According to Fannie Mae’s (FNMA/OTC) Economic & Strategic Research (ESR) GroupReal, economic growth in the U.S. appears ready to exceed 3.0 percent for the second half of the year, providing a sound basis for growth in 2015. The Group’s

It was another positive month for home prices in the latest Case-Shiller Home prices in the Chicagoland metro area rose 0.4 percent from July to August and 2.9 percent from August 2013, according to the latest Case-Shiller Home Price

We hear about lending standards all the time, and new data from CoreLogic suggests that they’re still quite tight. Are lending standards too tight? That’s a question on the mind of many housing professionals and analysts, especially in light

While everyone else focuses on the headlines, here are seven below-the-hood details you should know about new home sales. Sales of newly built single-family homes in September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 467,000, a 0.2 percent

In the last decade, student loan debt has become a major hindrance to young college graduates entering the home buying market. The saddling of debt is a struggle millions of Americans can relate to. And though, traditionally, household debt

NAR’s September existing-home sales reports marks a bounce back from August’s dip. In August, existing-home sales took a slight dip from their peak pace in July. However, after a month of decreased activity, sales again picked up, this time

In September, Chicago Agent magazine reported on the National Association of Realtors announcement to launch the .REALTOR domain to be used exclusively to represent NAR member websites. Today, the association further announced that starting tomorrow, October 23, the domain

What are the most common reasons for why sales do not close? From financing issues to disagreements over the final sale price, there are many possible reasons for why a sale did not close, so we decided to take a closer look via newly

Americans love being single, according to new Census Bureau data, and that trend will likely impact housing in noticeable ways. For the first time since the government began tracking such statistics in 1976, there are more single adults in

Fannie and Freddie are close to lowering their down payment requirements for borrowers. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored entities (GSE) that guarantee the majority of the nation’s prime mortgages, are nearing an agreement that would lower their

Today’s agent doesn’t look busy unless they’re multitasking. Unfortunately, that frantic lifestyle may be hurting their brains. A smartphone in one hand, tablet in the other, Bluetooth in the ear and a laptop in the car seat – the

Recently, it was announced that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. has made a bid to acquire Move, Inc. and all of their subsidiaries for $950 million, a deal that is expected to close before the end of the year. Staff

In August, Redfin reported a market-wide drop in homes for sale and new listings that hampered the searches of prospective buyers. However, in its latest report, the real estate company found that demand in September was up, and will

The new construction markets are in a very interesting place, a fact reinforced by the latest Census Bureau numbers. Housing starts in September were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.017 million, a 6.3 percent increase from August’s revised

Three years later, the government is finally set to reveal its new requirements for mortgages, and much has changed in the interim. The government is set to finalize the final piece of its post-bubble mortgage regulations on Oct. 22,

When conditions are right, owning in our area is much more affordable than renting. Homeownership in the Chicagoland area remains 43 percent more affordable than renting through 2014’s third quarter, according to a new analysis by Trulia; that’s slightly