February 13, 2020
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.
A full transcript of the podcast can be found here.
February 11, 2020
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.
Full transcript and links to a members' only Q and A can be accessed here.
February 6, 2020
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.
January 29, 2020
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. Transcript here.
December 23, 2019
For more than 20 years, Dr. Geoffrey Hewings has monitored the housing market in Illinois.
This year, the director emeritus of the Regional Economic Applications Laboratory at the University of Illinois, Champaign, says mixed economic signals are playing a role in the state's economy. He sat down with the Illinois REALTORS® Podcast in the final weeks of the year to talk about what's ahead for the housing market.
Hewings says overall home sales in the state may see a slight dip, but median prices are projected to increase. Housing inventories will continue to pose a challenge for consumers, he says.
Interested in learning more? You can also read Hewings' annual forecast for 2020.
December 16, 2019
Recreational marijuana becomes legal in Illinois on Jan. 1, 2020.
For REALTORS®, this means having an awareness of how the new law would impact real estate transactions. Illinois REALTORS®' Chief Legal Counsel Betsy Urbance talks with the Illinois REALTORS® Podcast about the rules, and answers some questions members may have about legalized marijuana.
Urbance discusses issues of interest to residential and commercial property owners, as well as managing brokers who are setting office policies.
December 4, 2019
In part two of getting to know our Industry Partners, Courtney Jones, President of Dearborn REALTIST® Board, Chicago chapter of National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB), shares the story of his organization and how getting involved has helped shape leadership and business skills for a successful career in real estate. Get full transcript.
November 19, 2019
Illinois REALTOR® and trainer Chris Read recently conducted a webinar for the National Association of REALTORS® Center for REALTOR® Financial Wellness on how to approach winding down a business.
The topic is one that many REALTORS® don’t pay enough attention to, particularly because of the nature of a business where many are independent contractors.
Read talks with the Illinois REALTORS® Podcast about the need to start early about thinking about an exit strategy for your business and the steps you can take to set yourself up for success in retirement.
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November 14, 2019
Dale Taylor of New Lenox, Ill., has been serving the homeless as a shelter manager and fundraiser for South Suburban PADS for more than a decade. His service was recognized in November with a Good Neighbor Award from the National Association of REALTORS®. The award honors a select handful of REALTORS® who make differences in the communities in which they work. Taylor is a REALTOR® with RE/MAX 10 in New Lenox, and has long been involved with his state association.
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November 7, 2019
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has proposed a real estate Transfer Tax which will hit many commercial and residential investment properties hard.
The proposal, as outlined in a speech several weeks ago, would decrease Transfer Taxes paid at closing on properties valued at less than $500,000, but it would significantly boost the taxes on properties valued at more than $1 million.
Greg St. Aubin, senior vice president for governmental affairs for Illinois REALTORS® discusses the tax proposal which is expected to come up in the Illinois General Assembly’s veto session which is back in session the week of Nov. 11.
St. Aubin, a longtime lobbyist for the association, said the Transfer Tax places an unfair burden on property owners who are already saddled with high property taxes. He notes that if a burdensome Transfer Tax passes and is signed into law, the ripple effects could be felt throughout the state, not just in Chicago.
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