February prices in the Chicago real estate market fell 2.5 percent from January and 6.9 percent from February 2011, according to the latest Case-Shiller. Nationally, the two major price indices of the Case-Shiller, the 10- and 20-City Composites, showed

Numerous reality television shows spotlighting renovation nightmares have popped up in recent years, and some are questioning their impact on potential homebuyers. Displaying the ugly side of buying a beautiful home, several of the shows were highlighted in a recent article

U.S. News just released its Best Business Jobs list, and real estate agents, boosted by new BLS stats, ranked quite highly in the list. According to U.S. News, over the next few years, businesses in the U.S. are on track to

Housing inventory declined yet again in March, and real estate analysts are debating its implications for the wider housing market. Based on the latest numbers from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), inventory declined from 2.40 million in February

With active listings as of April 2, 68 percent of agents do not provide virtual video tours of their listings. The remaining 25 percent use one of the major companies for virtual tours, while 7 percent of agents use

We recently asked whether or not Facebook is a waste of time for Realtors, based on new research from the Pew Research and American Life Project regarding Facebook user behavior. It was determined that no, Facebook was not a

Multifamily real estate was one of the big surprises of 2011, and analysts are expecting big things of the sector in 2012. Fannie, the largest single participant in multifamily mortgage debt, is anticipating a 30 percent jump in multifamily

The city of Chicago has lessened certain elements of its vacant property ordinance for mortgage servicers, particularly with interior maintenance. Chicago Buildings Commissioner Michael Merchant, in a HousingWire article,  said that the city eased some of its standards for the maintenance

Despite slower economic activity, Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group still forecasted positive developments in its latest projections. The economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.0 percent in 2011’s fourth quarter, and Fannie anticipates it will grow by

Realtors are an increasingly confident bunch, according to new results from NAR’s expansive Realtors Confidence Index Report. Co-authored by Jed Smith, the association’s managing director of quantitative research, and George Ratiu, the manager of quantitative and commercial research the report looked at

Home sales in the nine-county Chicago area posted big increases in March, signaling a bright start to the spring selling season. Counting single family and condos, sales for March were up 23.8 percent from a year ago to totaled

The Architecture Billings Index (ABI), one of the leading economic indicators of future construction activity, reported positive numbers yet again in March. The fifth straight month that the index has been in positive territory, the ABI finished the month at 50.4,

In private comments overheard by reporters, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney floated the idea of eliminating the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). According to the Washington Post, Romney made his comments at a private fundraiser amidst a

A recent surge in short sales, caused by more agreeable selling terms by banks, has increased short sales above foreclosure sales for the first time. According to research by Lending Processing Services (LPS), short sales accounted for 23.9 percent

Prices for homes in the nation’s 53 largest metropolitan areas were up 5.8 percent year-over-year in March, according to research by RE/MAX. The increase marks the second straight month of yearly increases for home values; before February, prices had

Building permits continued their strong performance in March in the latest construction data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Released in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the report found that building permits in March were at