Search: Illinois Primary March 20 2018

Welcome to Illinois Association of REALTORS® Blog

Welcome to IARbuzz.com brought to you by the Illinois Association of REALTORS®, the “Voice for Real Estate in Illinois” and leading advocate for the rights of private property owners in the state and the real estate industry. Our 50,000+ members [...]

Continuing Education…All for One, One for All

We all know that the Broker Management CE requirement was designed for brokers only, but that course can also be taken by a salesperson or leasing agent if they really wanted to challenge themselves and they would actually get 6 [...]

How do we deal with Generation X/Y?

Before we begin I think I should tell you up front that I am one of them. I am at the tail end of Generation X.  While I was graduating from college the first of the Generation Y people were [...]

Clearing Up Misinformation on the License Law Rewrite

As you know, the Real Estate License Act of 2000 expires at the end of 2009, and an IAR-supported rewrite of the Act pending in the legislature is expected to pass in the veto session in October.  We've heard a little misinformation [...]

July Illinois Home Sales Up

IAR released July housing data today that showed positive signs for the Illinois housing market with month-to-month home sales up for the sixth consecutive month statewide and in the Chicagoland PMSA (the nine-county region including Cook, DeKalb, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, [...]

How the IAR Tech Guy Disconnects in a Connected World

Yes, even the most geeky of us must turn off the noise every now and then. During a recent camping trip in the mountains of Colorado, I learned a helpful life lesson on disconnecting myself in order to refresh myself. [...]

Get on the right track.

I've been a REALTOR® for over 20 years.  Frankly, what I remember of my first convention was a HANGOVER! (Maybe I'll start over!) It's happened.  The recovery has begun.  Even in Chicago the real estate market has provided sellers and buyers many unique opportunities— [...]

Making the Most of the Social Media Groundswell

What’s this term “Groundswell” all about? It’s about people getting what they need from each other through social technologies. I recently had the opportunity to hear Charlene Li, co-author of the book Groundswell..Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies [...]

What has YOUR HVCC Experience Been?

How do  YOU think the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) is impacting real estate transactions in your area? From NAR's Home Page on the HVCC, in case you are not familiar with the issue: "The Home Valuation Code of Conduct [...]

View the most recent IAR video podcast.

IAR President Pat Callan discusses foreclosure resources. Learn about state and federal programs in place where homeowners can seek assistance to avoid foreclosure.  Access the new REALTORS® Guide to Foreclosure Resources from www.illinoisrealtor.org.

Coming Soon! September Illinois REALTOR® Magazine

The September magazine is about to hit your mailbox. Here’s a look at what you’ll find inside. Follow the recommended steps from the Federal Trade Commission to protect yourself and your clients from identity theft in the story “On Guard.” Get [...]

Getting Started – Tapping the Power of Twitter

I’ll have to admit, when I first started using Twitter, I asked myself “What’s so great about Twitter?”  It takes a little bit of experimenting to really find your way around this social media tool, but not to worry.  This [...]

CE Lookup…Relax, you are covered!

What a joy to hear that some broker’s are already worried about their CE! I know, you are thinking it doesn’t take much to make my day, but when broker’s are calling more than 6 months out to see how [...]

®…small in size but important to your business.

It’s that little registration symbol (®) you can't quite figure out how to key-in on the computer. But don’t leave it out…you’ve worked hard to earn the title and respect of being a REALTOR®. Not every real estate licensee is [...]

Sixteen Candles

I received a telephone call from a gentleman that asked how I had been.  For a moment I thought I might know this person and he continued with “I talked to you about 10 years ago and you helped me [...]

NAR Reports Pending Index on Record Roll

The National Association of REALTORS® reported today that pending home sales have risen for six straight months, a pattern not seen since the index began in 2001. In NAR’s news release issued today Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the [...]

89 days 'til the tax credit ends

The National Association of REALTORS® estimates close to 2 million first-time buyers will take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit this year...and the clock is ticking! To qualify the transaction must close on or before November 30. Check out the tax [...]

Interest rates still at historic lows, a key driver

Heading into the fall home-buying season we have the added boost from the first-time buyer tax credit plus historically low mortgage interest rates. Who remembers back to the early 1980s when rates reached the high teens? People bought and sold [...]

Getting homeownership started with Home Start

Many homebuyers already know all about the federal $8,000 tax credit, an incentive that is credited with getting many first-time buyers off the fence in today's market. But are they as familiar with Home Start, a new loan program through [...]

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