You helped make 2019 an unforgettable year! From raising thousands of dollars for charity to networking at 68 events, together, we set new standards for success. We are proud of what we achieved and can’t wait to see what we accomplish together in 2020!  

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Membership

Our Member Care team made themselves available to you  – answering your calls, responding to your emails and chats and more!

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Community Outreach

We were present and engaged with many of you at:

• 90th Annual Bud Billiken Parade On August 10, we gathered our Chicago REALTORS® family and walked in the 90th Annual Bud Billiken Parade to support our community! Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers!
• REBUILD Project Chicago REALTORS® and CommercialForum members volunteered at the Rebuilding Exchange, turning reclaimed wood salvaged from demolition sites into a conference table and twelve step stools, which were then donated to an Oak Park orphanage called Hephzibah Home.

We gave back to the community through:

• Placemaking Thanks to a MegaBoard grant from the National Association of REALTORS®, CAR began three placemaking projects designed to kickstart commercial corridors in Chicago’s communities, including a transit study of Chicago’s Austin community, the partial funding of the Lakeview Lowline and a mural of Gwendolyn Brooks in the Chatham neighborhood.
• Red Cross Blood Drive In June, the CAR Foundation hosted a Blood Drive at the CAR Central and West Towns offices, in support of the American Red Cross. Thank you to those who donated blood — your gift truly saves lives!
• 4th Annual Boys & Girls Club of Chicago Carnival Over 40 volunteers and 200 children joined us for a day of carnival games, bounce houses, music, cotton candy and face painting.
• Smoke Detector Giveaway On November 2, the Chicago Association of REALTORS® Foundation Board of Trustees participated in a Smoke Detector Giveaway hosted by the American Red Cross of Chicago and Northern Illinois.

Hall of Fame

John Rutledge, the founder, president & CEO of Oxford Capital Group, LLC, was inducted to our Hall of Fame on September 26, 2020. He specializes in large-scale, lifestyle hospitality-oriented real estate, with over $3 billion of transactions including 13,000 hotel rooms, 3,000 senior housing units and 1,000 residential units.

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Foundation

Over the past year, the Chicago Association of REALTORS® Foundation provided $86,950 to different charitable organizations and causes, including:

• 100 Club of Chicago
• All Chicago Making Homelessness History
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago
• ChildServ
• Habitat for Humanity Chicago
• Harold E. Eisenberg Foundation
• Hephzibah Children’s Association
• KIPP Chicago Schools
• Mercy Housing Lakefront
• Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club
• Northwest Side Housing Center
• One Hope United
• Sarah’s Circle
• White Sox Charities

Scholarships We debuted three new scholarships:

• Brande Hampton Emerging Champion Scholarship: This scholarship provides female Chicago REALTORS® the ability to participate in NAR’s federal lobbying activities at the May Midyear Legislative Meetings and/or the NAR Annual Conference.
• Chris Pezza Property Management Scholarship: This scholarship provides reimbursement to an Illinois real estate pre-licensing student seeking a career in property management.
• The Henly, Mosely & Mayer Choi Association Leadership Advancement Scholarship: Initiated by 2018-2019 CAR President Tommy Choi in honor of his three daughters, this scholarship will offer key educational and professional development opportunities to CAR staff members.

To find out more about all the scholarships CAR offers or how to give to the foundation, click here.

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Classes

The four new courses include:

• Commercial Leasing 101
• Cook County Property Tax Class
• Build A Successful International Real Estate Business
• Proactive Safety Strategies for Real Estate Professionals

Over the year, we had a total of 8,758 registrants for classroom, online and self-study courses. We helped start 1,386 real estate careers through our pre-licensing courses.

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Events

• We hosted 68 events for you to network and grow!
• We processed 9,416 registrations total over the year

  View highlights from our events here: 2019 Inaugural Gala   2018 Sales Awards   Titans of Industry: Women Leading the Charge   CAR Golf Classic We raised a grand total of $8,082 for Homes for Heroes!

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Advocacy & RPAC

We advocated to protect our industry and saw major wins and accomplishments in:

• Defeating a proposal for increased transfer taxes in the spring.
• Successfully advocating to remove language from the Just Housing Amendment that required landlords to hold a unit vacant during a criminal background dispute.
• Keeping rent control from being a reality in Chicago and Illinois.

