CRChicago.com

Just a reminder that, as a CRR agent, you have an account with Matthew Ferrara Learning Network. There is no additional cost to you to access this training. This $19.95 per month value is included among the many other values you receive for the monthly fee you pay to be with us. http://bestchoice.us/What-Do-I-Get-For-My-35-Dollars.html

Please direct questions or request for assistance to Laura Fisher 800-253-2354 x 218

Please enjoy and I hope you learn a lot of valuable new ideas.

Ray

P.S. Be sure to check out the new company website by Superlative http://CharlesRutenberg.co  (Note, it is .co, not.com!)
All CRR agents can have a Superlative site set up for only $29.95 per month. Click the link for details. http://bestchoice.us/internet-marketing-system.html

Laura Fisher
Matthew Ferrara Learning Network
800-253-2354 x 218
www.mflearn.com

We are very pleased to have set up our new real estate website, offering easy access to all of our listings, agents and the entire inventory of the Chicago area MLS. Please be sure to check it out at CharlesRutenberg.co

Interesting note from Florida, the largest Re/Max office in the state has just closed. Charles Rutenberg Realty agents are very happy to be part of the future of real estate.

RE/MAX Partners: Florida’s largest RE/MAX real estate company is ceasing operations after nearly two decades in business.

Not only is Charles Rutenberg Realty a success in Chicago, it has been a market changer in downtown Manhattan, New York. Check out this video.

We had a great time at our anniversary party on Thursday. Here are some pictures to enjoy.

This week we are holding our 6th Anniversary party. We opened our office in the Chicago market in the summer of 2004 and to date we have had over 1,465 agents join the company looking to keep the hard earned commissions they generated. And they have generated a lot of commissions. According to MRED, the MLS, as of October 2009 Charles Rutenberg Realty ranked 16th in total production of thousands of real estate companies in the Chicagoland area. We are proud of that and look forward to when we are in the top 5 in the next five years!

It is interesting, is real estate recovering or did we see a temporary spike this Spring?

Our business in 2009 was up 24% over 2008 and so far in 2010 it is up 50% over 2009! We are seeing sales closing. Now maybe this was due to the first time buyer credit and maybe the rest of the year will level out, but this increase in transactions, which reflects the results of the overall market as well, will go a long way to assure buyers they are making the right decision to move forward today. And it has confirmed to the sellers that, while prices may not be what they would like, when the home is priced properly, it will sell.

All in all, the Spring 2010 has been great at Charles Rutenberg Realty. We look forward to the Summer and to closing out the year with an active Fall market.

Well, we didn’t win the Small Business of the Year award but it was still an enjoyable process to go through and the awards banquet was quite impressive. The winner was Anderson Bookstore in Naperville. Theirs is a story of a long and successful operation in the Naperville area.

Back to real estate, we are continuing see an increase in activity in the Chicago area. Our activity, however, isn’t close to the activity that our Florida offices are experiencing. Florida hit the wall about a year earlier than we did and they are coming out of the doldrums with a vengeance. Perhaps a year from now the Chicago area will see a similar boom in sales activity. We will be ready for it!

We are proud to announce that Charles Rutenberg Realty is a nominee for the Small Business of the Year award from the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce. One of the compelling reasons for our nomination has been the outstanding growth we have enjoyed since our founding in 2004.

We track our business by the number of agents actively with us and by the number of transactions those agents do each year. We started business in April of 2004 with one employee and no agents. We grew to 50 agents and two employees by the end of 2004. We have seen steady growth from 266 active agents at the end of 2005 to a total of 725 at the end of 2009. We have four full time employees, one part time employee, and 758 active agents as of April 12, 2010.

Our total sale transactions completed each year started with 583 in 2005, increasing
to 1499 in 2009. While we had a slight decrease in transactions each year from 2006 through 2008, most real estate firms saw dramatic decreases over this period resulting in many going out of business. Our business rebounded solidly in 2009, increasing by a substantial 25%, and agents continue to join which will result in even greater transaction growth.

Have you been looking for an alternative to creating your own blog?
Check out this LinkedIn Idea on this video by Matthew Ferrara