General

  QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes. I had one thousand and sixty.”—Imelda Marcos, Filipino politician   NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   Both Housing Starts and Building Permits rebounded in June, though the gains were all due to multi-families, as single-families slipped. But buyers are looking at the largest […]

Here’s your monthly Chicago Housing Stats video, courtesy of The Jim Passi Team at Alameda Mortgage Corp. For all of your home financing needs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee, or Florida, call The Jim Passi Team today at 847-899-1813! Follow our social media pages for more informational tools!

  QUOTE OF THE WEEK “It’s a strange world of language in which skating on thin ice can get you into hot water.”—Franklin P. Jones, American journalist   NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported purchase mortgage applications surged 9% on the week, to the highest level of activity in two and a […]

    QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Cure for an obsession: get another one.”—Mason Cooley, American aphorist   NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   Residential construction spending slowed a trifle in May compared to the revised estimate reported for the month before. Homebuilders are curtailing spending as they focus on completions to meet growing buyer demand. The Mortgage […]

SMART DEVICES TO PROTECT YOUR HOME     Smart home sensors protect your home and save you money by detecting problems before they turn into disasters. Some work by themselves, connecting to the internet over Wi-Fi, so you can control them from your phone through a companion app. Some also work with smart home hubs, […]

    QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must undergo the fatigue of supporting it.”—Thomas Paine, English-born American Founding Father   NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Existing Home Sales rose in May, and for the second half of the year, home sales […]

    QUOTE OF THE WEEK “When my mother had to get dinner for 8, she’d just make enough for 16 and only serve half.”—Gracie Allen, American vaudevillian, singer, actress, and comedian   NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   May saw a modest increase in single-family home starts, though starts overall declined (solely from a drop in […]

LAND MORE BUSINESS WITHOUT CHASING AFTER MORE LEADS To develop your business, do you find yourself constantly chasing more leads? The truth is, you don’t need more leads—you just need to work on the ones you already have. If you aren’t closing enough business, it’s not because you don’t have enough leads, it’s because you […]

BUSINESS TIPS 5 STEPS TO TAKE TO STAND OUT FROM YOUR COMPETITORS It’s no secret that the real estate business is highly competitive. In most cases, many agents are covering the same market. In addition, agents can have connections to relatives and friends which gives them an advantage in being awarded a listing or hired […]

  QUOTE OF THE WEEK “What’s the use of happiness? It can’t buy you money.”—Henny Youngman, English-born American comedian and musician   NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported “purchase applications were 20% ahead of last year’s pace, continuing to show strength” last week, as “homebuyers seem to be taking advantage of loosening housing […]