We also hosted a Mayoral Candidate Forum in January to hear from the 2019 mayoral candidates on issues directly affecting the real estate industry. We also continued our popular Coffee with the GADs meetings. We facilitated conversations between Chicago REALTORS® and elected officials and policy makers, including Assessor Fritz Kagei, Alderman Gil Villegas, Alderman Ariel Rebroyas, Alderman Ray Lopez, Senior Mayoral Staffer and Cannabis Coordinator Paul Williams and members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

RPAC

We were able to impact public policy because of you. Thank you to our 2019 Major Investors for investing in the REALTORS® Political Action Committee (RPAC).

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Professional Standards

We protected your brand by completing: And we launched the PS: True Tales of Professionalism series.

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Forms & Contracts

We completed six new forms and updated eight. All of our available forms and contracts can be found here.      

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Communications

Our magazine continues to be a go-to source for the latest tools, resources, industry news and member highlights. It’s made available by mail and online. We reached you through social media with: To keep up to date and stay in touch with us, you can connect with us below.     We were a go-to source for local and national media. Our leadership appeared in local, state and national news outlets to speak about the most pressing issues, trends and successes in Chicago real estate. Here are some highlights:

• “Chicago’s Real Estate Market” from ABC 7 Chicago
• “40 Under 40: Michelle Mills Clement” in Crain’s Chicago Business
• “From weed to taxes: Regs that will impact your business in 2020” in Chicago Agent Magazine
• “The Candidates Agree on Most Issues. Rent Control Isn’t One of Them.” in Chicago Magazine
• “South Loop’s building boom: A look at 3 residential towers set to open soon” in Chicago Tribune

We also added new resources to our video library, which you can check out here.

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CommercialForum

We refocused and expanded our commercial division with five brand new, commercial focused events, which included:

• CommercialForum Networking Breakfast: This breakfast gave real estate practitioners an economic forecast and an in-depth look at the local commercial real estate market.
• Opportunity Zones Summit: Commercial real estate investors, brokers, and developers alike joined us to learn more about the Qualified Opportunity Zones program and opportunities.
• Diversity Summit: Members participated in a summit to learn from diversity leaders’ tips for success.
• Advocacy Breakfast: This breakfast took a deep dive into key policy issues facing Chicago’s commercial real estate industry.
• CF/CCIM Roundtable Networking Event: CommericialForum and CCIM teamed up to host roundtable discussions about all the hottest topics in commercial real estate.

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Global

We were awarded NAR’s Platinum Global Business Council Achievement Program for the second year in a row! We hosted a total of nine events specifically focusing on our global council and presence, including:

• Business Trends Impacting Global Opportunities: Part One
• Global Council New Residential Development Tour
• And a trade mission to Thailand!

Get involved in our Global Real Estate Council here.

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Young Professionals Network

The Chicago Association of REALTORS® Young Professionals Network (YPN) is a growing group of career-minded real estate professionals who say abreast of the latest tools, resources and networking opportunities available to them as REALTORS®. Here are some of YPN’s 2019 highlights:

• Hosted seven networking breakfasts, which gave members the opportunity to connect and learn from leading real estate professionals. Check out the recordings and recaps here.
  
   
• Raised $5,932  for YPN charities at the YPN Kickball Tournament at OZ Park. The YPN Charitable Fund is made possible by the Chicago Association of REALTORS® Foundation. Check out the photos here. The money raised from this event was provided to:
  • Chicago House: A social service organization that supports individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS and the broader LGBTQ community with housing, health and employment support.
  • My Block, My Hood, My City: Provides youth with new experiences and exposes them to possibilities beyond their own communities. This organization also helps teenagers overcome the poverty and isolation they face, boosting educational attainment and opening them to opportunities that make a difference in their lives.

 

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Your Connection to State and National Leadership

Your fellow Chicago REALTORS® made sure you were represented throughout the National Association of REALTORS® and Illinois REALTORS®. Check out the 2019 leadership at the state and national levels:

We can’t wait to see what we’ll accomplish together in 2020!

Get Involved.