New Chicago Real Estate Office, RE/MAX 1st In Elmhurst, Marks Its Grand Opening

Celebrating the July 9th grand opening of RE/MAX 1st at 129 W. First St., Elmhurst, are (from left) John Wassinger, managing broker of the office, and his three business partners, Ed Kress, Joe Delmonico and Mike Kress.

RE/MAX 1st of Elmhurst, Ill., celebrated its grand opening on July 9 with a cocktail party at the new office, located at 129 W. 1st St. in the Elmhurst town center. The event marked the official start of a new era of outstanding Chicago real estate service for the Elmhurst community.

Managing broker John Wassinger and his business partners, Ed and Mike Kress and Joe Delmonico, were all on hand to welcome more than 160 guests from all segments of the real estate industry, including agents, mortgage lenders, appraisers and attorneys.

The new office, already home to 17 agents, can accommodate up to 40, and offers a virtually paperless working environment featuring the best of contemporary technology that provides maximum mobility.

“Our emphasis is on providing the best possible support for our agents, whether that takes the form of communications technology or our outstanding support staff led by Kathy Pullia,” said Wassinger. “For example, we give all our agents access to a full range of the information and documents they’ll need on a day-to-day basis via their computer desktops.” Those include links to market data, contract and disclosure forms, and information about regulations, taxes and fees in each of the towns we serve.”

The current market place challenges agents to maximize their productivity because, frankly, transactions today can be more complex and the process of completing them more detailed than was the case a few years ago,” he said.

Fortunately, noted Wassinger, the residential real estate market in Elmhurst and nearby communities has remained fairly stable despite the widely noted problems with home sales nationwide.
“We are seeing relatively few foreclosures and short sales in our area, so while the pace of sales is slower than it was at the height of the housing boom, home values are holding up quite well and the area isn’t facing the kind of challenges that a larger number of distressed properties can create,” he said.

RE/MAX Agents in Northern Illinois Report Chicago Real Estate Market Attracting Growing Number of First-Time Buyers

Read article here
http://blog.illinoisproperty.com/2009/08/remax-welcomes-colombia-and-morocco-to.html

RE/MAX Welcomes Colombia And Morocco To Its Global Network

RE/MAX expands into Morocco and Columbia

Expansion a Plus for Many Customers in Metro Chicago Real Estate Market
RE/MAX International, Inc., recently welcomed the countries of Colombia and Morocco to its growing global franchise network, which now boasts offices in more than 70 countries. The international growth of RE/MAX is especially welcome in major U.S. population centers, such as the metro Chicago real estate market, where a diverse population, including many immigrants, has strong personal and commercial ties to other countries.

“The RE/MAX presence in Columbia is most welcome,” said Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX northern Illinois real estate network, “because there are thousands of Chicago-area residents with deep connections to that country.”

Since the beginning of 2009, seven countries and territories have joined the RE/MAX network, and RE/MAX International has sold nearly 300 franchises worldwide.

“These are exciting times for RE/MAX International and for these new regional owners,” said William Soteroff, senior vice president of international development at RE/MAX International. “Both RE/MAX Colombia and RE/MAX Morocco have the potential to bring a new professionalism to the real estate industry and provide added value to homebuyers and sellers in those nations.”

Leaders of the two new regions, Soufiane Elaamili and Mehdi Belaabas from Morocco, and Francisco Paillie and Nestor Arenas from Colombia, were at RE/MAX International headquarters in Denver recently for the formal signing.

“We want to be affiliated with the best in the world, which is why we chose RE/MAX,” said Elaamili, general manager of RE/MAX Morocco. “Our biggest challenge will be managing growth, as people in our country and around the world want to join RE/MAX for its brand name and reputation of having the most exceptional real estate agents.”

RE/MAX Morocco will be headquartered in Casablanca, and Elaamili and Belaabas hope to rapidly open offices while building a network of trained, professional real estate agents.

Morocco is located in North Africa and has a population of nearly 34 million. The country’s real estate market is growing with an influx of foreign investors and an increase in homeownership among the Moroccan middle class. While the real estate industry is still unregulated, RE/MAX Morocco will make training and education available to real estate professionals in the region.

RE/MAX Colombia franchise owners Paillie and Arenas also plan to open a host of new offices in and around their headquarters in Bogota, the nation’s capital. They know the RE/MAX brand name will be an added asset in recruiting experienced agents.
“Homebuyers and sellers in Colombia will appreciate working with RE/MAX real estate agents because they are trained professionals who know the local market and have extensive experience,” said Paillie.

Colombia is the fourth largest country in South America but is the second largest in population with close to 45 million residents. The Colombian government is focused on improving the country’s real estate market and recently created new incentives for homebuyers that Arenas and Paillie believe will improve sales throughout Colombia’s major population centers.

RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon Plans Educational Visit At Charles Sahs School In Stickney Township On Sept. 4

Program Sponsored by RE/MAX Northern Illinois Real Estate Network

The students at Charles J. Sahs School, 5001 S. Long Ave. in Stickney Township, Ill., will start their school year with an exciting introduction to hot air ballooning thanks to a visit from the RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon and its crew on Sept. 4. The visit is part of an on-going interactive educational program developed and sponsored by the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network.

The 425 students at Sahs 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 9 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.