

In the end, shiny and new won out over historic and unique, though my friend’s new place is original enough to be unique in its own right. She went for an open floor plan and cherry cabinets, and appliance upgrades were tossed in as a free bonus; she couldn’t be happier. We all know that right now we are still in a buyer’s market, and on top of that, this is a prime time to find your clients a new construction home. Whether they’re looking to buy in the Loop or hope to find that starter home in Wadsworth, we’ve found the properties that are ready to be sold throughout the Chicagoland area.

With the homebuyer tax credit set to expire, for good this time, many of your clients are going to be eager to make deals happen fast. Now is the time to do your research, and make sure that anyone who wants to purchase a new construction property can make their wish come true.

In addition to this print edition that you can keep handy until the fall issue comes out, we’re again bringing you a digital version that can be referenced on your computer, BlackBerry or iPhone around the clock. We’re giving you the tools, now it’s your job to put clients into new homes.