RE/MAX Led Kendall County in Assisting Buyers with Home Purchases

The RE/MAX Northern Illinois network led the Kendall County market in homes purchased during 2007. RE/MAX agents represented the buyers of 22.6 percent of the homes purchased in Kendall County during 2007, based on sales data available through the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois (MLSNI).

Home sale transactions reported by the MLSNI totaled 1,742 in Kendall County during 2007, a decrease of 21 percent from the 2,201 homes changing hands during the prior year.

The top five real estate organizations in Kendall County during 2007, in terms of homes purchased, were RE/MAX with 394 (22.6 percent), Coldwell Banker with 338 (19.4 percent), Kettley with 89 (5.1 percent), Century 21 with 82 (7.8 percent) and Baird & Warner with 73 (4.2 percent). Data maintained by the MLSNI may not reflect all real estate activity in a specific market area.

During 2007, RE/MAX ranked as Chicagoland’s market-share leader, assisting buyers in the purchase of 16.4 percent of the 91,766 homes sold. In the Chicago suburbs, RE/MAX also was the leader in terms of assisting buyers, with 21.1 percent market share in 2007.

RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon Will Make Educational Visit to Spaulding School in Gurnee on April 2

Students at Spaulding School, 2000 Belle Plaine Road, Gurnee, Ill., will learn about hot air ballooning when the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew visit the school on April 2 to present a special interactive educational program. The visit is part of an on-going balloon education program developed by RE/MAX Northern Illinois.

The students at Spaulding School will learn about various aspects of ballooning, its history and the scientific principles involved. Plus, they will see a demonstration on how the balloon functions. During one portion of the program, students can walk inside the balloon envelope, which is partially inflated with cold air. Later, if weather permits, the 70-foot-tall balloon will be fully inflated.

This program, which starts at 8:30 a.m., will help the students learn more about ballooning and how it relates to the subjects they study in school. It will be held outdoors on the school grounds if weather allows the balloon to be fully inflated. Should the weather fail to cooperate, an indoor version of the program will be presented at 8:30 a.m. and again at 9:30 a.m. in the school gymnasium

Michael Lescher of RE/MAX Showcase in Gurnee is sponsoring this event.

REMAX.COM Cited As The Most Visited Real Estate Brand Web Site

Another Hitwise Top Ten Award has been presented to www.remax.com, based on the number of visits to the site in the last quarter of 2007. The site ranked second overall in the real estate industry category in the United States and was the top ranked site among real estate brokerage brands. The site averages more than 2 million unique visitors each month.

The RE/MAX site offers consumers the ability to search more than 90 percent of all listed properties for sale in the U.S., delivering access to more multiple listing services and more individual property listings than any other real estate brokerage brand.

RE/MAX International, Inc., is a global real estate network, based in Denver, Colo. Its Web site, www.remax.com, is designed to help buyers search listings in cities and states all across the country, and to help sellers with neighborhood valuation questions.

“We’re excited to see that the RE/MAX Web site provides tools that millions of families are using to find their next home or see current sales prices of homes in their neighborhood,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of RE/MAX Northern Illinois. “The site is a wonderful tool for consumers, but when buying or selling real estate, the wise consumer continues to turn to a knowledgeable real estate agent.”

Hitwise is a leading online competitive intelligence service that looks at how Web sites are used. It is a subsidiary of Experian Group, Ltd. The service reports Web site rankings on a monthly basis. The www.remax.com site retained the top spot among real estate brokerage brands and the second spot in the overall real estate category in the most recent Hitwise report, which covered activity in February.

The Hitwise U.S. Top 10 Awards Program recognizes the most successful U.S. websites in more than 160 industries. The program records the usage and search behavior of more than 10 million Internet users, which is the largest online sample of its kind. The awards single out excellence in online performance through public popularity.

