The Chicago Association of REALTORS®, the “Voice for Real Estate” in Chicago since 1883, represents over 17,000 members from all real estate specialties including commercial sales, development, property management, appraisal, auctions and residential sales.
Learn how we help our 17,000+ members. Membership options are available for licensed real estate professionals and those affiliated with the real estate industry!
REALTORS® Real Estate School offers all kinds of real estate licensing and training. Browse self-paced, online training or live classes in our modern, downtown classrooms!
How can we help your business succeed? Your membership includes multiple resource guides on industry topics, tools to increase your knowledge and market statistics to help your serve your communities.
We hosted a series of Women’s History Month events in March discussing female leadership, adversity and success. Here are some of the top pieces of advice from the powerhouse women featured.
TIPS TO HELP BALANCE YOUR WORK & LIFE
Do What Works
Working from home as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic has been an adjustment for everyone. For some, it works, and for others, it doesn’t — and that’s ok!
“Our model has now gone completely virtual. We do have a brick and mortar office…but it’s not as needed as it was before,” Ellison said.
“People are just happier to jump online, not put on makeup and not have to drive to the office,” Villegas said. She feels more productive at the office than at home, so she plans to make the commute to the office when needed. Everyone should plan to do what works for them!
“For our employees who feel most productive at home: great, I trust you! We want people to work in the way that best suits them, because we’ll get the most productivity from them and they’ll be the happiest,” Slattery said.
Ensure You’re Logging Out
Remember that sometimes, disconnecting is a good thing! This year has been draining, balancing work, life and so much more, and you need to take some time to step away from the things causing you stress.
News got you down? Turn if off! Spending too much time on social media? Take a social media cleanse. Need a vacation and time away from work? Take a staycation for a few days! It’s important to find the little or big things that help you rejuvenate and regroup.
“I spent two solid weeks with my phone off and, what was important for me and I’m still kind of doing this, is I took a vacation from news…and I found that to be enlightening,” Sepulveda said.
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADDITIONAL INCOME STREAMS
It’s important to remember we are industry experts, and we should put that knowledge to good use. Prepare for unexpected circumstances by creating multiple streams of income.
The Name of the Game? Establish Sales Funnels
Use your knowledge to your advantage! Have something unique to share? Write a book. Identify a performance tool that’s not already created? Fill that gap in the market! Then, from these products that you create, take the opportunity to build multiple sales funnels to continue to make money off these products.
For instance, if your books are sold on Amazon, make sure to also create an Amazon storefront to sell merchandise and get compensated from pixel links, so you can receive income in multiple ways.
Know How to Spend Your Money
Part of making money is also knowing when to save. YouTube and Facebook groups are great starting points for free learning opportunities, and each have tons of content for any questions you may need answered! For instance, most types of file converters can be found for free online.
For tools you use frequently, it may be worthwhile to spend money for paid versions that provide you with more features, like Canva, a popular graphic design program.
Check out the Titans of Industry blog recaps and watch the videos on-demand.