Beginning August 1, 2015, the real estate industry will face new rules which govern how mortgages will be handled. Under the Real Estate Settlement and Procedures Act and the Truth and Lending Act, new procedures and timelines are mandated which could result in closing delays. The RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule (TRID) will require advance planning on the part of all those  in order to insure timely closings.  What is the TILA-RESPA About? ... Read More

This post was contributed by Tyler Zey. REALTORS® need to be marketing online more than ever, but what are you actually supposed to do? What tactics produce results? The frustration for many REALTORS® is that the typical online lead generation tactics big brands use simply don't work on a local level...Read More

Recently, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) made an announcement regarding 'sensitivity' to those companies making a good-faith effort to comply with the 1,888 pages of TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) regulation. The announcement stirred up quite a response from the mortgage-TRIDnding community, both positive and negative, from those who wish the CFPB would delay the act to allow a lengthier transition period for lenders, service providers, and the like...Read More

Monday mornings—for most people, the beginning of a new work week—can be critical because they set the stage for the day and the week ahead. “Most people are keenly aware of the typical Monday office dynamic,” suggests workplace expert Lynn Taylor, author of, ‘Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant.’ “This is a time to apply your best management skills to ensure the week ahead unfolds as smoothly as possible." Among the top 10 things Taylor found successful people do zealously on Monday mornings... Read More

Do you create Facebook ads to promote your brand, your listings and your real estate services? With Facebook pages continuing to see a decrease in organic reach, Facebook ads are an easy way to target your market and get your content in front of the right audience. Here are our 5 best tips to help you create Facebook advertising that delivers more leads...Read More

Busy week this week. I taught a 12-hour Broker Management CE webinar on Tuesday and Wednesday, a 75-hour Broker Pre License class on Monday and Thursday evenings and am teaching session the first part of a 12-hour Broker Management CE class on Saturday in Aurora and another one on Monday in Naperville. We also have...Read More

If you use LinkedIn to promote yourself or your business, it is important to understand that LinkedIn is different from other social networks and that you can't use the same techniques you use on other social media sites. The main purpose of LinkedIn is to help you network with other professionals. It is a way to grow yourself professionally and to help your organization network more effectively. It may be used for personal, professional, and organizational...Read More

I recently read an article in Forbes Online written for leaders and people in management positions titled, “7 Things To Do If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed.”   The first paragraph caught my attention and I wondered if the author had my life in mind when she crafted it?   “Too much to do, too little time to do it, too many people making demands upon your time, all with conflicting agendas.  Sound familiar”   “Yes, Yes”, I cried, as I continued to read the article. “I seem to have...Read More

Under the Illinois Real Estate License Act, there are only two major reasons that for which you really need an Illinois managing broker license. You are a self-employed sponsoring broker. (Actively in business for yourself) You are employed by a sponsoring broker other than yourself to manage a real estate brokerage business. There are presently 17,464 managing brokers licensed in the state of Illinois. In order to maintain that status, these brokers must renew their managing broke...Read More

We all want to be able to shoot a great home tour.   Below are 10 top tips.   1. Before you shoot make sure you have deleted unnecessary photos and videos or uploaded them to your desktop computer or card so you have enough memory space on your phone. A few gigs should be plenty...  Read More