Technology has become a big part of people’s lives, with it governing almost every aspect from the mundane daily tasks to bills-paying jobs. That’s why despite the housing market crash, real estate brokers have tried their best to balance cutting down on expenses and catching up with the continuously evolving technological advancements. This is the reason one Chicago brokerage has decided to merge its two offices in one location.

The latest among Chicago brokerage to adapt to the trend of real estate agents relying on technology to service clients, owner Jason Palermo has consolidated RE/MAX Vision of Elmwood Park and RE/MAX Vision 212 of Chicago into one location. The 62 agents of the company are now based at 1500 W. Chicago Ave. in Chicago, which used to be the base of only RE/MAX Vision 212. Most of those agents, though, do their work at home offices or their cars.

More and more real estate agents have come to rely on laptop computers and smart phones when making deals and serving clients. This was actually the reason Palermo decided to merge the two offices. According to him, it was a redundant and unnecessary expense to be keeping two brick-and-mortar offices in this technology-driven world.

“This is just an example of the ways in which the industry has changed. There was a time when you did need two offices. That’s not the case today, not with so many agents working from home offices. It no longer made sense to spend money on maintaining two physical offices,” says Palermo.

And the savings to be had in the merge will be put to good use: RE/MAX Vision 212 has acquired the help of a full-time paralegal and attorney. The two staffers will be looking at the legal complexities of foreclosures and short sales and help out agents in sorting them out.