National News

Asking Prices Increase 5.1 Percent in December Trulia Price Monitor

Asking prices increased 0.7 percent from November to December and 5.1 percent year-over-year in the latest Trulia Price Monitor, which studied the asking prices of for-sale homes listed on Trulia in

Did the Housing Market Escape the Fiscal Cliff Unscathed?

We knew it would go down to the wire – after countless discussions, negotiations and stories by the media, Congress finally reached an agreement to avert the so-called “Fiscal Cliff,” and the housing market, upon initial impressions, seems to

Residential Construction Spending Up in November

Private residential construction spending increased again in November, rising 0.4 percent from October to November in what is shaping up to be an encouraging 2012 for residential construction, according to the latest data from the Census

5 Real Estate Trends to Watch For in 2013

Well, 2013 has finally arrived, and it brings with it a housing market that, in the view of every major real estate analysts – from the NAHB, to the Wall Street Journal, to CoreLogic – is on the path to

What’s Hot, What’s Not, for Housing Next Year

Like many in the industry, since it’s the end of 2012, industry professionals are making predictions for 2013. We asked local industry experts their thoughts in our last issue of the year, and Jed Kolko, chief economist at Trulia,

Top 10 Agent Snapshots of 2012

The Agent Snapshot is one of the most popular features on our site, and for good reason! It introduces our readers to the many talented, successful, smart, entertaining, driven and wonderful agents that make the Chicagoland area real estate

How Does Geography Influence Building Materials?

Have you ever wondered by chrome seems so common in New England homes? Or why the shiny, shimmering textures of bronze always pop up in Texas dwellings? The NAHB Research Center just combed through 15 years-worth of construction materials

Chicago Home Prices Fall 1.5 Percent in October Case-Shiller

Chicago home prices fell by 1.5 percent from September to October in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices from Standard & Poor’s. In addition, Chicago home prices were down 1.3 percent from October 2011; though a number of other

The Reality of Agents and Real Estate Google Searches

We all dream about appearing prominently in Google searches, about being present on that first page and generating thousands upon thousands of clicks for our site; the sad reality is, that’s probably never going to happen. Trust us, we’d love

Where are Home Prices Heading This Winter?

Well, it’s Christmas Eve, the time of mistletoe and yuletide and egg nog. But while visions of sugarplums may be dancing in the heads of most people tonight, we’ll be going to sleep with another, equally potent question on

FHA to Tighten Mortgage Standards in 2013

In an effort to shore up its struggling finances, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced that it will be tightening its mortgage standards and policies for certain homebuyers in 2013. The FHA’s finances have been called into question

Take Two: The Essential Components to Successful YouTube Marketing

As we highlighted in our first story on YouTube marketing, both YouTube and Internet video offer huge potential for real estate agents and the marketing of their businesses. Internet video traffic is estimated to make up 54 percent of

Multifamily Housing Dominates November Architecture Billings Index

The multifamily housing market continued its dominant performance in the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Architecture Billings Index, a leading economic indicator of future construction activity that is based on the billings from the nation’s architectural firms. For November, the

NAR Gives A Great Xmas Present with its Existing-Home Sales Report

There was nothing but good tidings and cheer in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) existing-home sales report for November, which found existing-home sales to have increased 5.9 percent from October to November and 14.5 percent from November 2011.

According to MRED, Optimism is the Word in Real Estate Going Into 2013

“Optimism” hasn’t been associated with real estate much in the past few years. Russ Bergeron, CEO of Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the Chicagoland’s multiple listing service, said, “I can’t remember feeling this positive about the prospects for a

Building Permits Up 26.8 Percent in New Census Bureau Study

Building permits increased 3.6 percent from October to November and 26.8 percent year-over-year in the latest joint study by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Altogether, between single-family and multifamily authorizations, building permits

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