October was a great month for residential construction, with both the single-family and multifamily markets rising to new post-boom levels. Though the government shutdown handicapped the Census Bureau’s data on residential construction, what it did report in its latest

Pending home sales were down in October, and there remain several pitfalls for housing in the coming months. Pending home sales fell yet again in October, and the terrain remains a bit precarious for housing, according to the latest

September was a very promising month for home prices in the Windy City in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices Home prices in the Chicago metropolitan area rose 9.7 percent year-over-year in September, according to the latest Case-Shiller Home

Inventory shortages continued to cramp existing-home sales’ style, according to the latest analysis by NAR. Existing-home sales were down for the second month in a row in October, falling 3.2 percent from September, according to the National Association of

What types of homes have proven most popular with homebuyers in 2013? We take a look at recent NAR data to find out. Consumer preferences are an ever shifting, evolving landscape, and few regions of the economy shift more

Builder confidence held steady in November, with more builders seeing conditions as good than bad. Builder confidence for the newly built, single-family home marketplace was unchanged in November from a downwardly revised level of 54 in the latest National

The housing market has seen strong price gains through much of 2013, but has it made up all that lost ground from the downturn? Let’s start with the good news: there’s no way that the national housing market is

Measurement errors of any kind could land you in court, especially after Midwest Real Estate Data ruled that not filling out the approximate square footage field in a listing was against its rules. However, many agents still, whether on

I received no less than three phone calls last week from people who wanted to know if I had heard anything about whether the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 was being extended. I’m flattered that people see me

According to the 2013 National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey, while housing has been recovering for the past two years, restrictive mortgage lending standards are preventing some financially qualified buyers from reaching their dreams,

While housing marches to the slow, steady drumbeat of recovery, the grass is getting greener and optimism is creeping back into the hearts and minds of both real estate professionals and homeowners. But the wild ride isn’t over, and

We often hear about how expensive condos are in our area, but how do they compare to other metro areas in the U.S.? Condo prices nationwide continued to increase in October, according to new analysis by the folks at

There are many components to a house, but how does the house’s overall size impact the space of those components? The last couple of weeks, we’ve been looking at the typical sizes of newly built single-family homes, and how

We keep wondering when/if the government will reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but key trends will determine how those reforms take place. It’s the question on many a real estate professional’s mind – when will the government get

Christmas comes early every year for the Chicago Agent staff with the release of the Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers from NAR. Rejoice – ’tis the most wonderful time of the year! No, we’re not celebrating an early

Homebuilder incentives were commonplace in the housing market in the months following the market crash, but how common are they now? In the months following the housing crash, homebuilders across the country were presented with a most unique of