RE/MAX 10 Opens Chicago Real Estate Office And New Facilities In Suburbs

• ShareThis Email PDF Print

Rich Ostergren, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX ‘10’

There was an absolute need for a RE/MAX office in that neighborhood

Chicago, IL (Vocus) July 21, 2010

While other brokerages may be scaling down in this sluggish economy, RE/MAX 10 is taking the opposite path. Earlier this year, the brokerage opened a new Chicago real estate office at 5601 S. Pulaski Road in the Southwest Side neighborhood of West Elsdon. The brokerage also moved its Oak Lawn and Palos Park offices to a pair of high-tech new facilities in those suburbs.

That’s impressive considering the economic climate. But RE/MAX 10 general manager Val Hatzelis said the moves made sense.

“There was an absolute need for a RE/MAX office in that neighborhood,” Hatzelis said of the brokerage’s new West Elsdon location. “There are some very high-producing agents in that market who are independent and would like to work with the RE/MAX brand. We are now offering them this opportunity.”

The new Chicago office, which opened in the middle of May, consists of about 1,200 square feet of working space. It boasts a large reception and three conference rooms. Today, five agents and two administrative workers call the office home. But Hatzelis is confident that the office will soon be home to more REALTORS® eager to become members of the RE/MAX team.

The opening of the Chicago office capped a busy time for RE/MAX 10. Earlier in the year, the brokerage’s Oak Lawn office, including its 50 agents, moved to 9909 Southwest Highway in the suburb, while its Palos Park office and its 22 agents moved to 9658 131st St.

“In both cases, we were trading older, somewhat larger offices that weren’t entirely up-to-date technologically for new, higher-tech space with less square footage,” said Richard Ostergren, broker/owner of RE/MAX 10. “These new facilities will better fit the changing work habits of today’s agents who do much of their work in home offices, their cars and at the properties they are listing. There is less demand for office space, but more demand to accommodate all high-tech tools.”

Hatzelis boasts to have some of the most talented Realtors® in the Chicago-area market. Ones who have successfully adapted to a changing residential real estate market by concentrating on the distressed properties niche of short sales and foreclosures and excelling at it.

“That’s why we’ve been able to expand,” states Hatzelis. “That’s why we’ve managed to endure this difficult market and are still conducting business. We’re doing a different type of business today and we’re doing it extremely well.”

RE/MAX 10 has relied on such savvy decision-making during its 22-year history. The brokerage currently has offices in Palos Park, Oak Lawn and Chicago in Illinois, and in Chesterton in Indiana. It’s managed to grow during its two decades because of a winning combination of strong leadership, talented agents and a willingness to make sometimes bold decision.

“This is a very exciting time for us, very exciting,” Hatzelis said. “Our agents understand that this is not a traditional market. Lending isn’t happening in the same capacity as it once was. We are now helping a lot of families to work through this market, too. I think the moves we made this summer are helping with that.”

###

Share: