RE/MAX agents are simply the best in the industry. They stand head and shoulders above the crowd in the two most meaningful measurements: total number of closed transaction sides and average number of transaction sides per agent.

In the Chicago area, often referred to as “RE/MAX of Northern Illinois” these outstanding agent have maintained almost a 25% market share, quite impressive.

Nationally RE/MAX Sales Associates averaged 13.5 transaction sides, 165% greater than Keller Williams agents and they averaged 85% more transaction sides than Coldwell Banker.

If you are thinking about buying or selling any real estate wouldn’t it make sense to call the best, call Roger Lautt of RE/MAX Vision at 312-752-4500 or visit www.WeSellChicago.com to find out more.

The 5th and last mistake to avoid when selling your Chicago Home is to “Not hiring a professional real estate agent” or perhaps hiring the wrong agent. We are currently in a buyers market so the FSBOs (For Sale By Owners) are at a real disadvantage. Ninety-five percent of today’s buyers are working with buyer agents, in the purchase of their new home, condo or loft. In this market only about 2% of successful Chicago Home sales are FSBO.

It may be unwise to hire an agent that doesn’t know the area very well or that doesn’t know the home values in your neighborhood. Word-of-mouth or referrals from friends and neighbors are usually a good place to start in selecting your agent. Look for someone who has an established track record that knows how to use state of the art technology. In this environment, experience isn’t expensive, it is priceless.

This is based on an article and an NBC News report as well as on my own experience. The NBC article by Marion Brooks can be found at www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/real_estate/5-Real-Estate-Mistakes-You-Dont-Want-to-Make.html .

The fourth mistake to avoid according to Marion Brooks at NBC in her recent coverage has to do with marketing. www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/real_estate/5-Real-Estate-Mistakes-You-Dont-Want-to-Make.html

The vast majority of marketing occurs on the Internet. And this is appropriate as recent statistics indicate that more than 80% of buyers start their search on the Internet.

One of the most important aspects of this on-line marketing are photos, so the old adage about “a picture is worth 1,000 words” holds true in our experience at ReMax in Chicago. We also suggest that photos be uploaded at the same time as the text of a new listing, so that when it goes out to all the people on automated searches they will see the photos. If the potential buyers don’t see any photos when they first review the listing they may not go back later in hopes of finding photos.

Also a great idea is to put virtual tours and floor plans on line, again so buyers can glean as much information as possible. The more information and the more photos on line the greater the likelihood or attracting buyers looking for a particular type of home. We put as much information, as many photos as may be appropriate for the property, a virtual tour and a floor plan on all of our Chicago Homes For Sale in order to maximize our marketing.

This is based on an article and an NBC News report as well as on my own experience. The NBC article by Marion Brooks can be found at www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/real_estate/5-Real-Estate-Mistakes-You-Dont-Want-to-Make.html .

Mistake number 3 is Not Making Your Home Accessible. If a property isn’t accessible, when a buyer’s agent makes a request to view the property and can’t gain entrance, that buyer may not come back to look. Why? Because there are so many Chicago Homes For Sale that the buyers are sometimes overwhelmed by all the inventory.

Chicago Realtors have a lot to choose from when making appointments, so if it is difficult to gain entrance, that property is likely to get skipped. The easier it is to get into the property the more showings that property will experience. If you would like some tips on how to make your Chicago home more accessible to Chicago Realtors just send me an email, roger@wesellchicago.com.

This is based on an article and an NBC News report as well as on my own experience. The NBC article by Marion Brooks can be found at www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/real_estate/5-Real-Estate-Mistakes-You-Dont-Want-to-Make.html .

The second mistake to avoid is “not considering your home’s condition”. When selling our homes it is not always easy to see through the eyes of the buyer and hopefully new owner. What we see and maybe smell everyday becomes normal for us, but not the buyers. I often tell sellers ” if I can smell it I can not sell it”, so if you have any pet or smoking or other smells in your home, best to get rid of them before attempting to sell. Some buyers are so turned off by smells that are offensive to them that they would not consider purchasing the home even though it may be perfect in other ways.

The two most common needs are to declutter and depersonalize, this is where a stager can be very useful. With the Chicago Homes for Sale market as it is today I do not take on any new listings unless the owners will allow a stagger to go through the property and make suggestions. Today’s buyers usually have a reaction and maybe a decision about a home in the first 15-30 seconds, so your home must win the beauty contest and of course the pricing contest. Read more about this at www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/real_estate/5-Real-Estate-Mistakes-You-Dont-Want-to-Make.html

This is based on an article and an NBC News report as well as on my own experience. The NBC article by Marion Brooks can be found at www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/real_estate/5-Real-Estate-Mistakes-You-Dont-Want-to-Make.html .

This is based on an article and an NBC News report as well as on my own experience. The NBC article by Marion Brooks can be found at www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/real_estate/5-Real-Estate-Mistakes-You-Dont-Want-to-Make.html .

The first mistake to avoid is not pricing right, of course the wrong price brings the wrong buyers. In this shifting market it is sometimes necessary to adjust the price until you start getting activity. Because the market is continuing to change it may be wise to pay more attention to the competition than to past sales. Past sales are history, but your competition is what the buyer’s will see and make decisions about as to what is the best value. What you paid for your property should not be a deciding factor in how to price your home.

Various sellers and agents are using some incentives to entice buyers such as including a large flat screen TV, my experience suggests that most buyers would rather see a lower price and skip the incentive. According to our MLS at the time of this writing there are 13,931 condos for sale and there are another 7,381 Chicago Homes For Sale. There is a lot of competition and if you don’t win the pricing contest you will not sell.

Next article will deal with the beauty contest that must also be won for a sale to happen.

This is based on an article and an NBC News report as well as on my own experience. The NBC article by Marion Brooks can be found at www.nbcchicago.com/around_town/real_estate/5-Real-Estate-Mistakes-You-Dont-Want-to-Make.html .