Create professional development programs that help REALTORS® strengthen their businesses.
Protect private property rights and promote the value of REALTORS®.
Advance ethics enforcement programs that increase REALTOR® professionalism.
Protect REALTORS® by providing legal guidance and education.
Stay current on industry issues with daily news from Illinois REALTORS®, network with other professionals, attend a seminar, and keep up with industry trends through events throughout the year.
Buy vs. own
A new study from the homebuilder PulteGroup finds that many renters aspire to become homeowners. According to the study, among “renters who plan to purchase a home in the future, 60% have “increased their intent” to do so from a year ago, meaning they are inclined to hop off the sidelines,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
In other news:
Homebuyers taking another look at short sales
Short sale activity has grown significantly in the Kane County and Chicagoland area in recent years with buyers looking for deals and lenders becoming more willing to approve short sales as an alternative to foreclosures, the Kane County Chronicle reports.
Cook County pushes for property tax exemption bill
Cook County wants the state to crack down on homeowners who erroneously claim property tax exemptions, but the Illinois Association of REALTORS® is opposed to a provision in the bill that would allow the county to place a lien on the property for the amount owed, even in cases where there wasn’t knowing or willful intent to give false information, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
“We are afraid that you’re going to get a lot of people unwittingly caught up in this,” said Jon Broadbooks, the group’s communications director. “A lot of people don’t understand property tax bills.”
Congrats to Illinois REALTOR® Dean Rouso
Rouso, the managing broker of Baird & Warner in LaGrange, has been awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) Multiple Listing Service. Rouso is a former president of MRED and is involved in the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS®, as well as the Illinois and National Association of REALTORS®. Read more in Chicago Agent Magazine.
