RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon To Make Educational Visit To Countee Cullen School In Chicago On April 14

RE/MAX School Balloon program

Program Sponsored by RE/MAX Northern Illinois Real Estate Network

The students at Countee Cullen School, 10650 S. Eberhart Ave. on South Side of Chicago will get an exciting introduction to hot air ballooning when the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew visit the school on April 14. The visit is part of an on-going interactive educational program developed by the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

The 150 students and staff at Cullen will learn about various aspects of ballooning, including its history, the scientific principles involved and a demonstration on how the balloon functions. The program will be presented at 1:15 p.m. in the school gymnasium where the balloon envelope will be inflated with cold air so that students can walk inside it as part of the educational presentation.

RE/MAX Offices In Rock Falls And Sterling Add Agents As Illinois Real Estate Market Shows Resilience

The RE/MAX offices in Rock Falls and Sterling, Ill., are expanding while a majority of real estate brokerages in the Illinois real estate market and nationwide are reducing their agent headcount.

RE/MAX Homes Unlimited in Rock Falls and RE/MAX Sauk Valley in Sterling have effectively doubled their staff of agents in the last few weeks due largely to the recent closing of a major competitor and a sense of optimism about the Illinois real estate market, especially in the Dixon-Rock Falls-Sterling market area.
RE/MAX Sauk Valley, the larger of the two offices, has added 10 agents and now has 22 agents on staff. RE/MAX Homes Unlimited grew from eight to 16 agents. In both cases the new agents were formerly associated with the Sterling office of Mel Foster Co., which closed effective Feb. 13.

“You hear and read a lot of discouraging news about the real estate market nationally, but the fact is that in our area home prices have remained remarkably stable and have even increased,” said Tim McCaslin, who along with James Cesarek and John Rosengren, owns RE/MAX Sauk Valley. “Like many areas in the Illinois real estate market, ours didn’t see the big increase in home prices that occurred in much of the nation from 1997 to 2006, and as a result, we aren’t seeing the same kind of declines.”

According to the Illinois Association of Realtors®, the median price of the average home sold in Lee County in 2008 was 6.2 percent higher than during the prior year. For Whiteside County, the increase was 7.4 percent. That compares to a 7.8 percent decline for home prices statewide, and a 5.5 percent dip in the metropolitan Chicago real estate market.

According to McCaslin, he and his partners expect the local market to continue on its present track, and that is why they were anxious to add a number of the experienced agents who had been affiliated with Mel Foster Co.
David DeVries, broker/owner of RE/MAX Homes Unlimited, said his decision to bring a total of nine new agents into his Rock Falls office last month was based on similar reasoning.

“These are experienced Illinois real estate professionals who have established reputations in the community, and we are delighted to welcome them to our RE/MAX team,” DeVries said. “Fortunately, we had the physical space in our office to accommodate them comfortably. Then, along with providing the Internet and phone services they needed, we quickly expanded our office staff to be sure our new agents have ample support. It took a couple of days to get everything up and running, but things are going smoothly now.”

Patti Sword, the former manager of the Mel Foster office in Sterling, is one of the agents moving to RE/MAX Sauk Valley. She views the new arrangement as a plus for the local real estate market.

“With more local agents operating under the RE/MAX banner, there should be greater coordination of services, and I am looking forward to tapping the broader educational and technical resources that RE/MAX offers,” said Sword.

Keys to Successfully Marketing Homes are Changing in Illinois Real Estate Market, Says RE/MAX Agents

Read article here
http://www.prweb.com/releases/chicago_real_estate/real_estate_marketing/prweb2270254.htm

RE/MAX Hub City In Rochelle Acquires Prairie State Realtors

John Bearrows, RE/MAX Hub City

Move Underscores Strength of North Central Illinois Real Estate Market

RE/MAX Hub City in Rochelle, Ill., has announced the acquisition of Prairie State Realtors®, also of Rochelle. As a result of the transaction, which was completed on Feb. 23, RE/MAX Hub City expanded its sales force to 11 licensed agents to capitalize on the continuing strength of the north central Illinois real estate market. The Prairie State office at 1056 Lincoln Hwy. was closed.

“In what has been a difficult real estate market generally, we’ve been very fortunate to enjoy a high level of activity for both our real estate brokerage and auction services, so we are extremely pleased to add top quality agents to our organization,” said John Bearrows, broker/owner of RE/MAX Hub City and its sister firm, Bearrows Real Estate & Auction Co. “We needed to expand our team of Illinois real estate professionals, and we now have added an outstanding group of agents.”

In late 2007, RE/MAX Hub City moved into new office space at 361 W. Hwy. 38. The former residence was totally remodeled as part of its conversion to a real estate office and offers ample space for the Prairie State agents now joining the RE/MAX Hub City team. They are Vickie Pemberton, Cathie Dame and Tonya Sarver. In addition to working with clients, Pemberton will be assisting with day-to-day sales management, according to Bearrows, who operates the real estate office in partnership with his wife Dina.

Bearrows reports that the company has expanded its average inventory of listed properties by about 50 percent in the last few years, growth he attributes to the full-service character of his business operation and its commitment to contributing to the community.

“The fact that we offer real estate services and auction services, and can also provide cleanup and moving services as needed, lets clients address a wide range of needs in one place. It makes the process of buying or selling easier, and that has allowed us to attract a growing percentage of referral and repeat business,” said Bearrows. “That’s very satisfying because it lets you know your customers like what you are doing for them.”

Bearrows opened his first real estate office in Rochelle 13 years ago as a compliment to his auction service, which he has operated since 1975. His real estate office joined the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network in 2003.

