Elgin Real Estate Expert Takes Helm At RE/MAX Horizon, Elgin

Elgin real estate expert Ron Ewing is the new broker/owner of RE/MAX Horizon located at 374 McLean Blvd., Elgin, Illinois. He acquired the franchise from long-time broker/owner Dean Gillman.

RE/MAX Horizon continues to be the top Elgin real estate office in annual sales closed, based on information from Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC. It also ranked among the Top 25 RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate offices for closed transactions in 2007 and recently was named to the Up and Comers list in the 2008 Real Trends 500, an annual national survey of leading real estate offices.

The office currently is home to 30 agents.

Ewing, 49, entered the real estate industry six years ago as a sales agent and immediately affiliated with RE/MAX. Prior to that time, Ewing, a life-long resident of Elgin, worked for 17 years as a technology management professional with an international accounting firm.

“Having been a sales associate at RE/MAX Horizon for my entire real estate career, I know the office well and appreciate the skills of our outstanding group of agents,” said Ewing. “They provide exceptional client representation and deliver admirable results no matter what the market conditions.”

Ewing’s plans for the office include implementing some new training programs for agents along with a number of technological improvements.

“Given my background in technology, I’m committed to keeping this office at the head of the pack in terms of using technology to make things easier and more productive for our agents and their clients,” said Ewing.

Along with enhancing this office, Ewing plans to take on a significant role in the local real estate community.

“Just as it is a privilege for me to assume the leadership role at RE/MAX Horizon, I feel it is important to help address the broader challenges that face our industry,” Ewing said.

“Our goal continues to be to maintain and grow our leadership in real estate sales by providing excellent service and expertise to our clients, while also providing valuable input and leadership to the Realtor® community. By doing do, the public is ultimately served,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of RE/MAX Northern Illinois. “Ron Ewing is on the right path to accomplishing both of these objectives.”

Sycamore Real Estate Office Makes New Start, Grounded In Years Of Successful Experience

The popular Sycamore real estate office that has long been a fixture in Sycamore, IL., is being reshaped from the ground up with new leadership, a revamped identity and a new location in town. But its primary calling card remains a pool of highly experienced agents and a well-seasoned management team.

In fact, the franchise, now located at 1430 DeKalb Ave., has been renamed RE/MAX Experience to emphasize the wealth of real estate knowledge its agents offer to buyers and sellers, according to Tom Skora, the new broker/owner. Skora has been a real estate professional in Sycamore for more than 20 years.

“Not only do each of our agents have substantial experience, but we are also committed to making sure that the clients we serve have the best possible real estate experience when buying or selling property,” said Skora, who has lived in DeKalb, Illinois for the last 30 years.

Skora said his decision to move to RE/MAX and acquire his own franchised office is an outgrowth of the changes that have been transforming the real estate industry.

“A real estate office now has to be quite a different place than it was a decade ago,” he asserted. “First, you need the technological tools – computers, phone systems, video equipment, etc. – that are now basic parts of how a state-of-the-art real estate office operates and allows agents to be in touch with their clients no matter where they are.

“Second, you need less office space because those same tools now enable agents to work effectively almost anywhere, whether that is the front seat of their car or a home office.

Skora feels RE/MAX has the systems in place to help agents make the most out of those new tools. He points particularly to the RE/MAX Chicago and Illinois real estate web site www.illinoisproperty.com, as an example of the leadership RE/MAX offers in the technology area.

“It is an extremely user friendly site that allows buyers and sellers to search for properties around the world, but at the same time, each agent can work with it to create a personal Web site to market listings and promote his or her services.”

Skora’s plans for the office include a move away from tradition with the elimination of private desks. Instead, when an agent has work to do in the new RE/MAX Experience office, he or she can take a seat at any of 10 work stations that happens to be open and use any of the office’s laptop computers with wireless Internet access, according to Skora.

A third reason Skora chose to affiliate with RE/MAX when opening his own office was the strength of the RE/MAX Northern Illinois network.

“A goodly number of buyers for property in the Sycamore area now and in the future will be coming from the Chicago metro area, where RE/MAX is the top seller of residential real estate,” noted Skora. “Being part of the RE/MAX referral system will give us a strong connection to that pool of buyers.”

According to Skora, he also hopes to broaden the business focus of the office, formerly called RE/MAX Gold, by expanding his agents’ involvement in commercial real estate and the marketing of land for development.

“Tom brings a great combination of vision, energy and experience to his new role of broker/owner, and we are confident that the office has a bright future of service to Sycamore and the broader DeKalb County area,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of RE/MAX Northern Illinois.

Palatine, IL Real Estate Expert Schedules RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon Visit To Whiteley School In Hoffman Estates On May 28

Students at Frank C. Whiteley Elementary School, 4335 Haman Ave., Hoffman Estates, Ill., will learn about hot air ballooning when the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew visit the school on May 28 to present a special interactive educational program. The visit is part of an on-going balloon education program developed by RE/MAX Northern Illinois. Hoffman Estates and Palatine real estate expert Roberta Del Giudice of RE/MAX Unlimited Northwest, in Palatine, Illinois is sponsoring this event.

The students at Whiteley 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.

This program will be presented twice, at 9:45 and 10:45 a.m., and will help the students learn more about ballooning and how it relates to the subjects they study in school. It will be held in the school gymnasium.