Five takeaways from Tuesday’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Forum

Illinois REALTORS® who tuned in to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Forum Tuesday afternoon heard a panel discussion and two presentations.

The following are five takeaways from the forum:

• The increase in people working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic struck makes it important for Multiple Listing Service organizations to capture data so consumers looking for properties know what can accommodate their lifestyle, such as home offices, home gyms and home classrooms;
• Consumers are more interested in the best solutions for faster and more reliable internet access to meet their new needs;
• An increasing number of consumers are more interested in buying homes sight unseen, instead using virtual tours and virtual floor plans;
• MLS organizations are striving for “interoperability” in electronic services, so that programs like DocuSign and Dotloop can communicate easily with each other, just like gmail and yahoo users can exchange email messages;
• Members can use data available in their MLSs to assist in making decisions in their marketing and in their overall business strategy.

Expert speakers at the forum included: President and CEO of Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) Rebecca Jensen, CEO of Council of MLS Denee Evans Hofer, RESO CEO Sam DeBord, MRED Chief Technology Officer Chris Haran and NAR Senior Economist and Director of Housing & Commercial Research Scholastica (Gay) Cororaton.

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Geoffrey Hewings on Housing: How unemployment, inventory, population trends and foreclosures could affect the market

Illinois REALTORS® talked to U of I economist and housing forecaster Geoffrey Hewings about what unemployment levels, lower housing inventory, Illinois’ evolving population trends and foreclosures could mean for the state’s housing market in the months ahead.

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Reopening REALTOR® offices safely

Preparation. Follow-through. Communication. NAR General Counsel Katie Johnson and Illinois REALTORS® General Counsel Betsy Urbance talk about ways for association and brokerage offices to reopen and pivot to a “new normal.” Learn more and get tools with Illinois REALTORS® ROI series.

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#Werk Your Brand

Rebecca Donatelli, Mabél Guzmán and Sam Powell joined Illinois YPN to share their best success tips for building your brand. Hear how they expanded their network through social media, within the industry and through personal interactions in everyday life.

Note: All advertising requirements of Illinois Real Estate License Act and REALTOR® Code of Ethics apply to REALTOR® advertising through any medium, whether physical or electronic, including social media platforms. 

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Real Estate License Act – RELA Legal Update

Teams and Advertising. Licensing and Education. Going Paperless. The Rules are Changing. Let us help you protect your business. The new RELA Legal Update Web Series will cover the most critical changes to the Real Estate License Act (RELA), related requirements and rules. Join Illinois REALTORS® Chief Legal Counsel Betsy Urbance and Legal Hotline Attorney Anneliese Fierstos as they walk you through the changes to the Illinois Real Estate License Act in our new, must-see six-episode web series: RELA Legal Update. And just like Netflix, you can binge the full series or pick which episodes to watch first! Members, log in at www.IllinoisRealtors.org/RELA_Rewrite

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Let’s talk professional courtesy

Illinois YPN members Eddie Ruettiger, Megan Beechen and Rachel Scheid share some of their best tips and simple basics of professionalism essential to a smooth transaction and to building strong relationships with clients and fellow REALTORS®.

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The problem with Sauk Village’s inspection policy

Illinois REALTORS® talks with Mike Scobey, director of local advocacy, who explains the background to a lawsuit filed by a property owner in Sauk Village.

The suburban Cook County municipality has outsourced inspections, creating a process that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit says is unfair and not legal.

Learn why Sauk Village's actions infringe on private property rights, and what residents there are facing when it comes to pre-sale inspections. 

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What you should know about Cook County’s Just Housing Amendment

Property owners in Cook County need to be aware of significant changes to the county's Human Rights and Fair Housing Ordinance with the passage of an amendment which sets guidelines for handling rental applicants.

Called the Just Housing Amendment, the new policy requires owners to carefully consider an applicant's criminal background, and it sets limits on how far back an applicant's criminal background can be reviewed. Illinois REALTORS® Director of Local Advocacy Mike Scobey discusses the steps property owners must now take and how they can make sure they are following the law.

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What to expect at Capitol Conference

Take 1 day out of 365 to make a difference on potential laws that can impact real estate. Illinois REALTORS® Brian Kwilosz, Gibby Kirby and Niko Apostal of our YPN Advisory Board give you the inside scoop and tips on how to navigate one of the biggest and most important events of the year—Illinois REALTORS® Capitol Conference. 

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NAR President Vince Malta talks about advocacy, rent control and what makes a baseball bat valuable to collectors

2020 NAR President Vince Malta visited Illinois to take part in the Illinois REALTORS® Public Policy Meetings in East Peoria. Malta, who is from San Francisco, joined the podcast to talk about topics including how the national association is revamping how it works on Capitol Hill, a new effort to elevate Fair Housing training and awareness and the dangers of rent control. Malta is also one the nation's leading experts on authenticating baseball bats, and he discusses a hobby that has evolved to be a major part of his life.

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