U.S. mortgage rates were increasing at steady clip in 2015 until global economic events intervened The economic turmoil in Greece and China could possibly benefit U.S. homebuyers. That cause and effect was the chief finding in Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage

Is strong market prediction too bold to make? Fannie Mae released their June National Housing Survey results with an overall conclusion that a strong market was shaping up for the summer. However, when looking at the specific year-over-year data, the results are more

Mortgage applications decreased 4.7 percent last week, according to the data from the latest Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey. The Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage loan application volume, dipped 4.7 percent. Similarly, the Refinance Index decreased 5 percent from the previous

What details in latest jobs report bear the most significance for housing? The nation’s unemployment rate fell from 5.5 to 5.3 percent in June, while the overall economy added 223,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor

Over the last year, distressed home sales have become far less prominent in Illinois’ housing market Distressed sales throughout Illinois comprised 18.6 percent of all home sales in May, a marked drop from the 30.6 percent market share of a

Residential construction spending may be up in 2015, but some areas performing better than others Residential construction spending was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $359.5 billion in May, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census

Recession technically over, but challenges remain for housing market Six years ago, the recession officially ended. However, 41 percent of Americans still think the housing crisis is happening, and a new study by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of

Home prices positive in latest Case-Shiller, but are there signs of a slow down? Home prices in the Chicagoland area posted moderate gains in Standard & Poor’s latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, rising 1.1 percent from March to April and

Construction is down in the market’s lower end, and economists say they know why The construction industry continues to make strides bringing more new homes to the market, a Census Bureau report on housing permits recently showed. But while

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau decided to again amend its proposal to extend the forthcoming TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule compliance deadline, this time pushing the effective date from Oct. 1 to Oct. 3. “The bureau proposed Oct. 3 as

May was a solid month for pending home sales activity, but uncertainty remains for housing’s future Pending home sales continued their hot streak in May, rising by monthly and yearly measurements to their highest level in nine years, according to

Civil rights groups are celebrating the Supreme Court’s recent decision on disparate impact claims, but is it too early? The Supreme Court’s affirmation of an appeals decision endorsing the citation of disparate impact in housing cases – which means evidence

Progress has been made on negative equity front, but troubling trends persist In the Chicagoland housing market, 23.7 percent of mortgage holders remain underwater, and a majority will not reach positive equity for some time. That was the sobering finding

Twenty-four Chicagoland agents made the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals‘ list of the Top 250 Hispanic Agents in the U.S. The list ranked agents based on the number of transactions they made in 2014. The Chicagoland agents who made

Supreme Court rules disparate impact claims will be covered under FHA Discriminatory intent is irrelevant in cases of disparate impact, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled today in a tight 5-4 decision, where Justice Anthony Kennedy proved the decider. In

Some builders have avoided green building for fear of costs. Turns out, it could help them make money Environmentalists have long urged developers to design more green buildings, but faced with the high immediate cost of sustainable materials and