Homer Glen Office Is Newest For RE/MAX Network In The Metro Chicago Real Estate Market

Broker/Owner Kathy O’Radnick

The RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network marked the opening of its newest office serving the metropolitan Chicago real estate market on May 1 with the debut of RE/MAX 1st Service at 15915 S. Crystal Creek Dr. in Homer Glen, IL. The owner of the new franchise is Kathy O’Radnik, an experienced broker/manager who is taking her first plunge into office ownership.

“Having my own RE/MAX office has been a dream of mine for some time,” said O’Radnik, who first entered real estate sales 30 years ago and has extensive experience in real estate sales management and as an instructor of real estate continuing education courses. In addition to managing a RE/MAX office, she has managed offices for Baird & Warner and ERA Real Estate in the southwest suburbs.

“Over the years, I’ve really been impressed with the entrepreneurial skills and professionalism of RE/MAX agents, and those are especially important traits in today’s challenging real estate market,” O’Radnik said.

“In this instance, all the stars aligned properly for me to make my dream come true. The office I was managing consolidated with another office, the opportunity arose to purchase the RE/MAX franchise in Homer Glen, and a number of excellent RE/MAX agents I’d been managing wanted to be based in this community, so creating a new RE/MAX office here seemed like the logical thing to do,” she said.

O’Radnik was fortunate to locate vacant office space in a great location just west of Will-Cook Road and near the Orland Park Sportsplex. The 2,000-square-foot office needed only some basic redecorating to turn it into a functioning real estate office. It has two levels, with training facilities and private offices planned for the upper floor. The office phone number is 708-675-1600.
She also sees the current environment as a good one for attracting top agents to her office.

“When things are going well, agents aren’t that interested in moving or trying new approaches, but in the current market, many skilled agents are looking for help, for ideas, for answers. I think I can provide those for them,” O’Radnik said.
A resident of Orland Park, Ill., O’Radnik has been active in both the real estate industry and her community. She was the first president of the Southwest Suburban Chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors®, currently serves as a member of the professional standards committee for the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors® and holds the Certified Residential Broker designation. She has long been heavily involved with St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Orland Park, where she currently serves as the 8th grade religious education chairperson.

RE/MAX Paper Shredding Event In Long Grove On July 25 Will Raise Funds For Children’s Memorial

Chicago Real Estate Leader Offers Green Way to Avoid Identity Theft

Helping families reduce their exposure to identity theft while raising funds to aid Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago is the focus of a unique event planned that will run from 9 a.m. to noon on July 25. It will be held at the RE/MAX Showcase office, 25884 Ill. Hwy. 83 in Long Grove, Ill. RE/MAX Showcase is part of the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

RE/MAX Showcase agent William Diehl, a resident of Barrington, Ill., is coordinating the event. A special truck from Docu-Shred Inc. of Westmont, IL, that is equipped with an industrial grade paper shredder will be on site that morning. For a tax-deductible donation of $5 or more to Children’s Memorial, anyone coming to the event can have as many as three boxes of documents immediately shredded and recycled.

“Identity theft is one of the fastest growing categories of crime in the United States, and one important source for identity thieves are the papers we throw in the trash without shredding them first,” said Diehl. “I felt families from around our area would appreciate the chance to see their old documents properly shredded while also lending their support to Children’s Memorial, which helps young patients with serious medical problems regardless of their families’ financial situation.”

The Federal Trade Commission recommends that, to minimize the risk of identity theft, consumers should shred charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physicians’ statements, checks and bank statements and credit card offers that come in the mail.
For businesses, keeping customer information safe from misuse is an increasingly important consideration. Local businesses are welcome to participate in this shredding event by calling 847-421-7300 to make a donation and send documents for destruction. The material to be shredded will be picked up in advance by volunteers.

RE/MAX is the exclusive real estate partner and a Platinum Sponsor of Children’s Memorial Hospital. Last year, the 3,000 RE/MAX associates in northern Illinois raised $284,000 to benefit the hospital through a variety of fundraising activities as they continued to lead in residential real estate.

Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago … A Journey of Hope

RE/MAX Adds Brazil To International Roster, Expands Its Presence In Australia

Growth Of Network A Plus For Chicago Real Estate Market

RE/MAX has announced plans to begin operations in Brazil, the largest nation in South America, and to expand its existing operations in Australia, as the world’s most recognized real estate organization continues to enlarge its international presence. The dual expansion should result in stronger economic bonds between those two nations and the United States, including the Chicago real estate market.

Brazil is the eighth country to join the RE/MAX network in the last six months, preceded by Albania, Bahamas, Ecuador, India, Macedonia, Singapore and Uruguay.

In Australia, RE/MAX announced the establishment of a separate regional organization, RE/MAX Western Australia, and a merger of its existing operations in Western Australia with the locally owned Geoff Baldwin Realty Group. Geoff Baldwin is a well known trainer and real estate leader who has over 22 years of experience in the local marketplace. He will be the chief executive and regional owner of RE/MAX Western Australia. The merger more than doubles the size of RE/MAX operations in Western Australia.

Occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent, Western Australia is by far the largest state in that country in terms of land area. Its capital city, Perth, is home to more than 75 percent of the state’s two million inhabitants.

“RE/MAX is a clear leader in real estate, recognized around the world,” said Baldwin. “The credibility of the brand, its international influence, and extensive resources will all be tremendous assets to our staff, as we work toward the goal of being a powerful force in Western Australia.”

RE/MAX Brazil is to be owned and operated by Luis Juliao, Jose Luiz Monteis, Renato Teixeira and Paolo Toledo, who average more than 20 years of real estate experience each and have been operating an independent firm in Brazil with more than 800 agents.

"The marriage of our combined experience and the RE/MAX brand makes RE/MAX Brazil a major force in the real estate market," said Toledo. "We’re excited to join the RE/MAX network and to use our experience and RE/MAX resources to open new offices and recruit seasoned agents."

The official launch of RE/MAX Brazil, with headquarters in Sao Paulo, will take place in early October, and the new owners look to open more than two dozen offices in three concentrated regions of Brazil – East Central, North East and South – within the first years of operation.
Brazil is the world’s fourth most populous democracy with a population of nearly 200 million. It also has the largest national economy in Latin America, with strong ties to the Chicago area.
“As a major international business center, Chicago is connected to markets around the world, and especially to such major economies as those of Australia and Brazil,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX network in northern Illinois.

“The growth and expansion of the RE/MAX network in Australia and Brazil will also impact our Sales Associates in the Illinois real estate market, allowing them to expand their relocation business, international connections and clientele,” he said.

Two National Surveys Confirm That RE/MAX Agents Average More Home Sales Than Their Competitors

Same Holds True in Metro Chicago Real Estate Market

Two respected surveys of the nation’s top real estate brokerages reveal that RE/MAX sales associates outperform their competitors by a significant margin. Based on transactions closed in 2008, the REAL Trends 500 Survey found that RE/MAX sales associates averaged 13.2 transactions per agent, which was 36 percent more than their closest competitor. In the RIS Media Power Broker Report, RE/MAX sales associates were also ranked the highest of all national real estate franchises, averaging about 12 transactions each, nearly 33 percent more than the agents at the next ranked competitor.

“There are many ways to measure success in our profession, but it all comes down to how many sales you close,” said Margaret Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of RE/MAX International. “The economy has hit the real estate industry especially hard, but the most professional sales associates will always find a way to be successful in any kind of market.”

In both surveys, other companies were represented by higher numbers of sales associates than RE/MAX, but even with their superior numbers, they didn’t come close to the individual performance of the RE/MAX agents.

“The relative productivity of RE/MAX sales associates in the metropolitan Chicago real estate market actually exceeded the national trend,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX real estate network in northern Illinois.

Based on sales data from Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), RE/MAX agents averaged nearly twice as many sales in 2008 as the agents of any other major real estate organization, according to Merrion.

Nationwide and in the Chicago area, sales associates affiliated with RE/MAX also averaged higher dollar volume in their sales.

The REAL Trends 500 Survey revealed that, on a national basis, each RE/MAX associate averaged $3.2 million in sales last year, which was 31 percent above the second place organization. In the RIS Media Power Broker Report, RE/MAX associates also averaged over $3 million in sales, more than 36 percent better than the company ranked second.

“In today’s housing market, the consumer prefers experienced professionals who can get results, and we’ve always felt that RE/MAX associates are the best in the business, but these surveys provide the facts. We’re very proud of this recognition,” says Kelly. “Our associates perform better because they have more experience and hold more professional designations.”

RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon Visits John D. Schoop Academy of Math, Science and Technology in Chicago

Standing in the basket of the RE/MAX hot air balloon, pilot Bill Baker demonstrates how the propane burners work to an audience of students at John D. Schoop Academy of Math, Science and Technology, 11140 S. Bishop St. in the Morgan Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL. The burners are used to heat the air inside the balloon, causing it to rise. The demonstration took place June 5 when the RE/MAX balloon and its crew visited the school to present an educational program. RE/MAX is the Chicago real estate leader.

RE/MAX World Long Drive Announces 2009 Competition Schedule In RE/MAX Northern Illinois Real Estate Region

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http://www.prweb.com/releases/chicago_real_estate/long_drive/prweb2500814.htm

RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon To Make Educational Visit To Bristol Grade School

Program Created by RE/MAX Northern Illinois Real Estate Network

Second- and third-grade students at Bristol Grade School, 24 Hunt St. in Bristol, Ill., will enjoy an exciting introduction to hot air ballooning when the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew visit the school on June 8. The visit is part of an on-going interactive educational program developed by the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

One hundred and fifty students at Bristol Grade School will be treated to a presentation about various aspects of ballooning, including its history, the scientific principles involved and a demonstration on how the balloon functions. The program will start at 10:45 a.m. in the school gymnasium. During the program, the balloon envelope will be inflated with cold air so that students can walk inside it. Later, the students will go outside for a demonstration of the balloon basket and its propane burners, which heat air to lift the balloon.

This visit to Bristol Grade School is being sponsored by Jada Lutterbach, an agent with RE/MAX Way in Oswego, IL.