CHICAGOBUSINESS.COM I NOVEMBER 20, 2023
One way that homebuying is changing PHOTOS COURTESY OF NORTHWESTERN MEDICINE
Dr. Ankit Bharat (left) and transplant patient David “Davey” Bauer after surgery.
Artificial lungs and breast implants:
An improvisational double-lung transplant at Northwestern Doctors reveal the weird and innovative steps they took to save the life of a 34-year-old man whose lungs had liquified from infection I By Jon Asplund
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Missouri man’s lung transplant odyssey at Northwestern Medicine required the use of an artificial lung and breast implants to save his life after years of smoking and then later vaping, a first for the health system. In May, surgeons from the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute became involved in a unique and innovative set of procedures leading to a double transplant for the 34-year-old man. See TRANSPLANT on Page 25
Bauer’s new lungs (left) and old lungs.
If you’re buying in the near future, expect to sign an agreement that clarifies where agent compensation comes from By Dennis Rodkin
There’s one change that anyone who’s planning to buy a house in the near future, before the dust settles on the web of lawsuits about agents’ commissions, should expect to run into: an upfront, written agreement between buyer and agent on precisely how the agent will get compensated. “All of this chaos about commissions has made it clear that we real estate professionals have to step it up,” said Laura Ellis, president of residential sales at Baird & Warner. “We all need to make sure there’s more transparency on where an agent’s commission comes from. It comes from the buyer.” A document known as a buyer’s agreement would not only make that fact plain, but in the light of the lawsuits’ potentially killing the long-practiced way commissions are handled, it would also specify that if the sellers aren’t disbursing commissions, the buyer’s agent must be compensated by the buyer. Ellis and others say buyers should expect to sign a document affirming that they clearly understand the flow of money in a deal
before they go out house-hunting with an agent, a step that will “enhance transparency,” she says. At the same time, it’s sure to add another layer of stress to an already anxious process, particularly for first-time buyers who are scrambling to find a home they like and can afford, line up their down payment and financing, and wade through a mountain of paperwork.
“We all need to make sure there’s more transparency on where an agent’s commission comes from. It comes from the buyer.” — Laura Ellis, president of residential sales at Baird & Warner “You don’t need another thing stressing you out during this process,” said Ryan Gable, president of StartingPoint Realty, a Chicago and Schaumburg firm, and See HOMEBUYING on Page 25
NOTABLE LEADERS IN EMPLOYMENT AND LABOR LAW
Meet 40 leaders who handle legal matters for both management and employees. I PAGE 15 VOL. 46, NO. 46 l COPYRIGHT 2023 CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC. l ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
BOOTH INSIGHTS Want happier, more productive employees? Be a coach, not a manager. PAGE 9
CRAIN’S LISTS Our annual ranking of the Chicago area’s largest hospitals and health systems. PAGE 12