Illinois REALTORS® Podcast

Happy new year everyone! We're kicking off the brand new year by drawing your attention to the quickly approaching REengage Winter Conference taking place January 27-30 in Bloomington-Normal. This conference is a MUST-ATTEND event for realtors, brokers, appraisers, new agents and everyone in between to make sure you start off the year right and hit the ground running. We're welcoming a full house of guests today including Tommy Cho...

A new year means a slew of new laws that are going into effect and many that pertain to the day-to-day dealings within the Real Estate Industry. It's once again time for our Associate General Counsel Matt Rentschler to give a comprehensive rundown of all of these new laws and what they mean to your businesses. From updates to RELA, new laws about Financial Disclosures and even updates to the Illinois Human Rights Act, Matt has you ...

Happy holidays Illinois REALTORS®! Today our holiday gift to you focuses on the success of three Illinois recipients of NAR REALTOR® Magazine’s 30 Under 30 class for 2024. Join us as we celebrate Brandon Blankenship of Keller Williams Premiere Properties in Wheaton, Viktoriia Kovel of Keller Williams Pinnacle in O’Fallon and Melanie Miller of Keller Williams ONE Chicago. The guest host for today’s conversation is none other than Il...

On this week's episode we welcome two guests to talk about an important part of REALTOR® advocacy that could fly under your radar unless the community you live in or work in is directly affected. Of course, we're talking about local advocacy and the critical role it plays in your business, in the real estate market and defending the rights of private property owners. To talk about it we welcome Illinois REALTORS® government affairs...

On this week's episode of the podcast we’re bringing you a message from Betsy Urbance, the General Counsel and VP of Legal Services for your Illinois REALTORS®. With the NAR Lawsuit settlement getting final approval from the overseeing judge, the practice changes the we have been adhering to since August will now officially be the standard. Still, 48 hours before the final approval the DOJ filed a statement of interest in the case ...

This week on the podcast we're bringing you the full audio of our 2025 President Tommy Choi appearing on the HOUSESMARTS Radio Show hosted by Lou Manfredini and carried on WGN Radio. In this conversation Tommy talks about the ramifications of the NAR Lawsuit getting final approval of the settlement agreement from earlier this year, how the practice changes from that suit have already been implemented in the industry, and were we ca...

This week on the podcast we welcome guest host Young Brockhouse, Illinois REALTORS® Vice President of Professional Development. Young hosts a special episode with longtime central Illinois REALTOR® Michael D. Oldenettel.

Michael is the designated managing broker of the Real Estate Group in Springfield, but many of you may have met him through his selfless volunteering on the local, state and national REALTOR association levels for ...

This week on the podcast we welcome back Senior Director of Advocacy Programs Gideon Blustein to discuss the massive amount of Let's Talk Real Estate events that have brought REALTORS® and legislators together in 2024. Gideon talks about the better understanding REALTORS® gain from these events and they earn the trust and respect of key decision makers – like state and federal legislators. NAR has even been so impressed with LTRE t...

This week on the podcast we welcome back Illinois REALTORS® General Counsel and VP of Legal Services Betsy Urbance to bring you some more updates on the industry-wide practice changes. Specifically, Betsy talks about recent media coverage regarding the standardized forms being offered to help REALTORS® deal with the new changes and why the media spin has been incorrect. She also offers advice on how to navigate these changes to mak...

This week on the podcast we have two very special guests. We have an in-depth sit-down with 2025 Illinois REALTORS® President Elect Jeff Kolbus and Treasurer Debbie Prodehl. Both of these REALTORS® have been in leadership for a while and have experiences and backgrounds that make them ready to take on the changing landscape of the industry and help lead all REALTORS® into a bright and vibrant future. Get to know their personal stor...

This week on the podcast we're celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. With a little bit of history at the start we then turn it over to REALTORS® Joe Castillo and Erika Villegas to tell what the month means to them, how they celebrate and why it is important for all to celebrate the month. We also draw attention to NAHREP and the HWP's most recent State of Hispanic Wealth Report and how the information can help all REALTORS® better s...

This week on the Illinois REALTORS® Weekly Podcast we're bringing you a little taste of the Public Policy Forum from the 2024 Fall Business Meetings which was all about Zoning Reform and featured Angela Brooks, the 2024 President of the American Planning Association. She joined our CEO Jeff Baker on stage to talk about the origins of Zoning, the important role it plays in the future of the housing market and why REALTORS® are uniqu...

On this week's episode of the podcast Jeremy and Kelli are back to continue our preview of the absolutely PACKED 2024 Fall Business Meetings in Oak Brook. Registration is open now and today we’re highlighting two standout speakers who are sure to make a big impact: Chris Abazis & Terri Sjodin. Chris will be featured during Wednesday morning’s YPN Forum titled, “Get Niche or Die Tryin’: Branding for the Niche Market.”  Terri wil...