National News

Pending home sales grow slightly in September indicating stabilization

Despite the general trend toward a fall slowdown, pending home sales rose slightly in September compared to August. The National Association of Realtors reports that the pending home sales index rose 0.5 percent from 104.1 in August to 104.5

National Association of Realtors heads to Boston for 2018 Realtors Conference and Expo

The city of Boston is getting ready for the National Association of Realtors 2018 Realtors Conference and Expo, which will take place at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on November 2-5. More than 20,000 Realtors, experts and guests

How much will rising mortgage rates cost homeowners?

Recent reports of a sluggish housing market have put at least some of the blame on rising interest rates. Over the last 12 months, the interest rate on a typical 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has increased by nearly one full

Real Estate in Brief: The annual salaries needed for hottest U.S. cities, single-family home starts on rise, more

The financial website How Much used data from the National Association of Realtors and mortgage-information website HSH.com to find the nation’s most expensive “average-sized” homes. The study found that the median U.S. household annual income rose nearly 2 percent

Study: Higher property values influence homeowner voter participation

A recent study from two members of Stanford University’s political science department finds a strong positive relationship between voter turnout rates and property values among homeowners. Along with a growing body of research around how homeowners vote, this could

Study: Suburban home affordability rivaling urban levels in many markets

With home prices rising across the country, many buyers may think that moving out to the suburbs is the solution to finding a home that they can afford. However, suburban areas are now rivaling urban areas in affordability in

Real Estate in Brief: More luxury buyers are entering the market than sellers, Toll Brothers co-founder steps down and more

Luxury Portfolio International‘s 2018 Global Luxury Real Estate report found that, globally, almost 40 percent of high-net-worth individuals will be looking to buy property but only 23 percent are willing to sell. With the imbalance of purchase intent, the market could experience

Home prices continue to rise while existing home sales slow, inventory tightens

Existing home sales declined to their lowest level since November 2015, according to the September National Association of Realtors existing home sales report. Existing home sales dropped to 5.15 million in September, a 3.4 percent drop from August and

Homeownership a higher priority for millennials than travel, marriage, children

Homeownership is the biggest priority for millennials, according to the latest Bank of America Insights Report. A little over 70 percent of those surveyed said homeownership is their top priority, outranking traveling (61 percent), getting married (50 percent) and

Zillow: It takes the average person seven years to save up a down payment

It would take the average American seven years to save up enough to make a down payment on a home, according to Zillow’s latest report. This is longer compared to 20 years ago when it took the average American

2018 Agents’ Choice Awards—Best New Development, Suburbs: Port Clinton Place, Opus Group

Port Clinton Place Opus Group Port Clinton Place is part of a mixed-use development that provides a gateway to the local community. The construction of a luxury condominium building and rowhome residences was a vital piece of that development.

2018 Agents’ Choice Awards—Developer of the Year, City: Related Midwest

Related Midwest Related Midwest, the Chicago office of Related Companies, is the preeminent developer of luxury condominium and rental homes, affordable housing communities and mixed-use properties in Chicago. Known for its architecturally significant, market-defining projects, including 500 Lake Shore

Real Estate in Brief: Sight-unseen offers decrease, Zillow names new head of federal government relations and more

Fewer homebuyers are making purchases sight-unseen, according to Redfin. In a recent survey, only 20 percent of recent homebuyers made an offer sight-unseen compared to the 35 percent in 2017. In May, Redfin analysts noticed sight-unseen offers returned to

Where does Chicago rank among US cities in terms of immigrant homeownership?

The United States currently has the highest percentage of immigrants since 1910 with 13.7 percent of the population being foreign-born. This has led to economic growth from 2011 to 2016 that accounted for much of the nation’s post-recession growth

Real Estate in Brief: Americans still want their dream home, foreclosure rates on the decline, and more

Americans are fixated on owning their dream homes despite the current housing market trends, a new survey from the PenFed Credit Union National Mortgage Survey revealed. Over the next two years 37 percent of adults and 52 percent of

Rising home values can help homeowners, but it may cost them

Thanks to rising home values, more American homeowners are looking to tap into home equity that continues to grow, according to a recent survey conducted by Bankrate.com and research firm GfK. But even though leveraging home equity into a

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