Trends

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Census Bureau: Construction Spending Jumps 5.2 Percent in July

Construction spending increased again in July, with residential construction leading the way. Construction spending in July continued its strong 2013 comeback, with overall construction activity rising 0.6 percent from June and 5.2 percent from July 2012 to a seasonally

CoreLogic: Home Prices Up 12.4 Percent in July

The nation’s home prices continued to improve in July, with the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic posting fantastic year-over-year numbers. Home prices continued their double-digit performance in the CoreLogic Home Price Index, rising 12.4 percent year-over-year in July. That

The Top 9 Reasons That Consumers Moved in 2012

Quite a few Americans moved about in 2012, but what were the reasons behind their move? Last year, a hefty number of Americans moved to new residences – 35.5 million Americans, in fact, a 4 percent increase from 2011

The Top 10 New Construction Markets in Chicagoland

Chicagoland’s new construction markets have improved quite dramatically in the last year, but where, specifically, have new home sales been the strongest? So far in 2013, Chicagoland’s new construction housing market has been putting up some smashing numbers. Not

McMansions: The Sequel

Many analysts were proclaiming the demise of the McMansion, but the super-sized housing option seems to have returned from the dead. The narrative went a little something like this: McMansions, or over-sized suburban homes, were an outgrowth of the

How Quickly Do Listings Go Under Contract in Chicagoland?

The housing market, according to the latest numbers from Redfin, seems to be slowing down; is that the case here in Chicago? For the third straight month, the percentage of listings that went under contract within two weeks decreased

The 9 Most Common Reasons For Home Sales in 2013

Why have home sellers sold their residences in 2013? We look at some interesting data and find the most prominent reasons. Housing inventory has been on a major upswing so far in 2013, with inventory rising nearly 22 percent

5 Possible Outcomes of Higher Mortgage Rates

Mortgage rates have risen rather dramatically since May; what impact could those increases have, though, on the housing market? At the beginning of May the average mortgage rate for a 30-year FRM was just 3.35 percent. Since then, as

NAR: Higher Mortgage Rates Push Down Pending Home Sales

Higher mortgage rates negatively impacted pending home sales, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index, the leading measure of contract signings in the residential housing market, declined 1.3 percent from June

9 Ways that Kids Affect Their Parents’ Home Search

There are many factors that consumers consider when searching for homes, and a new Trulia survey shows the impact that kids have on homebuying decisions. Homebuyers have many factors to consider when searching for a home. From the area’s

Will Oversupply Sink Chicago’s Rental Market?

Chicago’s rental market has been cruising along the last few years, but have developers been a bit too exuberant in their building? Chicago’s rental market has been one of the big success stories in the post-boom housing market, but

New Home Sales Down 13.4% in July – Cold Water on the Recovery?

New home sales fell by a hefty amount in July; what does such a decline suggest about the housing recovery? July was a lukewarm month for new single-family home sales, with the Census Bureau reporting declines in sales numbers.

Chicago Home Prices Up 7.3% in June Case-Shiller

June was a stellar month for Chicago home prices, with the Windy City putting up some of the strongest home prices gains in the nation. Home prices in the Chicago metropolitan area were up 7.3 percent year-over-year in June,

The Nation’s Busiest Residential New Construction Markets

Residential construction put up some great numbers in July, but are those gains consistent with our local real estate market? July was a very strong month for residential new construction. Not only were building permits up 2.7 percent from

5 Important Traits of Home Sellers in 2013

Home sellers have been tiptoeing back into the housing market throughout 2013, and we’ve collected the most important traits of those sellers. We’ve been covering the National Association of Realtors’ Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report pretty extensively

Are Mortgage Lending Standards Really THAT Bad?

We keep hearing that mortgage lending standards are unfairly tight, but does the data support that meme? One of the more prevailing memes in the housing recovery has been the relative tightness of lending standards on residential mortgages, and

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