A new Chicago real estate franchise has come to Elmhurst, Ill., where the first RE/MAX office in Illinois opened in 1977. In a bow to that history, the new office has been named RE/MAX 1st, and it is located at 129 W. 1st Street in the Elmhurst town center.
The office is owned by three long-time friends, Michael and Edward Kress and John Wassinger, who first met while attending junior high school. Wassinger, 51, has been a Chicago real estate broker since 1986 and will serve as the managing broker of RE/MAX 1st. Mike Kress, 49, and Ed Kress, 50, are experienced builders and general contractors and handled the build out of the new office in what was once a bakery. Both Kress brothers live in the nearby Bensenville area.
“By locating in the town center, we have given ourselves great visibility, as well as the opportunity to build a strong relationship with other members of the business community,” said Wassinger.
The space will accommodate up to 40 agents, and according to Wassinger, it will be a virtually paperless office featuring the best of contemporary technology.
“We want to create one of the most agent-centric environments in the metropolitan Chicago real estate community, with emphasis on agent support and on the best technology to make agents’ lives easier and more productive,” said Wassinger. He noted that the office support staff is headed by Kathy Pullia, who brings 27 years of real estate experience to the job.
“The agents in our office serve a number of communities in both Cook and DuPage counties, but being based in Elmhurst is a real plus for us because the Elmhurst real estate market has remained remarkably stable recently,” Wassinger said. In 2008, 448 homes were sold, compared to 478 in 2007. The average time required to sell a home rose to 194 days in 2008 from 181 days in 2007.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
RE/MAX 1ST, A Chicago Real Estate Office, Opens In Elmhurst
