Contest Prize: Fantastic Chicago Apartment

Ever want to live in a luxury apartment in a Chicago real estate high-rise?

There's one available in a prestigious Chicago tower, and this apartment is free.

It's the grand prize in the HGTV Urban Oasis 2011 contest; a one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom luxury residence in the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago.

The 35th-floor unit was designed for the contest by HGTV interior designer Vern Yip to represent some of the best in Chicago architecture and history.

To learn more about this great prize, check out our story:

Fabulous Chicago Real Estate Up for Grabs

We'll give you a peek into the home and tell you how you can enter to win.

Be Cool: Xplode

These days, the best way to grow your business in the Chicago real estate market is to be cool—technologically cool, that is. New technology is coming out everyday, and you need to be in the know.

The Chicago Association of REALTORS is hosting the Xplode Conference on Friday, August 19 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago in order to teach real estate professionals how to expand their businesses through the use of technology.

Learn the latest tips and get advice from 25 social media, marketing and technology pros.

Some speakers include:

-Stephen Schweickart, co-founder and CEO of VScreen, the nation’s leading video services company within the real estate industry

-Kerm Foltz, Director of Agent Sales at Market Leader, a leading provider of software and marketing solutions to the real estate industry

-Ginger Wilcox, head of industry training at Trulia.com where she focuses on developing educational programs to assist real estate agents and brokers in growing their businesses

-David Friedman, President and Founder of Boston Logic Technology Partners, Inc. where he specialized in helping professional stay competitive online

Topics discussed will cover blogging, social media, digital transactions, mobile marketing, the revolution of video and search, syndication and digital listings.

After the conference is over, you are sure to be cool!

Get more details and register at http://chicago.xplodethis.com/. Also, visit the Xplode Facebook and Xplode Twitter pages for any news leading up to the conference.

Chicago Firm Designing World's Tallest Building

Trump International Hotel and Tower is one of the city's tallest parcels of Chicago real estate, and it was designed by Adrian Smith.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai is the tallest building in the world, and it was designed by Smith, too.

Now, the Chicago architect is at it again, designing what will be the tallest building in the world by far.

Smith and his Chicago-based firm, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, have developed plans to build the Kingdom Tower by a Red Sea port in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The building will reach more than 1,300 meters. In comparison, the tallest building in Chicago and the country is the Willis Tower, and that stands at a mere 442 meters high.

Kingdom Tower will provide housing to an area that desperately needs it. The project is the first phase of

Chicago Firm Designing World

Social Chicago Real Estate Conference

The Social Chicago Real Estate Conference is just around the corner, on Tuesday, September 29th. The one day conference is targeted for builders, developers, marketers and job seekers in the real estate industry and will cover topics all pertaining to social media.

Those in attendance will learn how social media can build their company, product brand and professional appeal. You'll also learn the tricks and tactics on how to increase traffic to your Web site and to turn that online traffic into sales.

The day will consist of six one-hour long sessions from local and national social media experts. Among the list of speakers are Mitch Levinson, Carol Flammer, Rudy Bachraty, Sara Bonert, Kelly O'Brien, Julie Wernau and Nita Tuskan.

The show is presented by mRELEVANCE and New Home Notebook. Registration is now open, so mark your calendars and don't miss this fantastic opportunity to learn more about social media.

Chicago Real Estate News

Chicagoland Real Estate Forum is an excellent source of real estate news for the Chicago area. From new homes to townhomes to condos, the blog covers stories about Chicago neighborhoods and communities. Looking for information on Open Houses? Or HBA classes? Home Tours? or even the latest national housing news and statistics? Then, this site is for you!

You can also follow Chicagoland Real Estate Forum on Facebook! http://www.Facebook.com/ChicagolandRealEstateForum

Sell More Homes with Social Media

Social media is not just for teenagers anymore. National speakers and mRELEVANCE founders, Carol Flammer and Mitch Levinson will present "Sell More Homes with Social Media" at the 2009 Southern Building Show on June 4 from 4 to 5:30 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Ga. If you decide to attend this class you will learn how home builders, developers and others in the home building industry use social media for competitive advantage. From social media to social networking, blogging and social bookmarking, see case studies of how builders, developers and new home communtiies are benefiting from social media optimization. Also find out how to incorporate a blog and sites such as Active Rain, FaceBook, My Space, Blogger and others into an effective Internet marketing program.

The Internet is rapidly evolving. Do not miss this opportunity to learn how to maximize your return on investment (ROI). Social media marketing and optimization, search engine marketing, an effective Web site, email marketing and social networking are all components of a successful Internet marketing program. Learn how to take your traditional public relations online as an integral part of reputation management.

Don't miss out on your opportunity to attend this class on all things social media. Register today to attend or exhibit at the 2009 Southern Building Show.