Chicago Agent Magazine

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

🕊️ Realtors are giving back, according to NAR’s 2026 Community Aid and Real Estate report.

The study analyzed the charitable work of NAR members, broker-owners, association executives and MLS staff, finding that:
64% of Realtors volunteered an average of eight hours per month
84% made charitable donations in the past year
78% of broker-owners volunteered monthly
63% of association executives and MLS staff shared that their associations recognized charitable actions with awards.

💬 “Realtors and their associations serve as pillars of their communities through their time, dollars and dedication,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR deputy chief economist and vice president of research, in a press release. “Charitable giving and volunteering are a defining feature of who Realtors are, and they consistently make time to invest in the people and places around them.”
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2026/08/28/nar-realtors-volunteer-donate-charity/

Realtors are giving back to their communities, according to NAR’s 2026 Community Aid and Real Estate report.

09/02/2026

  Whether it’s helping first-time buyers navigate unfamiliar territory or advising sophisticated sellers on...

09/02/2026

Evan Reynolds, Team Lead Ewelina Suchecki, Agent Nicole Verlotta, Agent Stefan Magazin, Agent Almas...

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

For eight straight years, my group has been recognized in Chicago Agent Magazine’s annual Who’s Who issue. Being included alongside the very best in our industry is an honor that fosters deep gratitude and homage.

Honors like this are a great reminder of why we do what we do. They give us a moment to step back, appreciate how far we’ve come, and refocus on our true priority: serving our clients with integrity and helping them successfully navigate and author their next chapter.

It is equally inspiring to read the stories of the other professionals featured this year. Chicago is the most American and a world-class city because of the hard work, character, and dedication of the people who serve it, and it’s a privilege to work alongside them.

https://myoc.io/gWTFLB7o48G

NMLS # 206094

09/02/2026

Eleven years after its founding, The Gold Group has closed more than $550 million in career sales and worked with more than 1,000 families across Chicago and its suburbs. The team added $86 million in volume across 240 transactions in 2025 alone, a run that has kept it the No. 1 team at Christie’s International Real Estate’s Goose Island office for three years running.

Kaylin Goldstein and Stefanie Campbell started the group on a straightforward premise: Real estate works better when agents collaborate instead of compete for the same clients. That idea has grown, over 11 years, into a 10-person team serving neighborhoods across the city as well as the North Shore, the western suburbs and the southwest suburbs. Goldstein and Campbell still lead day to day, and the team’s longevity traces back to the culture they built. Several brokers have stayed with the group for close to a decade, not the norm in this business.

Kaylin Goldstein, Partner
Stefanie Lalich Campbell, Partner
Jackie Luxem Cline, Broker
Duval Williams, Broker
Frankie DaPonte -The Gold Group, Broker
Kelly Dugan, Broker
Jovana Brenner, Broker
Megan Arseneau Schutzbach, Broker
Crini Cieski, Broker
Molly McBrearty, Marketing Director
Elizabeth Rogde, Operations
The Gold Group
atproperties Christie’s International Real Estate
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/whos-who-2026/the-gold-group-5/

09/01/2026

💸 Recent data shows that new construction may have an important advantage for buyers that can easily be overlooked: insurance costs.

While rising home prices and elevated interest rates are top of mind for buyers, about one-third of buyers surveyed by John Burns Research and Consulting said they were worried about the cost of homeowners insurance.

⏰ Homes built in 2020 or later cost 10% to 15% less to insure per square foot
New homes can have insurance costs that are 20% to 50% lower per square foot than existing homes in markets including San Francisco, Boston and Philadelphia.
In Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, new homes were 9% to 16% cheaper to insure.
In Chicago, new homes were 5% cheaper to insure.

Find out why some home insurance is cheaper in certain markets in the full article:
https://chicagoagentmagazine.com/2026/08/27/new-construction-could-mean-lower-insurance-costs/

Recent data shows that new construction may have an important advantage for buyers that can easily be overlooked: insurance costs.