The higher down payment amount compared to last year is due to higher home prices, resulting in larger deposits for buyers.

At the same time, the median sales price for a new home hit its highest level since 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.   

In Chicago, home prices rose 6.6% year over year and 0.19% month over month in December. The annual increase was the second highest in the U.S. after New York. 

At the same time, builder sales expectations for the next six months posted their second-largest drop since the sentiment index started in 1985. 

Housing supply is the highest it’s been since 2020, and while there’s lots to choose from, demand is the lowest it’s been in four years.

Chicago is No. 4 among U.S. metro areas with 3,606 units in its office-to-apartments pipeline.

After Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas and Washington, D.C., posted the greatest year-over-year gains. 

The median existing-home price for all housing types in December rose 6% from its year-ago level.    

For the first time in two years, home prices are on the rise in every major metro and Chicago is one of them, according to a new Redfin report. 

Nationally, home sales were up 13.3% year over year and 4.4% month over month, RE/MAX said. 

Zillow has released its list of the hottest real estate markets predicted in 2025 and Chicago made the ranking.

A rise in new listings is giving buyer’s in the new year more homes to choose from, according to a new report from Redfin.

In its last reading before the end of the year, the National Association of REALTORS®  Pending Home Sales Index posted its fourth consecutive monthly increase in November. 

The median-sales price slid from $425,600 in October to $402,600 last month. 

The year-over-year increase of 6.1% is the greatest since June 2021, according to the association. 

The report cited hot rental markets in Arlington Heights, Barrington, Deerfield, Evanston, Glenview, Naperville and Oak Brook.