Why did U.S. consumers decide to buy homes in 2015? That question was one of many that NAR’s 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers tackled, and the results were many and varied – especially when the consumers’ disposition

Continuing with our Real Data monthly reports, we’re reporting on the fastest-selling housing markets in Chicagoland, in terms of average days from listing to closing. Below, click on the tabs below to adjust between city and suburban markets, and see

How have home prices progressed in the 2015 housing market? Home prices in the Chicagoland housing market declined 0.4 percent from August to September and rose just 1.1 percent from Sept. 2014, according to the new Case-Shiller Home Price

The ins and outs of buyer traffic around the holidays It has been long been considered common knowledge that the buying craze of Black Friday does not extend to real estate, thanks to a lack of large savings for homes

We’re approaching two months since the implementation of TRID, and after a string of weeks that saw declining originations, mortgage applications were back up in the week ending Nov. 13, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. In the two

Homes sales were down in October, but the overall picture remains a very positive one for housing Existing-home sales declined 3.4 percent from September to October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.36 million, according to the latest report

Chicagoland real estate took a step back in October, though the reasons why were encouraging On the surface, October was a lukewarm month for Chicagoland real estate, with sales falling 2.0 percent year-over-year from 9,344 to 9,155. However, as

Our REAL DATA 2015 reports look at, among other things, the top-producing agents in Chicagoland based on total sales volume. Which Chicagoland agents have grown their business the most over 2014? To find out, we took a deeper look at

Single family? Condo? 2,000-plus square feet? What defined the homes consumers bought this year? For our latest story in our continuing series on NAR’s 2015 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, we’re taking a detailed look at the homes

The Chicagoland area has some of the best schools in the country, but are homes affordable in those schools’ neighborhoods? Good schools are one thing, but affording homes in those areas is an entirely different matter. According to a

October provided yet more evidence of how integral multifamily building is to the current new construction economy October was a rough month for new construction, with housing starts falling 11 percent from September and 1.8 percent from Oct. 2014

The share of total residential real estate transactions carried out in all cash fell from 34.9 percent in Aug. 2014 to 31.7 percent this most recent August, according to a report from CoreLogic. Month-over-month, cash sales inched upward by

The mortgage process doesn’t often top the list of things people like to do, but as far as dealing with banks and moneymen go, customers are more approving of the mortgage process now than any other time in the

Many want to own a house, but the finances are only feasible for an increasingly select few It is a truth universally acknowledged that the vast majority of renters in America aspire to homeownership. Indeed, according to a recent

After some very positive months, builder confidence took a step back in November Builder confidence in the market for newly constructed single-family homes slipped three points to 62 from October to November in the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo

May Watts Elementary School in Naperville’s Indian Prairie School District 204 is the top elementary school in the Chicagoland area. That ranking came courtesy of the analytics website Niche, which just released its 2016 rankings of public schools from