RE/MAX Homes Unlimited In Rock Falls Achieves Record One-Month Sales, With A Boost From Tax Credit

Office Thrives as Illinois Real Estate Sales Rebound

Broker/Owner Dave DeVries, RE/MAX Homes Unlimited, Rock Falls

October was a record breaking month for sales at RE/MAX Homes Unlimited in Rock Falls, Ill., and according to broker/owner David DeVries, the homebuyer tax credit, which recently was extended and enhanced by Congress and the Obama Administration, definitely played a role in stimulating housing demand in the Illinois real estate market. Statewide, home sales were up 24.3 percent in October, according to the Illinois Association of REALTORS®.

“Our office represented a combined total of 63 buyers and sellers in sales that closed during October, which is a one-month record for us. We believe that among 43 homes that changed hands, 60 percent were purchased by buyers who qualified for the tax credit available to home buyers,” said DeVries. “A majority of those taking advantage of the tax credit were young couples buying their first home, but we also had some buyers who were former homeowners and qualified for the credit because they hadn’t owned a residence for the last three years.”

DeVries noted that his office has doubled its roster of affiliated agents this year to 16, and that growth also contributed to setting the sales record. The previous one-month sales record for the office was 50 transaction sides. A transaction side is the term used by brokers when they represent either the buyer or seller in a transaction. In some instances, an office will represent the buyer and seller in the same transaction, resulting in two closed transaction sides.

“The most surprising thing about setting a new sales record is that it happened in October, which is typically not the busiest month for home sales,” DeVries explained. “Sales most often peak in June or July and then gradually decline through the third and fourth quarters, but the tax credit clearly changed that trajectory in 2009.”

DeVries believes the tax credit was an especially powerful incentive in a market like the Sterling/Rock Fall/Dixon area, where many homes sell for $100,000 or less.

“The average price of our residential transactions in October was $103,340. An $8,000 tax credit on that purchase is equal to 7.7 percent of the price. That is a significant discount compared to a situation where the buyer gets an $8,000 credit on a home costing $500,000,” he pointed out. “For that reason, we think the tax credit played a huge role in our October sales surge.”

RE/MAX Focus Marks Grand Opening In Lagrange

Outlook Upbeat as Metro Chicago Real Estate Market Rebounds

At the grand opening party for RE/MAX Focus in LaGrange, members of its leadership team were all smiles. They are Broker/Owners Rose Signorelli(left)and Paul Stepanovich (right), along with Larry Rossi, the office administrator.

RE/MAX Focus, the newest member of the RE/MAX network in the metropolitan Chicago real estate market, had good reason to celebrate on Nov. 12. Broker/owners Rose Signorelli and Paul Stepanovich threw open the doors of their new office to about 100 invited guests to mark its grand opening and also to toast the emerging rebound in the regional real estate market, where home sales in the third quarter rose 3.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

The guests, including village officials and real estate and mortgage lending professionals, got a first look at the 2,000-square-foot RE/MAX Focus facility located at 47 S. 6th Ave., La Grange, Ill. It offers a relaxing working environment that includes a fireplace in the reception area.

“We’re proud to be part of the RE/MAX network, which is number one in the Chicago area. We want to create an office that exemplifies market leadership,” said Stepanovich, who will act as managing broker. That means not only an attractive work area, but also one that provides a full-range of technologically advanced communications tools with staff able to make the most of that technology.

According to Signorelli, the office currently has seven agents on its roster and will be adding more in the next month.

“Our emphasis will be on building a spirit of energy and enthusiasm. At the same time, we will provide agents with the tools and training they need to deal with today’s real estate market, which is quite different than the one we worked in two years ago,” Signorelli said. “To be successful today, agents have to understand how to deal with distressed properties, whether those are foreclosures or short sale situations. My partner and I have strong backgrounds in that area and are happy to share our knowledge. We plan to be valuable and available resources for our agents.”

RE/MAX 1ST Service Celebrates Grand Opening Of Its Homer Glen Office

Headlining the grand opening of RE/MAX 1st Service in Homer Glen, Ill., were (from left) Jim Merrion, regional director of the RE/MAX network in Northern Illinois; Kathy O’Radnik, broker/owner of RE/MAX 1st Service, and Mayor Jim Daley of Homer Glen.

Another Milestone for Leading Network in Chicago Real Estate Market

RE/MAX 1st Service threw open its doors at 15915 S. Crystal Creek Drive in Homer Glen, Ill., on Nov. 5 to celebrate its grand opening with a reception for more than 75 guests. It was another milestone for RE/MAX, the leading brokerage network in the metropolitan Chicago real estate market.

Those on hand to mark the occasion, along with the office’s eight agents and three-person support staff, included government officials, real estate professionals and other members of the local business community, friends and family.

Kathy O’Radnik, broker/owner of the office joined with Jim Daley, mayor of Homer Glen, to cut the ceremonial ribbon officially opening the office, which has actually been in operation since May.

“We held off on holding the grand opening party until all the pieces were in place and the pace of real estate activity had slowed down a bit,” said O’Radnik, a resident of Orland Park, Ill., who has 30 years experience in real estate sales and sales management. “Opening this office has been my personal dream for quite a while, and I wanted every aspect fully functional for the party.”

A second highlight of the grand opening celebration at RE/MAX 1st Service was an appearance by a three-man uniformed color guard from the Orland Palos Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post, who helped dedicate an American flag that will be on permanent display in the office reception area. It serves as a tribute to both our troops and O’Radnik’s father.

“My dad served in a B-24 bomber crew during World War II. His plane went down, and he spent time in a prison camp in Italy. When he returned to our country, he was active in both the VFW and the American Legion. Especially with American troops now fighting overseas, I feel it is important to remember the sacrifice that these young Americans make, and the flag in our reception area will be a constant reminder,” she said.

O’Radnik was the first president of the Southwest Suburban Chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors®, currently serves as a member of the professional standards committee for the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors® and holds the Certified Residential Broker designation.

RE/MAX Agents Report Hope for the Holidays When it Comes to Illinois and Chicago Real Estate Sales

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