People who move to Chicago for the first time often find themselves taken aback by the sheer variety of housing available. From spacious single family homes to cozy condos, from gleaming skyscrapers to humble two-flats, there’s a home for every taste and budget in the city.

But, for many, that dream home isn’t always easy to find – particularly when it comes to finding the ideal size. Plenty of Chicago homes offer gorgeous finishes, a convenient location, or top-of-the-line amenities – if you’re willing to settle for a little less space in some rooms.

But a home with a few particularly snug spaces doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker! In fact, there are countless tricks that you can use to make a small or awkward room feel bigger, brighter, and more inviting, without shelling out big bucks for renovations.

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Hiring a real estate professional you trust is no easy feat. Even asking friends and family for recommendations can leave you with a list of 20+ names. Where do you go from there?

Narrowing down the list can be a challenge, but it is a necessary process. Your real estate agent performs all negotiations on your behalf. You want an experienced and respected negotiator on your side, who similarly is able to articulate the process for you and thoroughly answer any questions you have.

Your vetting process can easily help determine these. Before you shake hands and start signing paperwork, ask your prospective agent these seven questions.

1. How long have you been in the real estate business, and how frequently do you conduct business?

You may be able to glean this information from websites like Zillow or from your prospective agent's website, but this is important information to know. Work with an agent with full-time experience upward of a year.

We emphasize full-time, as many agents can hold on to a license without much real-world experience. Valuable real estate experience is only earned through actual transactions and activity in the field. Don't put your transaction in the hands of "part-time" or "occasional" agents.

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Who could have seen 2020 coming? The last year was an unusual and unpredictable one in the real estate world. While industry experts always anticipate a little bit of turbulence in presidential election years, nobody saw the COVID-19 pandemic coming. In fact, words that were often used to describe the Chicago real estate market heading into 2020 were “steady,” “boring,” and “same old.”

How naive we all were! 

2020 was a singular year, one that will always be remembered in terms of social distancing, face masks, and Zoom calls. In the real estate world, 2020 was a shock to the system — but one that helped prove that, really, the system is fairly strong, stable, and resilient. 

While the early months of the COVID pandemic brought a lot of uncertainty and some hasty changes, real estate professionals and their clients adapted swiftly here in the Chicago area — and activity remained incredibly robust throughout summer, fall, and even winter as a result. 

At the same time, these last several months have reaffirmed the importance of having a place to call home. We’ve all spent more time than ever thinking about what we like and dislike about our spaces, while adjusting to a “new normal” of remote work and schooling. This time to reflect and adapt will reshape what buyers are looking for, long after the pandemic has finally come to an end. 

So, what can we expect now that vaccines are being delivered, a new federal administration prepares to head to the White House, and homebuyers and sellers are starting to make their lists of New Years’ resolutions? 

Here’s a look at what we can expect in the Chicago real estate market for 2021:

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Think of your favorite advertisement, whether it’s a commercial or a bus ad. What makes it stand out in your memory? A catchy jingle? A startling statistic? Or is it something more visual – an image, a photograph, a dominant color?

We’re willing to bet that you’ve been floored by a powerful image or two before, right? You’re not alone. In fact, visual content is the cornerstone of modern marketing – and that holds true for real estate, where photography may make all the difference for the success of your home sale.

We’ve said it before:

“It’s important to adopt the mindset of turning over your home to the market. In essence, this means pretending that it doesn't belong to you anymore and treating the property as a product that needs to be marketed for sale.”

A successful sale requires the homeseller and their real estate team to think like marketers, and to invest in many of the same tactics that marketers use to sell other consumer goods or services. In many cases, that means bringing on a photography pro to capture the essence of your property, rather than relying on easier alternatives, like cellphone photography.

In fact, we always bring on a professional photographer for our listings. Why? Well, in our time, we’ve seen beautiful houses go unappreciated because of poor images, and we’ve seen high quality photographs lure in buyers who may otherwise have been on the fence. In fact, in today’s marketplace, a great set of images may just be the most important tool for getting prospective buyers into the home.

Still need convincing? Let’s explore some of the reasons why photography is so important – and show off a few examples of what works and what doesn’t:

Think of a Photograph as Part of the Staging Process

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