Down payment trends may hint at first time homebuyer confidence The average down payment for single-family homes, condos and townhomes was down to 14.8 percent of the purchase price for Q1 2015, the lowest number since Q1 2012, according

Latest jobs report features interesting implications for housing May was a positive month for the U.S. labor market, with the economy adding 280,000 jobs and the unemployment rate holding steady at 5.5 percent, according to the latest analysis from

Are real estate agents employees, or independent contractors? Massachusetts’s highest court weighs in The highest court in Massachusetts has settled the matter – real estate agents are independent contractors, not employees. That was the state’s Supreme Judicial Court’s decision

The Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) is set to become an industry cost-saver as property data become standardized by the nation’s 850-plus MLS firms. Driving the change is the National Association of Realtors mandated deadline for Realtor-affiliated MLSs of the

The Hispanic demographic struggles to recover from housing crash, but could become a big shaker in future markets Between now and 2020, roughly four out of every 10 new households in the U.S. will be headed by someone of

Last month’s new home sales appear hugely positive, but is there a hidden truth behind the numbers? On the surface, it would appear to be a wholly positive development for housing – sales of newly built single-family homes, according to

April’s pending home sales add positive note, but caution still necessary Pending home sales in April hit their highest level in nine years, according to the latest analysis from the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index

Have Chicagoland home prices in finally turned the corner? Home prices in the Chicagoland area rose 0.9 percent from February to March and 3.4 percent from March 2014, according to the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices from Standard &

Chicago Agent counts down its top 10 real estate films In 1982, iconic horror moviemaker Tobe Hooper (of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame) married two of American’s most deep-seeded fears: real estate and structures built on unmarked graves. In what

Federal Aviation Administration approves 400-plus commercial drone exemptions As of late May 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration had granted 434 section 333 exemption petitions, which allow for the commercial use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, and among them,

New Freddie Mac research casts doubts on notion that rising rents push consumers toward homeownership It has been a common narrative in the post-boom housing market that rising rents would eventually push more consumers toward homeownership, but new research

NAR documents 6 percent jump in existing-home sales Market indicators have detailed a continual progression towards normalcy since early 2014, but a hiccup in April’s existing-home sales could mark yet another slow down in the pace of progress, according

After strong series of months, builder confidence a bit bumpy thus far in 2015 Builder confidence has been one of the unqualified success stories of the housing recovery, but weak economic fundamentals could hamper its progress. That’s one of

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has extended the Home Affordable Mortgage Program (HAMP) and Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) through the end of 2016. Mel Watt, the FHFA’s director, commented that the programs have been a key component in

April new construction numbers excellent, but stats could be misleading On the surface, April was a fabulously positive month for new construction. Not only did housing starts jump 20.2 percent from March (the second largest jump ever recorded), but their

A study from ULI found that while most people are happy with their living arrangements, many are lacking in some fundamental amenities, like healthy food Real estate supports a wide spectrum of standards, encompassing a plethora of lifestyles and preferences