Chicago’s housing market has been putting up some great numbers in 2013; what are the staging secrets behind those numbers? There’s no doubt that the Chicago real estate market this year is at levels it hasn’t been in years.

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

In an office environment where everyone is using technology, there are definitely some rules of the road you should be following. We risk summoning Captain Obvious with this statement, but it’s worth making nonetheless: technology is pretty much ubiquitous

How do you avoid a deficiency in a short sale? In his latest blog, Joseph C. Alfe explains how with five rules. One of the most frequently asked questions I get, from both brokers and sellers, is how to

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

What is it?  Contactually, (www.contactually.com) is one of the most useful platforms for prospecting and follow up, combining CRM, email and reminders into a super sexy and integrated tool.  Where it won’t replace your current email or client relationship

With existing-home inventory low and Chicago’s real estate market becoming increasingly competitive, the time has never been better to include new construction homes in your clients’ home search. Whether it’s in a new construction development or a tear-down in

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

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

Editor’s Note: This is the second part in a two-part series by Tim Brigham. If you missed the first part, click here. Friday, Day 5- Confirmation Day By now any file problems should be out in the open and

The downpayment remains the staple of most home financing; how are buyers, nowadays, funding their downpayments? Only 9 percent of homebuyers so far in 2013 have funded less than 50 percent of their home purchases with financing – which means

Housing affordability has slipped a bit so far in 2013, but does Chicagoland’s housing stock remain affordable relative to other major cities? Housing affordability slipped a bit from the first quarter to the second quarter in 2013, according to

So, what do you do when there is a real estate appraisal contingency and the contract price exceeds the list price? A) Pray B) Cross your fingers C) Hope D) Prepare E) All of the above F) None of

Twitter is an integral part of Chicago’s real estate market, but how can you harness it for your business? Alyssa Mattero shares three essential steps. A basic search on Twitter reveals that the Chicago real estate industry has a

The rapid rise in home prices has been one of 2013’s major economic stories, but there’s mounting evidence that those increases will slow down – and soon. If there’s been a poster child for the housing recovery, it’s been

This topic is thrown around in our industry almost on a daily basis. Bankers and brokers love to walk into your office and claim to close a loan “faster than EVERYONE else… 10 days… promise…” and then 143 days