Homes affordable to middle-income buyers — defined as households earning up to $75,000 — fall in the $256,000-to-$320,000 range. But of the over one million U.S. homes on the market at the end of April, less than a quarter of all listings were within that price range.

Chicago listings were down 18.5% from last year.

A second consecutive month of increases in the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index could indicate a reversal of the negative trend that began last year. 

The percentage of Chicago sellers making concessions to buyers is up from last year.

Despite solid demand, a dearth of homes for sale kept transaction numbers muted in the association’s most recent report on pending sales. 

A shortage of existing inventory continues to drive buyers to new construction. 

Chicago’s average monthly rent payment is $1,874, while the average monthly mortgage payment — with a 6.8% mortgage rate — is $1,828.

Multiple-offer situations have returned with the spring buying season while distressed and forced sales are “virtually nonexistent,” the National Association of REALTORS® said.

Single-family permits also posted a gain, indicating even more new homes are headed to today’s supply-constrained housing market. 

Homebuilder optimism was buoyed by continued shortages of new housing inventory, the National Association of Home Builders reported. 

Chicago’s April average home value rose from March as pending sales stayed flat and new inventory fell.

Homebuyers in their 40s and younger are still planning to buy homes, even though most believe the market favors homesellers.

Interest rates on mortgages of all types declined last week, spurring an uptick in borrowing, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported. 

The need for more space is common among all self-storage users: 40% of survey respondents listed this as their primary reason for renting storage space.

High demand drove multiple offers on about a third of pending sales, while 28% of homes sold above list price, the National Association of REALTORS® reported. 

The Real Data report highlights which brokers, teams and offices had the highest quarterly sales numbers across Chicagoland.