National News
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
How common is it for home sellers in our area to lower their asking prices? And how do we compare with other major metro areas? Signs have been quite clear in recent months that the housing market has noticeably
The housing market experienced a great swing of activity in the summer months, but what’s happening now as the market starts to cool? Homebuyer interest may have surged to its highest level in years during the summer homebuying season,
The health of Chicagoland’s housing market continued to improve, according to the latest market research by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Foreclosure inventory in Chicagoland fell a hefty 33 percent year-over-year in the third quarter, according to the latest National
Asking prices seem to be slowing down nationwide, but is that the case here in Chicago? October was a very positive month for Chicagoland’s asking prices, with the metro area posting some of the best numbers in the nation
The National Association of Realtor’s (NAR) official eSignature provider, DocuSign, is now offering a package with Cartavi Transaction Rooms, a bundle expected to help Realtors efficiently manage the loose ends of a transaction. “DocuSign and Cartavi help real estate professionals