RE/MAX Announces Plans For Expanded Agent Training To Deal With Rising Supply Of Distressed Properties

Illinois Real Estate Market Among Those Expected to Benefit

RE/MAX International has announced that it has reached an agreement with the Distressed Property Institute that will allow RE/MAX International to produce and distribute customized training courses that lead to the professional title of Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE). The agreement will help RE/MAX agents deal with the swelling supply of distressed properties for sale in many parts of the United States, including the Illinois real estate market.
The institute has licensed its two-day, 12 ½ -hour CDPE course for broadcast on the RE/MAX Satellite Network (RSN) and for DVD sales to RE/MAX sales associates.

According to Dave Liniger, chairman and co-founder of RE/MAX, distressed properties currently make up as much as 50 percent of the available properties in some real estate markets. Distressed properties include homes on which a foreclosure action has been completed, as well as homes in the foreclosure process or homes for which current market value is less than the principal balance on the existing mortgage loan or loans.

More RE/MAX agents already have taken the CDPE training than agents affiliated with any other brokerage organization. To date, RE/MAX agents represent approximately 25 percent of all those who have taken the CDPE course. The Distressed Property Institute, with locations in Boca Raton, Fla. and Austin, Texas, was founded by Alex and Cadey Charfen and began offering CDPE training in January 2008.

“We are looking forward to enhanced access to the CDPE training. RE/MAX Northern Illinois responded quickly to the growing inventory of distressed properties by creating a training program 2 ½ years ago, developed by Nancy Freeman, broker/owner of RE/MAX Realty of Joliet. It gave our associates the additional skills needed to work successfully with all categories of distressed properties, and we continue to offer that training on a regular basis,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

“Quite a few areas within the Illinois real estate market are confronting a sizable inventory of foreclosed homes or situations where homeowners are either facing foreclosure or owe more to their lender than the current market value of their home. Many of these homes will have to be sold, and the more we can do to assist in their disposition, the larger contribution we can make in stabilizing the Illinois housing market,” he said.

RE/MAX International Honors Paul Wells Of Barrington With Distinguished Service Award

Paul Wells, RE/MAX of Barrington

Chicago Real Estate Expert Wins National Award for Industry Contributions

Paul Wells, broker/owner of RE/MAX of Barrington and one of the top sales producers in the northern Illinois real estate market, recently was honored by RE/MAX International with its Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes those who have made outstanding contributions to the RE/MAX organization and the real estate industry over an extended period.
Wells has been a real estate professional for nearly 25 years and joined RE/MAX of Barrington in 1987, finally acquiring the office in 2002. RE/MAX of Barrington, which then had 20 agents, has since expanded to more than 40 agents and added a second location.

Wells has consistently ranked among the Top 20 RE/MAX sales producers in Northern Illinois. In 2007, his team, which includes several other licensed agents, ranked 8th. In 2006, Wells’ team ranked 7th. Rankings for 2008 will be announced in April at the annual RE/MAX Northern Illinois awards ceremony.

A resident of Barrington, IL, Wells is originally from Park Ridge, Ill. He is a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame, which recognizes career achievement. He also has earned the real estate designations Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE).

“Paul Wells is not only a pleasure to work with but is an incredible asset to our RE/MAX regional network and the entire RE/MAX organization,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX network in northern Illinois. “The honor he received is richly deserved.”

New RE/MAX Office To Open In La Grange

Paul Stepanovich(Left) Rose Signorelli (Right)

RE/MAX Focus Will Help Network Expand Leadership in Illinois Real Estate

The RE/MAX network has long been the leader in the metropolitan Chicago real estate market, as well as in the LaGrange market area, and now plans have been announced to establish a new RE/MAX office in LaGrange, IL. The new office, to be called RE/MAX Focus, is expected to open its doors within three months.

The broker/owners of RE/MAX Focus are Rose Signorelli and Paul Stepanovich, both of whom have extensive experience in the metropolitan Chicago real estate market and also bring varied business backgrounds to their partnership.

According to Stepanovich, who will serve as managing broker of the new office, he and his partner were drawn to LaGrange for two primary reasons.

“This is a great area with an outstanding mix of homes in almost all price ranges and LaGrange offers a central location and access to major roads that will let us serve many other communities in the western suburbs,” he said.

The new office will be located at 47 S. 6th Ave., and while the doors aren’t ready to open just yet, the partners have a clear idea of the kind of office environment they want to create, according to Signorelli.

“Our emphasis will be on building a spirit of energy and enthusiasm, while also providing the tools and training that make our agents successful and ensure they deliver outstanding service to every client. I want to take a very hands-on approach in working with our agents,” she said

Stepanovich adds that the new office will stress a team approach to real estate that makes full use of contemporary technology.

A resident of Berwyn, Ill., Stepanovich became a real estate agent in 2001 after working in the restaurant industry and for the Chicago Board of Trade. He focuses on working with foreclosure and lender-owned properties in the Chicago real estate market.

“We recognize that the real estate market faces a number of challenges right now, but we are creating this office for the long term,” said Stepanovich. “My skills in dealing with foreclosed properties are quite relevant right now and are something I’ll be sharing with all our agents. What’s more, the recent decline in home values, while not that large in the LaGrange area, has made home buying more affordable, and when the economy stabilizes, we expect to see a strong level of activity emerge.”

Signorelli entered the real estate business with RE/MAX in 1990. Two years later, she became a closing officer for a title company and then operated her own real estate investment, development and property management businesses before rejoining RE/MAX in 2002. She lives in Chicago’s Jefferson Park neighborhood.

“While Paul is something of a specialist, I have a very broad background in Chicago real estate, both residential and commercial, as an agent, as an owner and as a property manager, so Paul and I have the makings of a great team. Our strengths should be complementary,” Signorelli said.