First RE/MAX Office in Round Lake Plans June Opening

Round Lake, Ill., will get its first RE/MAX office later this year when RE/MAX Royal opens its doors at 147 W. Belvidere Road. Offering real estate agents and their clients the Royal treatment will be Corinne and Jonathan Guest, a husband-and-wife team whose roots in the United Kingdom lend an undeniable logic to the name selected for the new office.

The new office is expected to be open by June 1 with accommodations for 25 sales associates and support staff.

“Anyone familiar with Lake County real estate recognizes the tremendous growth that is occurring in the Round Lake area,” said Corinne, who previously was affiliated with RE/MAX Advisors in Deer Park, Ill. “We are delighted with the prospect of joining this vibrant community and meeting its needs for top quality real estate brokerage services.”

According to Corinne, the Guests were first attracted to Round Lake several years ago when they purchased, rehabbed and sold a home there.

“We got to know the area well and were impressed with its potential, so when this opportunity developed, it seemed like a perfect fit,” she said.

The Guests and their two sons moved to the United States in 1996, settling in Lake Barrington, Ill., while Jonathan worked as an executive at Motorola Corp. Corinne joined RE/MAX as a sales associate in 2005, but said she always planned to transition from agent to office owner. Now, she and her husband are making that entrepreneurial leap together.

“When I first entered the real estate business, I found myself in an office that didn’t fit me very well. Before moving on, I looked carefully at the business models of other real estate companies and decided that the RE/MAX model was right for me,” said Corinne. “Once I made the move, I wasn’t disappointed. So, when it came time to become an office owner, RE/MAX was the obvious choice.”

As to why she wanted to become an office owner, Corrine said, “I’ve always preferred being my own boss.”

This won’t be her first experience running a business because her background includes owning and operating a commercial embroidery company here in the U.S., as well as a stint in mortgage banking while still in the U.K.

The new 1,600-square-foot RE/MAX Royal office is located in a new shopping center along busy Route 120, an ideal location for a real estate office, according to the Guests. When the new space is complete it will include a reception area, conference room, six offices of two sizes and approximately 20 other workspaces.

“We’re thrilled to see the RE/MAX banner unfurled in Round Lake,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of RE/MAX Northern Illinois. “Lake County is a strong market area for our network, in fact in 2007 RE/MAX agents listed 29.6 percent of all properties sold in the county, according to data form the MLSNI. This new office will help us build on that success.”

RE/MAX Takes Leadership in Lincoln Way Home Sales

The RE/MAX Northern Illinois network was the leader in residential home sales in the Lincoln Way market area during 2007. The percentage of listed homes sold by RE/MAX agents was 34.2 percent in the Lincoln Way market area, based on sales data available through the Multiple Listing Service of Northern Illinois (MLSNI).

The Lincoln Way market area includes the communities of Frankfort, Green Garden, Manhattan, Mokena, New Lenox and Wilton Center.

Home sales reported by the MLSNI totaled 1,010 in the Lincoln Way market area during 2007.

The top five real estate organizations in the Lincoln Way market area during 2007, in terms of sold listings, were RE/MAX with 345 (34.2 percent), Coldwell Banker with 165 (16.3 percent), Century 21 with 101 (10 percent), Realty Executives with 79 (7.8 percent) and Lincoln-Way Realty, Inc., with 46 (4.6 percent). Data maintained by the MLSNI may not reflect all real estate activity in a specific market area.

RE/MAX also led the Lincoln Way market in homes purchased. In 2007, RE/MAX agents represented buyers who purchased 29.5 percent of all listed homes sold in the Lincoln Way market, topping Coldwell Banker (18.4 percent), Century 21 (9.2 percent), Realty Executives (6.1 percent) and Baird & Warner and Van Witz Realty Services (tied at 2.4 percent).

During 2007, RE/MAX ranked as Chicagoland’s market-share leader, listing 20.3 percent of all homes sold. That continues an 18-year period during which RE/MAX maintained the number one position in the Chicagoland market. RE/MAX also continues to lead the suburban Chicago area, closing 26.2 percent of listings sold in 2007, an increase over the previous year when RE/MAX had a market share of 26.1 percent.