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

Significant challenges remain on the homebuilding front, according to new NAHB research “Booming” is a word that has not been associated with Chicagoland’s housing market for some time, but no other adjective is more appropriate for the market’s new

Looser lending standards may not be the panacea for housing’s sideways growth For years, housing professionals have been holding their breath for looser lending standards to ride in and boost the market into a new era of prosperity, but

A new study uses homeownership rate to rank the best and worst presidents for housing…but it’s a bit more complicated than that. In early May, economist Roger Thomas of ValueWalk.com released an analysis (of sorts) on homeownership rates from

A new report from RealtyTrac confirms investors are gaining traction in the flipping market. But is there enough inventory to go around? Single-family home flips were up in 2015’s first quarter, according to a RealtyTrac U.S. Home Flipping Report.

While unemployment continued declining in the new jobs report, slow wage growth points to an overall tighter labor market. The Labor Department released its April jobs report today and the response has been somewhat neutral, as limited gains tell

OFF-MLS LISTINGS What are your thoughts about off-mls listings? ADVICE FOR NEW AGENTS What is your advice for agents who want to work with clients in the luxury market? AN EVOLVING MARKET In your experience, how is the luxury

We keep hearing how low inventory is in today’s housing market, but why is that the case? The National Association of Realtors’ existing-home sales report for March was an altogether positive take on housing, with sales rising 6.1 percent