RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon Visits Columbia Explorers Academy Elementary School

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 Columbia Explorers Academy Elementary School, 4520 S. Kedzie Ave. in the Brighton Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL. The burners are used to heat the air inside the balloon, causing it to rise. The demonstration took place May 18 when the RE/MAX balloon and its crew visited the school to present an educational program.

RE/MAX hot air balloon to make educational visit to st. Richard elementary school in chicago on June 2

Program Sponsored By RE/MAX Northern Illinois Real Estate Network

The students at St. Richard Elementary School, 5025 S. Kenneth Ave. in Archer Heights neighborhood of Chicago, Ill., will get an exciting introduction to hot air ballooning when the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew visit the school on June 2. The visit is part of an on-going interactive educational program developed and sponsored by the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

The 310 students and staff at St. Richard 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 in the gymnasium at 9:15 a.m. As part of the educational experience, the balloon envelope will be inflated with cold air so that students can walk inside it.
Students also will go outside for a demonstration of the balloon basket and its propane burners, which heat air to lift the balloon.

RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon To Make Educational Visit To Disney Magnet School In Chicago On May 29

Program Sponsored by RE/MAX Northern Illinois Real Estate Network

The students at Walt Disney Magnet School, 4140 N. Marine Dr., Chicago, IL, will get an exciting introduction to hot air ballooning when the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew visit the school on May 29. The visit is part of an on-going interactive educational program developed and sponsored by the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

The 1,500 students and staff at Disney Magnet 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 8:20 a.m. and 9:20 a.m. outdoors on the school grounds, weather permitting, but can be moved indoors if required. The balloon envelope will be inflated with hot air to its full 75-foot height if the program is held outdoors. If the program moves indoors, the envelope is inflated with cold air so that students can walk inside it.

RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon To Make Educational Visit To Garfield School In Maywood On June 3

Program Sponsored by RE/MAX Northern Illinois Real Estate Network

The students at Garfield Elementary School, 1514 S. 9th Ave. in Maywood, Ill., will get an exciting introduction to hot air ballooning when the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew visit the school on June 3. The visit is part of an on-going interactive educational program developed and sponsored by the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

The 500 students and staff at Garfield 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 offered three times that day, starting at 9 a.m., in the school gymnasium, so that all students will have a chance to participate. During the presentation, the balloon envelope will be inflated with cold air so that students can walk inside it.
Students also will go outside for a demonstration of the balloon basket and its propane burners, which heat air to lift the balloon.

First Quarter Sales Data Show Market Share Gain For RE/MAX In Chicago Real Estate Market

The RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network saw its market share of home sales in the City of Chicago, Illinois, increase from 6.5 percent at the end of 2008 to 8 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2009. As a result, RE/MAX now ranks third among brokerages in the Chicago real estate market based on residential transactions closed, according to data from Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the regional multiple listing service.

RE/MAX was the only brokerage organization with more than a 4 percent share of the city market in 2008 to gain market share during the first quarter of this year. Other firms in the 2008 top six and their market shares at year-end 2008 and for the first quarter are:

Coldwell Banker – 12.1 percent to 11.3 percent
@Properties – 9 percent to 8.4 percent
GMAC – 6.7 percent to 4.4 percent
Century 21 – 6.2 percent to 3.7 percent
Baird & Warner – 4.8 percent to 3.9 percent

“For the last several years, we’ve been heavily focused on increasing awareness of the RE/MAX brand and growing our market share in the City of Chicago, so these are gratifying results,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

“I’d say the major reason we gained share while other top firms did not is the skill of our agents and their ability to work effectively in the most active portions of a market that has been slowing significantly,” Merrion said. “We were among the first organizations to offer our agents training in working with distressed properties, whether that is a foreclosure or a short-sale situation, and that has been a key component of our market share gain.”

According to MRED data, RE/MAX agents were involved in the sale of 136 distressed properties in Chicago during the first quarter out of 978 that changed hands, a market share of 14 percent.

Merrion noted that a second factor in the increased market share achieved by RE/MAX in the city was the substantial slowdown in sales of condominiums, even as sales of detached homes improved. In the first quarter of 2009, sales of attached homes, which are primarily condominiums, fell 50 percent in the city. Sales of detached city homes rose 9 percent.

“In recent years, many city Realtors® have focused heavily or even exclusively on the condo market because it was so strong. Our agents understand that markets change over time, and what is hot today may be cool tomorrow, so they tend to take a more balanced approach to the business,” he said.

The market share percentages are based on the number of transactions completed on behalf of buyers and sellers by the agents of each brokerage organization. If agents from the same organization represent both the buyer and seller in a transaction, it counts as two transactions for market share purposes.

RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon To Make Educational Visit To Coonley School In Chicago On May 28

Program Sponsored by RE/MAX Northern Illinois Real Estate Network

The students at John C. Coonley Elementary School, 4046 N. Leavitt St., in North Center neighborhood of Chicago, IL, will get an exciting introduction to hot air ballooning when the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew visit the school on May 28. The visit is part of an on-going interactive educational program developed and sponsored by the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

The 320 students and staff at Coonley 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 begin at 9:30 a.m. outdoors on the school grounds, weather permitting, and will then move to the school gymnasium for the final portion of the presentation. The balloon envelope will be inflated with hot air to its full 75-foot height if the program is held outdoors.

When weather conditions are unfavorable, the entire program can be moved indoors where cold air is used to inflate the balloon envelope so that students can walk inside it.