By Peter Ricci New household formation increased by 125,000 year-over-year in 2012’s second quarter to 74.8 households, and amidst those increases, one ethnic group stood apart: Hispanic homebuyers. While white and black households declined (by 649,000 and 81,000, respectively),

By Ian McKendry Want to know the latest housing numbers but don’t know where to look or have the time to check? The Census Bureau just released a free app called America’s Economy that makes it really easy. As

By Peter Ricci The National Association of Realtors’ Confidence Index Report (RCI) is one of the broadest measures around for Realtor business, and the latest index’s finding on average listing time seems to be one of the most optimistic

By Peter Ricci Foreclosure filings in July fell by 10 percent from a year ago, according to the latest U.S. Foreclosure Market Report from RealtyTrac. Encompassing default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions, there were 191,925 filings in July,

By Peter Ricci Let’s be frank – there are some really stupid apps out there. After all, when Apple coined the now iconic phrase “There’s an app for that,” they probably didn’t have Airport Sounds in mind, an app

By Tara Steele, AGBeat After the “Nationwide Open House” held in April, one brokerage asserts through its new report that the effectiveness of an open house is not consistent from city to city. Looking at a quarter of a

Q: How can I make sure prospective buyers at my open house know their financing options? A: Now, more than ever, it’s absolutely imperative your potential buyers know their financing options while they are at an open

LeapRE found that 15.67 percent of properties in the Chicagoland area have hosted open houses so far in 2012. It also appears that most open houses, 58.6 percent, occur on Sunday, then Tuesday (18.7 percent), and then Saturday (7.6

By Ian McKendry According to the National Association of Realtors, nearly 50 percent of all homebuyers use open houses as part of their search, and a new wave of apps for the iPad are taking advantage of leads that

By Peter Ricci It’s one of the titanic arguments in the world of real estate – rent or buy? Indeed, few arguments in our beloved business inspire such fervent support, and few have been fueled more successfully by the

By Peter Ricci According to analysis of government documents, the three big government housing institutes – Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – have decreased their REO housing inventory by more than

By Stephanie Sims With so many agent ratings systems out there, which rating system will show up in Google searches so potential clients can find your stellar ratings? Here are quick snapshots of a few of the top online

By Peter Ricci The seasonally adjusted delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four unit residential properties declined by 10 percent year-over-year in 2012’s second quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) latest National Delinquency Survey. Though the delinquency rate

By Peter Ricci Real estate website Trulia is reporting that, boosted by fewer housing vacancies and relatively impressive job growth, asking prices have risen in its Trulia Price Monitor for the sixth straight month. A leading indicator on home

By Peter Ricci Mortgage giant Fannie Mae released the findings of its second-quarter financial report earlier today, highlighting its net income, loan volumes and, naturally, its continuing health in the recovering mortgage markets. Overall, the GSE reported a net

By Peter Ricci The National Association of Realtors completed the long-anticipated merger of its virtual Realtors Federal Credit Union (FCU) with the Northwest Federal Credit Union on August 1, effectively opening to its members a new range of financial