Current Market Data

Has the Government’s HAMP Program Been a Failure?

The government’s Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP, received a stinging report from the inspector general of TARP that questioned its merits. The government’s Home Affordable Modification Program, or HAMP, was among its major responses to the housing downturn,

Fannie Mae Releases Loan-Level Credit Performance Data

Fannie Mae is releasing a loan-level credit performance data on 18 million mortgages, which will help develop potential risk sharing transactions. Fannie Mae announced that it is making loan-level credit performance data available on over 18 million single-family mortgages

Will Mel Watt Become the Most Powerful Man in Housing?

Mel Watt, the Democratic representative from North Carolina, is President Obama’s pick to head the FHFA, a role that would give him enormous sway over housing. News broke yesterday that Mel Watt, a long-time Democratic representative from the state

What Home Remodeling Projects Are Best For Your Clients?

Home remodeling projects have a certain romanticism to them, and though some are worth the time and effort, others do not recoup their expenses. Who doesn’t love home remodeling? After all, remodeling is one of the defining reasons for

5 Reasons to Take M-commerce Seriously

M-commerce, or commerce via mobile devices, is the future of business in America, and a new eMarketer survey hammers home that fact. M-commerce, short hand for shopping via mobile devices, used to be a fledgling component of the American

Residential Construction Spending Up in March

Residential construction spending continued its forward progress in March, and the construction industry on the whole expanded impressively. Residential construction had another strong month of activity in March, with construction spending on residential projects in the month rising to

How Do Appraisers View the Housing Recovery?

Consumers, real estate agents and even lenders have been sharing the optimism on the housing recovery, but how do appraisers see things? Slowly but surely, more and more components of the U.S. economy have jumped on the housing recovery

Chicago Home Prices Up Yearly, Down Monthly in February Case-Shiller

Chicago posted year-over-year increases in the February Case-Shiller, and though monthly prices were down, they mirrored prices in eight other major cities. There was good news and bad news for Chicago home prices in the latest Case-Shiller report from

Inventory in Chicago Neighborhoods Down 83 Percent Since 2011

The shortage of good housing inventory in Chicago is hardly news, but the extent of the decline for some neighborhoods is still quite surprising. News flash! Housing inventory in Chicago, as with most of the nation’s other major housing

Pending Home Sales Index Affected by Low Housing Inventory

Though March’s Pending Home Sales Index from NAR was a positive one, it suggests the low housing inventory levels are affecting home sales at the contract level as well. Pending home sales rose by both monthly and yearly measures

Student Loans Dissuading Consumers from Homebuying

A study conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says homebuyers with student loans are less likely to take out mortgages than their counterparts. Student loan debt is big; in fact, it would be more accurate to

Multifamily Construction Rolls Along in March ABI

Multifamily developments were, once again, the most in-demand for architectural services, as more and more builders capitalize on rental demand. Multifamily developments once again prevailed in the latest Architecture Billings Index (ABI) from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), as

How Do Bank-Owned Properties in Chicago Compare to Non-Bank Owned?

How does Chicago’s bank-owned real estate compare with its non-banked owned? And how have those numbers changed in the last year? In the latest Real Estate Market Report from Zillow, which analyzed housing data for 2013’s first quarter, Chicago

Mortgage Delinquencies at Lowest Level Since 2008

A new Lender Processing Services study indicates that mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures are moving in the right direction The amount of mortgage delinquencies that were behind in their payments or in foreclosure is at its lowest level since 2008,

What Cities Do Foreign Homebuyers Want to Live in Most?

With the Internet, foreign homebuyers have never had it easier buying property in the U.S. But what cities do they favor the most? It was Thomas Friedman who famously stated that “the world was flat,” and his statement applies

Is Homeownership Still Integral to the American Dream?

Homeownership is often pegged as the ultimately realization of the “American Dream,” but a new study from the MacArthur Foundation finds consumers may not agree with that sentiment. The housing crisis changed many things in the housing market –

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