National News

The 10 biggest challenges for real estate firms in 2016

Last week, we reported on NAR’s “Profile of Real Estate Firms,” an exhaustive look at the composition of today’s realty businesses and a projection of where they are heading. Our first report looked at the state of real estate firms

The digital marketing strategy agents can’t afford to ignore

For most buyers and sellers, contacting a real estate agent isn’t their first step. Their first move is to go online. Sixty-six percent of Realtors and 70 percent of brokers have a website, the National Association of Realtors’ 2015 Member

Case Shiller: Chicagoland home prices rise second-most in the nation

Home prices in the Chicagoland housing market posted the second-strongest monthly increase in the U.S., according to the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices from Standard & Poor’s. From June to July, Chicagoland prices rose 0.9 percent, which was ahead

Agents’ Choice 2016 Finalists – Revealed!

  The votes are in! Thank you to the many members of our real estate community, who submitted thousands of votes and helped generate buzz for this year’s Agents’ Choice Awards. We’ve tallied up the votes and determined the

How do agents stay safe in 2016? 3 trends from NAR’s new report

September is Realtor safety month – an important month for real estate. As a real estate agent, you are vulnerable to harassment, being robbed at gunpoint, kidnapping and even murder. Your job can be risky – in fact, nearly 40 percent

Cracking the code: the 10 secrets to maximizing client happiness

In one of his more famous speeches, Don Draper, the central character of the “Mad Men” television series, stated that advertising is based on one thing – happiness. And though his focus was on the ad world, Draper could

10 trends defining the real estate firm of the future

The “Profile of Real Estate Firms” is among the most interesting annual surveys from the National Association of Realtors. Conducted among its executive members, the profile offers an in-depth look at the higher echelons of the industry, as well

The no. 1 reason why so few Millennials are buying homes in Chicagoland

For some time now, agents and analysts alike have wondered why so few Millennials are buying homes, but new Census data has provided a remarkably straightforward answer – they’re all living at home with their parents. Compiled by Time magazine,

How bad is Chicago’s need for new construction? Try 95,000 permits bad

Eighty percent of U.S. metro areas are lacking in single-family home construction, and few areas are in greater need than Chicagoland, according to a new analysis from the National Association of Realtors. Comparing home construction to job gains from

NAHB proposes 15 “critical” building code changes

The National Association of Home Builders wants to organize its membership to help pass 15 of what it describes as “critical” building code changes. In its release, the association wrote: “NAHB is urging its members to get involved locally

The 4 reasons that Chicago renters are not buying homes

Both economic and personal concerns are stopping renters from buying homes, according to the latest Housing Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) survey from NAR. Conducted on a quarterly basis, the HOME survey polled Americans about their confidence in the

Are we in a bubble? Yes, no and maybe

In Jan. 2005, Alan Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, said that it would be “financially foolhardy” to listen to “housing bubble worrywarts.” A few months later, Jude Wanniski, a former adviser to President Ronald Reagan, authored

Real estate industry undergoes dramatic change in public opinion

The American public views the real estate industry more positively than at any time in the last decade, according to new research from Gallup. Based on its annual polling of public sentiment, Gallup found that 44 percent of Americans

Chicago Agents’ Choice 2016
Why 1 in 5 buyers say they’d purchase a home without seeing it in person

Last year, one in five homebuyers purchased a property sight unseen. According to a new survey from Redfin, that number is holding true this year, as well. This may be a trend agents should follow. Crissy Dyer is a

HARP gets extension and FHFA announces new refinancing offering

The Home Affordable Refinance Program will not expire at the end of this year, as previously thought. The Federal Housing Finance Agency says it will continue through Sept. 2017. FHFA’s announcement comes alongside news that Fannie Mae and Freddie

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