2015 shaping up to be a big year for new construction in Chicagoland Residential construction spending in the Chicagoland area was up 74 percent year-over-year in May, and so far in 2015 is 38 percent ahead of where it was

How has Chicagoland’s rental market developed in 2015’s second quarter? New data from Reis provides some perspective. In April, Chicago Agent noted that according to data/analytics firm Reis, the once-hot rental market in Chicagoland was cooling down, especially compared to

What details in latest jobs report bear the most significance for housing? The nation’s unemployment rate fell from 5.5 to 5.3 percent in June, while the overall economy added 223,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor

Over the last year, distressed home sales have become far less prominent in Illinois’ housing market Distressed sales throughout Illinois comprised 18.6 percent of all home sales in May, a marked drop from the 30.6 percent market share of a

Residential construction spending may be up in 2015, but some areas performing better than others Residential construction spending was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $359.5 billion in May, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census

Home prices positive in latest Case-Shiller, but are there signs of a slow down? Home prices in the Chicagoland area posted moderate gains in Standard & Poor’s latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, rising 1.1 percent from March to April and

Construction is down in the market’s lower end, and economists say they know why The construction industry continues to make strides bringing more new homes to the market, a Census Bureau report on housing permits recently showed. But while

May was a solid month for pending home sales activity, but uncertainty remains for housing’s future Pending home sales continued their hot streak in May, rising by monthly and yearly measurements to their highest level in nine years, according to

Two surveys, one from Bankrate and another from Capital One, spotlight Americans’ financial insecurities Twenty-nine percent of Americans have no emergency savings, and another 21 percent only have enough savings to cover three months of expenses. Those troubling statistics came

What neighborhoods in the city of Chicago saw the most home sales in May? Earlier this week, Chicago Agent reported that home sales in the city of Chicago rose 10.1 percent last month, and that among the most competitive housing markets

Progress has been made on negative equity front, but troubling trends persist In the Chicagoland housing market, 23.7 percent of mortgage holders remain underwater, and a majority will not reach positive equity for some time. That was the sobering finding

Some builders have avoided green building for fear of costs. Turns out, it could help them make money Environmentalists have long urged developers to design more green buildings, but faced with the high immediate cost of sustainable materials and

Sales in Chicagoland’s suburbs were positive in May, but what communities saw the most sales activity? Earlier this week, Chicago Agent reported that home sales in the Chicagoland area rose 7 percent year-over-year in May, with sales in the area’s

New home sales up quite a bit so far in 2015, but many market forces remain at work The good news continued for new construction in May, with new home sales rising 2.2 percent from April and 19.5 percent from May

May was a very good month for sellers in the Chicagoland area Home sales in the Chicagoland area were up 7 percent in May, while median sales price rose 7.2 percent, according to the latest analysis from the Illinois Association

Where in the 234 square miles of Chicago are the most competitive housing markets located? “It’s still a seller’s market in Chicago.” That was the conclusion of Nela Richardson, Redfin’s chief economist, in the brokerage’s latest Real-Time Housing Market Tracker,