Realty Executives Midwest
From our proprietary technology suite to industry-leading support and training, everything we do is designed to make our agents more productive - and it’s working. Our agents close 49% more transaction sides than the industry average, according to RISMedia’s 2018 Power Broker Report.
Realty Executives Midwest in Darien, IL held their annual holiday luncheon, a tradition held for over 25 years, on December 19th, 2018.
This event is held to honor and give recognition to the Executives and the rest of the team for their outstanding job! Special guests included Alysia Heun, Vice President of Realty Executives International, and Sue Wiskowksi-Fair, co-founder of Realty Executives Illinois.
At this event, the agents and support team were acknowledged for any special achievements as well as sales production. Rosa Andersen was awarded the Top Producer of 2018 - an incredible achievement based on volume/commission closed during the year.
Other award-winners include:
100% Gold Club: Deneen Ruffolo
100% Silver Club: Regina Macionis, Kevin Vargas, Kathy Meyer, Joe Kenny, Joan Wayman
Chairman's Club: Alison Walker, Rani Bajaj
Executive Club: Janet Tunget, Brian Bischoff
President's Club: Judy Viskocil, Terri Knorps, Melanie Ruta, and Mark Sotir
Rookie of the Year: Chris Nava
Realty Executives Midwest would also to congratulate Judy Viskocil for earning the coveted Realtor® Emeritus status & celebrating 40 years in real estate, and also to theirmultiple agents who had career-high sales records.
Jana Pinc, Managing Broker, comments:
"I am utterly grateful to all the wonderful members of our team whose loyalty, dedication and enthusiasm has not only made our success possible but also has made the journey exciting. I feel honored to be the managing broker of this office."
In additon, Realty Executives Midwest was also awarded the Agents' Choice Award from Realty Executives International. Alysia Heun, VP of REI, comments:
"At Realty Executives International's 2018 West Coast Conference, leading brokerages were recognized for their year-over-year accomplishments in the areas of growth, retention and market leadership....On behalf of all of us at our international headquarters, we congratulate you on recieving the Agents Choice Award! This award represents stability, consistency, and retention, with award winners retaining more than 20 Executives year-over-year.....Earning the Agent's choice award is a reflection of your Executives' confidence in you, as well as your dedication and incredible hard work."
Hosting family and friends during the holiday can be stressful. Crazy relatives, little ones and of course the family dog, all in one place with different opinions, expectations and food allergies. It may seem chaotic at first, but the tips below can offer some solutions to make you and your home the hit of the holidays.
Set a Budget
As we all know, things can add up quickly. From buying groceries to feed a large group, decorations, drinks and more, the amount you want to spend needs to be set before you start preparing. If you’re working on a smaller budget, cut out some of the more expensive items, like lavish table settings or décor. Also, it’s a called a gathering for a reason! Have your friends or family pitch in and bring their favorite dish to share to avoid a hefty grocery bill.
Your House, Your Rules
Don’t feel like just because you are hosting a special celebration that you can’t set some rules or boundaries. If there are areas of the home where you would rather not have guests or any antiques that are valuable and may break with little ones around, don’t be afraid to tell your guests not to go into certain spaces! For any fragile items, probably just best to hide them in a safe place till the party’s over.
Have you Holiday Supplies Ready
The holidays can require a lot more than just your average dinner party so make sure to prepare when agreeing to host. Kitchen accessories such as carving boards, gravy boats and pie dishes are generally needed to host a winter feast. Most people don’t use these on daily basis so make sure to take inventory of the kitchen before the big day.
Make Room: The More the Merrier
Whether it’s inside the fridge or the guest rooms, you’re going to need extra space when hosting family and friends. Although the food is delicious, all the dishes are huge! With all the holiday dishes, you are going to need some extra shelf space, so make sure to clean out and organize your fridge
Guest rooms tend to be used as storage when not in use, so if you have guests staying over, remove your clutter and make their space comfortable.
Take a Moment
Cooking, cleaning and keeping a smile on for days is exhausting. Before guests arrive take 30 minutes to yourself and take in all your hard work. Cozy up with some wine or hot chocolate and watch that Hallmark movie you’ve seen on commercials all week. Spend some time with your immediate family too! They have been just as stressed out and you won’t have as much alone time once that doorbell rings.
If you don’t have time before, step out and take a breath after dinner before gifts, movies or the games begin. This is your holiday too, enjoy it.
Article Taken from Realty Executives International
Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com
You keep Current. Your Property Site Should Too
First things first: You wouldn’t read last month’s Vanity Fair for the latest cafe society gossip, right? So you shouldn’t browse property sites that show old listings.
Get the latest listings from realtor.com®, which pulls its information every 15 minutes from the Multiple Listing Service(MLS),regional databases where real estate agents post listings for sale. That means that realtor.com®’s listings are more accurate than some others, like Zillow and Trulia, which may update less often. You wouldn’t want to get your heart a flutter for a house that’s already off the market.
The Best Properties Aren't Always The Best Looking
A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. But what they don’t say is a picture can also hide a thousand cracked floorboards, busted boilers, and leaky pipes. So while it’s natural to focus on photos while browsing, make sure to also consider the property description and other key features.
Each realtor.com® listing, for example, has a “property details” section that may specify important information such as the year the home was built, price per square foot, and how many days the property has been on the market.
Ultimately though, ask your real estate agent to help you interpret what you find. The best agents have hyper-local knowledge of the market and may even know details and histories of some properties. If a listing seems too good to be true, your agent will likely know why.
Treat Your Agent like your Bestie
At the end of the day, property sites are like CliffsNotes for a neighborhood: They show you active listings, sold properties, home prices, and sales histories. All that data will give you a working knowledge, but it won’t be exhaustive.
To assess all of this information — and gather facts about any home you’re eyeing, like how far the local elementary school is from the house or where the closest Soul Cycle is — talk to your real estate agent. An agent who can paint a picture of the neighborhood is an asset.
An agent who can go beyond that and deliver the dish on specific properties is a true friend indeed, more likely to guide you away from homes with hidden problems, and more likely to save you the time of visiting a random listing (when you could otherwise be in the park playing with your canine bestie).
Just remember: You’re probably not going to find that “perfect home” while browsing listings on your smartphone. Instead, consider the online shopping experience to be an amuse bouche to the home-buying entree — a good way for you to get a taste of the different types of homes that are available and a general idea of what else is out there.
Once you’ve spent that time online, you’ll be ready to share what you’ve learned with an agent.
Article taken from House Logic
Realty Executives Midwest
1310 Plainfield Rd. Ste 2 | Darien, IL 60561
Office: 630-969-8880
E-Mail: experts@realtyexecutives.com
Realty Executives agents are real estate experts. They have the education and expertise you need to navigate through the process of buying or selling a home. From listing at the right price to making the best offer, our Executives have witnessed the best - and most regrettable - decisions homeowners and homebuyers can make. Every day, they are immersed in every aspect of real estate that includes comparable home price analysis, property surveys, credit reports, open houses, HOA agreements, lenders, title companies, homeowners’ insurance, walk-throughs, terms of sale or purchase, repairs, concessions and closing documents. Let our accomplished Executives help navigate you through the process of buying or selling a home.
