Average fixed mortgage rates have lowered following September’s jobs report, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. With the 30-year FRM falling from 3.85 to 3.76 percent, average rates have now been below 4 percent for 11 consecutive weeks, while including the

LendingTree’s survey reveals that though Americans bargain shop for many things, they do not adequately research financial loans. Out of the 1,024 people surveyed (ages 25 and up), 79 percent of Americans claimed to be bargains shoppers. An overwhelming  83

Mortgages were slightly easier to attain in September, according to a new analysis by the Mortgage Bankers Association. The MBA’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), which tracks access to credit, rose 0.3 percent in September to 126.5; any increase in

What neighborhoods, in Chicago’s competitive housing market, are seeing the most activity? The other week, we reported that with 266 home sales in August, the Near North Side was once again Chicago’s top-selling neighborhood, with Lincoln Park, the West Loop and Lakeview

According to the new Mortgage Applications Survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage applications increased 25.5 percent from the week prior. Refinancing activity increased by 24 percent, while purchase mortgages rose by 27 percent. Refinancing comprised 57.4 percent of all mortgage

The rental market in Chicago has been red-hot for some time now, but is it finally tapering off? And what would that mean for homeownership? The average rent in Chicago’s housing market is $1,145, and the area’s rental growth is

China is currently steeped in economic turmoil, and its tumbling stock prices and overinflated real estate market have industry professionals asking the question: How will this affect the U.S. real estate market? The answer has major implications for agents, brokerages

Sales continued their strong march forward in August, as CoreLogic reported both year-over-year and month-to-month increases. While the extent of home price gains varied often and sometimes greatly from metro to metro in August, the national direction has remained

According to RealtyTrac and Ethnic Technologies, the share of Mandarin Chinese-speaking buyers paying in cash has increased to 46 percent in 2015, a 229 percent increase from 2005. This increase puts Mandarin Chinese in the lead in terms of cash sale market share

Since late May, compliance training company Morph Media has been conducting daily surveys to gauge just how ready the real estate industry is for the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rules, set to take effect Oct. 3. On several portions of

The community bank is dying; some might argue it is already dead. The question is – why? A large section of the industry, and those familiar with it, would hang a heavy burden of blame on the passage of Dodd-Frank in

Nationwide, wage growth has lagged behind home prices; is that still true here in Chicago? Back in April, we reported some unsettling news – per analysis by RealtyTrac, wage growth in the Chicagoland area in 2013 and 2014 lagged far behind

CoreLogic released June cash sales data this week, which showed that cash continues to trickle out of the market. Nationally, cash sales made up 31.3 percent of total home sales in June, down from 33.9 percent the same time

Despite more Millennials entering the market, baby boomers still lead Baby boomers made up the majority of new households formed in the beginning of 2015, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors. The report, which

Green construction is growing faster than conventional construction. It currently provides 2.3 million jobs and $55 million in residential construction spending, which is expected to grow by $45 million by 2018. The homebuyers driving that growth are becoming increasingly eco-conscious, and the National Association of

Did the latest Case-Shiller present more of the same for housing? Home prices in the Chicagoland area were up 0.9 percent from June to July and 1.8 percent from July 2014, according to the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Index from Standard