Statewide home sales were up 0.3 percent from last year and sales in Chicagoland were up 0.2 percent from July 2018. But looking solely at the city of Chicago, Illinois Realtors recorded a 5.3 percent year-over-year decrease in existing-home sales.

U.S. homebuilders appear optimistic that low mortgage rates can turn the tide in favor of stronger sales in the months ahead.

Wall Street has found itself increasingly on edge in recent weeks, but strangely, that may be breathing fresh life into the mortgage lending industry.

Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index for July rose to its highest reading in nine years.

Median single-family prices for the metro area were up 1.2 percent over last year, but that’s a far cry from the national rate of 4.3 percent. Find out why Chicagoland is lagging.

At the start of the year, price growth was at 2 to 3 percent year-over-year. Now, it’s between 0.5 and 1.5 percent, depending on the city. But according to Thad Wong, co-founder of @properties, that might not be a bad thing. 

While good design is something pretty much everyone aspires to, homeowners often choose particular styles that are inspired by what is popular in their part of the world. Find out which aesthetics and choices are most popular in Chicagoland, and see how this varies when compared to what’s popular in other markets.

The National Association of Realtors’ Pending Home Sales Index broke a 17-month streak of year-over-year declines to log an annual increase in June. Last month also marked the second month in a row in which nationwide pending home sales grew, a fresh sign that homebuyers are finally emboldened by falling interest rates.

A poll of more than 100 real estate economists and experts finds half of the respondents think a recession will begin in 2020. Learn about their reasons for such assertions and predictions for the housing market overall in the next few years.

As housing costs have continued to grow faster than the average buyer’s income, more are tapping into resources that can lower the substantial up-front costs of purchasing a home. But that could bring some major changes and a degree of uncertainty to the housing market.

While sales of existing homes continue to underwhelm, housing market analysts are feeling more optimistic about new construction. The Census Bureau reported new-home sales in June came 7 percent above the revised sales pace for May, and 4.5 percent above the estimate for June 2018. The report did come with caveats, however.

Opportunities for Illinois homebuyers have increased as home sales trended lower in June and median prices stayed relatively flat, according to data from Illinois Realtors. However, one factor that doesn’t favor buyers is the fact that inventory remained low.

The national existing-home market nearly gave up the ground won in May with a less-than-stellar showing for June sales, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales of existing homes in June came in 1.7 percent below the previous month’s total, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 5.27 million.

Weakening home sales, a sluggish new construction market and slowing growth in permitting for home improvement projects have all impacted the pace of remodeling, particularly projects undertaken with the goal of putting properties on the market for a quick sale.

Once again it’s time to check in on the people and offices with the most activity in Chicagoland real estate. Get a quick glance of the people and offices who made waves in Q2 or dig deep into the full lists of the top 20 agents, offices and highest single-family closings in each of the six counties we cover.

High land and labor costs have tempered optimism that might otherwise accompany low mortgage rates and an economy that’s been strong overall. But there are also some encouraging signs on the horizon.