Cover Story
While tight inventory continues to nag the U.S. housing industry, homebuilders around the country are confident in the market, according to the National Association of Home Builders. The Housing Market Index revealed that builder confidence for new single-family homes
We selected a variety of homes throughout the Chicagoland area and estimated the amount of property taxes homeowners would pay for the 2017 tax year. Condo, Downtown Chicago Address: 155 N. Harbor Drive, #3904; Chicago, IL 60601 Date built:
One of the most common questions — or in some cases, complaints — residential real estate agents receive from clients relates to property taxes. While paying higher taxes on a residential property can be burdensome for homeowners, it can
Fear of the unknown had many Illinois residents racing to prepay the first portion of their 2018 property taxes before New Year’s Day, when the GOP tax bill went into effect. How the new legislation is going to impact
After years of historically low interest rates helped buoy the housing market across much of the country, 2018 is shaping up to be something of a change of pace for the mortgage lending industry. A booming economy will likely
Like a mathematician, film director or NFL quarterback, Matt Difanis, the 2018 president of Illinois Realtors, takes a tremendous amount of pride in determining a unique angle in order to find the best result. “I approach my new role
Given the swirling tides of today’s real estate landscape — from the economy and tax reform to local market conditions — agents need to be alert and stay informed, says Ian Robinson, board president of the North Shore-Barrington Association
Every new year brings changes to the way real estate agents conduct business. That may mean new state regulations or updates to ethical codes that govern transactions and interactions between agents and their clients. 2018 is no different, as
The recently passed tax law could have a significant impact on Chicagoland homeowners, which in turn would affect agents, lenders and contractors. The law would reduce the amount of mortgage interest that homebuyers can deduct from their taxes. It
Last year, many of the participants in our 2017 predictions issue expressed confidence in the Chicagoland real estate market, citing increased housing demand and favorable market conditions. Twelve months later, the U.S. economy continues to see low unemployment and
There’s one way for an agent to ensure that they don’t have to work with another agent during a transaction: they can represent both sides of the transaction. Dual agency, as this method is called, can allow an agent
More responses: “Getting them to realize we are both wanting the same things, and to be friendly and amicable is always the best way.” “It all starts with the broker/owner providing better training.” “We need to tighten