The 15th Annual Webby Awards will honor excellence on the Internet in the summer of 2011, the final date to enter the most innovative work online is December 17th. Entries for ‘Best Real Estate Site’ of the year can

America’s 10 largest publicly traded homebuilders have started to improve their policies and practices relating to the environment and resources, but much progress remains to be achieved, according to a major new study by Calvert – one of the

For our Best Offices issue, Chicago Agent found the most exciting places to work in the Chicagoland area. These real estate offices in both the city and the suburbs have discovered how to successfully run an office while still finding ways to have fun and keep agents on their toes. With a managing broker who knows the importance of setting the tone for the entire office, these are the places where agents have all of their professional needs fulfilled, and are able to find success regardless of the market.

For this issue’s Ask a Lender, Joe Burke, a vice president of mortgage lending with Guaranteed Rate, answers questions posed by Chicagoland Realtors. Q: I have spent countless hours and marketing dollars on condominium listings this year, only to

The federal financial regulatory agencies issued final supervisory guidance today on sound practices by financial institutions for real estate appraisals and evaluations. Financial institutions use reliable appraisals and evaluations to determine the value of collateral for mortgages and other

By Tom Butala Zillow.com on Wednesday rolled out a new feature, allowing users across the country to review and rate local real estate agents. With 12.5 million visitors each month, Zillow hopes the insight of former clients can provide

Pending home sales jumped in October, showing a positive uptrend since bottoming in June, according to the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator, rose 10.4 percent to 89.3 based on contracts signed in

Orleans Homebuilders, Inc. (the “Company”, or “Orleans”) (Pink Sheets: OHBIQ.PK) and certain affiliated debtors today reported that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware has confirmed the company’s Modified Second Amended Joint Plan of Reorganization (the

As the holiday season approaches, the National Association of Realtors is giving thanks to American troops. NAR will provide care packages and housing assistance to support soldiers and their families here in the U.S. and abroad. Two national charities

Housing affordability remained near its highest level nationwide for the seventh consecutive quarter as interest rates dipped below 5 percent for the first time since the series was first compiled nearly two decades ago, according to the National Association

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending November 19, 2010.  The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 2.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one

By Tom Butala In 2010, the term ‘building green’ has been right up there with ‘foreclosure’ in conversations throughout the real estate industry. According to a recent study, the green trend will become increasingly prominent in

Take your best guess – who’s doing the worst among professionals in today’s economy: financial executives, lawyers, Realtors, doctors or insurance brokers? LeaseTrader.com analyzed data on drivers of various industries getting out of their expensive car lease and compared

Chicago Agent magazine would like to wish all of our readers a fabulous Thanksgiving. Enjoy the

Impacted by normal seasonal drops in sales, an unpredictable foreclosure moratorium and an expired Tax Credit, residential home sales were lower again in October. A monthly survey of 54 metropolitan areas indicates that sales were 9.8 percent below those

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury released the November edition of the Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard (www.hud.gov/scorecard). The latest housing figures show continued signs of stabilization in house prices