a guide to HOME BUYING
home is‌ Where we make memories. Where we build relationships. Where we celebrate milestones. Where we laugh. Where we love. Where we dream. It’s so much more than a place to live – and finding that special place you want to call home starts with finding a broker who understands that.
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an indispensable partner With a wealth of online resources and countless reality TV shows about real estate, it’s not surprising some homebuyers consider a DIY approach when purchasing a new home. But for most, a real estate professional is an indispensable partner in the homebuying process. While today’s buyers are more educated about real estate than ever before, all the research in the world can’t match an experienced broker’s “in-the-trenches” understanding of what’s happening in the market today. And when the most in-depth market knowledge is backed by the best marketing and technology infrastructure in the business, the results are unmatched. That’s where @properties comes in.
As a local, independent brokerage, @properties has the expertise, the relationships, and the resources to make your home-buying experience productive and, just as importantly, enjoyable.
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let’s get better acquainted...
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Started the @gives back Community Fund to inspire charitable outreach among @properties’ brokers and to support local organizations
Became the #1 residential brokerage firm in Chicago in less than a decade
Co-founders Thad Wong and Mike Golden named winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Established @properties Wisconsin with an office in Lake Geneva
Achieved a record $9+ billion in sales in 2018
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Began as a four-person boutique brokerage
Expanded to Chicago’s North Shore
Overtook the title of Illinois’ largest independent residential brokerage firm in 2013
Opened an office in New Buffalo, Michigan to serve the Harbor Country resort-home market
Appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest growing private companies for the 11th time
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industry leader @properties was built around a simple but elusive concept: provide brokers and clients with the highest level of service in the industry through cutting-edge sales and marketing programs and a culture that values innovation, relationships, and a strong local focus. What began as a four-person brokerage in 2000 has grown into the #1 residential brokerage firm in Chicago, the largest independent brokerage firm in Illinois, one of the fastest-growing brokerage firms in Southeast Wisconsin and Southwest Michigan/Northwest Indiana, and the 11th largest brokerage firm in the U.S. by sales volume.
Despite tremendous growth, @properties still maintains its boutique feel, collaborative environment, and commitment to being a local company that serves both client and community. We are constantly evolving, but remain focused on that one simple idea behind our founding.
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online tools
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atproperties.com Our website includes access to all properties listed in the local MLS along with detailed community information and market trends. Sign up to customize and manage your search, request notifications to keep tabs on the status of a home, find nearby open houses, and save properties. Other features include:
• Enhanced property search functionality that allows users to draw their search area and sort through properties by neighborhood, price, property type, schools and transportation • Listing detail pages with professional photos, videos and floor plans • Interactive maps embedded within search results • Advanced school district boundary data • Video library that showcases neighborhoods and @properties listings • Parking availability rating powered by Parknav • Social sharing
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pl@tform™ “Technology” and “real estate” are two terms that rarely appeared in the same sentence until a decade ago. Today, technology is undoubtedly one of the hottest topics in the industry as it continues to transform the way we buy and sell homes.
While real estate is still very much a relationship business, @properties embraces technology in ways that enhance the consumer experience and keep our clients ahead of the curve. At the heart of this effort is pl@tform™, our proprietary suite of end-to-end technology applications that make the buying and selling process more seamless. Core technologies include a digital Comparative Market Analysis tool that helps buyers gauge pricing and market activity relative to their home search, and a number of behind-thescenes tools and resources that have created the most efficient transaction environment in local real estate.
pl@tform™ was developed in-house by @properties’ programming and marketing teams, and is constantly being updated and refined to respond to the ever-changing realities of real estate in the 21st century.
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@properties’ digital CMA A Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) is one of the most relied-upon pricing resources that brokers use to gauge a home’s current value. This report evaluates a home alongside other properties – closed, active and pending “comparables” – taking into account variables like location, property features, market times, and price changes.
At @properties, we have created a technology that streamlines the CMA and ensures our clients are one step ahead of the competition. Unlike a traditional CMA, @properties’ Digital CMA is up-to-the-minute accurate, using real-time data from the local Multiple Listing Service. The interactive report allows you to add comments to individual listings as you review the report, pin new properties to your CMA, and receive e-mail alerts with information on newly-listed properties as well as status changes to current listings.
Your @properties broker will prepare a CMA to help you formulate an offer based on the market right here, right now.
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@agent app Leveraging @properties’ “market within a market,� our brokers use an internal app for company-wide communication. The exclusive @agent app allows our brokers to match homebuyers with homes for sale, including pocket (off-market) listings. That means we have the inside scoop on properties that are soon to be listed, giving buyers an early opportunity to view and purchase during a time when others are waiting for properties to hit the market.
Beyond connecting buyers and sellers, the @agent app aggregates a knowledge base of every @properties broker in a searchable database, making it a great resource for recommendations on everything from vendors and service providers to local businesses.
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@gives back What makes a house a home has just as much to do with what’s around it, as what’s in it. That’s why @properties has always been a big believer in helping to build strong neighborhoods and communities. One way we do this is through the @gives back Community Fund, a 501(c) (3) that was created out of the desire to inspire charitable outreach among @properties brokers and to support the city that has allowed our company to continually grow and thrive.
Each year, we partner with local organizations with an emphasis on homelessness, education, youth development, health, and community. Past and present beneficiaries include the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Christopher House, Teen Living Programs, Off the Street Club, Maryville Academy, Deborah’s Place, Noah’s Arc Foundation, Keith Relief, Imerman Angels, and the Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation.
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contract to closing – what we do for you Guiding your real estate transaction from contract to closing is a multi-step process that requires proactive management and thorough attention to detail. Our emphasis on communication, organization and follow-
• Distribute required disclosure forms
through ensures that deadlines are met, documents are
• Collect important documents such as
distributed, and every item is in place to make your trans-
condominium declaration and required
action efficient and seamless.
disclosures to fulfill contract contingencies
Our brokers, managing brokers and support staff will:
• Coordinate an appraisal
• Handle earnest money and escrow account
• Coordinate walk-throughs
management • Distribute contracts to all relevant parties • Coordinate attorney review
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• Update you when contingencies have been satisfied • Coordinate your closing
• Coordinate a home inspection
• Help you find a new home
• Provide information to lenders
• Follow up to see if you have any questions
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