News / Features

The 2019 Truth About Agents survey results

Our annual reader survey issue celebrates the diversity of our audience and highlights the on-the-ground experience of agents and brokers.

A bunch of fools

Rarely have those in the real estate industry been accused of not knowing how to have a good time. This time of year, with winter finally ending and every prankster’s favorite holiday upon us, we thought it would be

Real Estrange: A pipe dream, where the buffalo roam

Ah, what every homeowner is looking for: a buffalo farm. After winning $180 mil…

Home sales surge ahead of spring

For real estate agents, spring may have arrived early this year. After a string of anemic reports through the winter, home sales numbers picked up across the U.S. in February. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales

Real Estate in Brief: Facebook v. HUD, record-low rates and more

Facebook charged with housing discrimination by HUD The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on March 28 formally charged Facebook with discrimination in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The charge comes after the agency filed a

Redfin: Bidding wars down dramatically from a year ago

Only 16 percent of buyers so far this month faced competition, according to a study by Redfin. That’s down from 61 percent over the same period last year, and it’s one more sign among many that buyers may be

Home price gains in Chicagoland lose steam in early 2019

Despite a downtick in home sales, Chicago showed a 2.4 percent increase in home price growth in January, the lowest level of growth since September 2015. According to a report by RE/MAX looking at February 2019, home sales in

Will buyers rule the market this spring?

The coming spring season, when home sales usually take off, could be a great one for buyers as the stars align in their favor: Mortgage rates are low, inventory levels are higher and price growth has slowed. Already, home

FHA changes may tighten credit for homebuyers

First-time homebuyers hoping to utilize the popular Federal Housing Administration loan program may find it more difficult to be approved for a mortgage this year, as the agency moves to reduce growing risks related to the program. FHA loans

This week in Chicagoland real estate: Lincoln Yards, One Central and more

Lincoln Yards passes full city council Sterling Bay’s $6 billion Lincoln Yards development is finally a done deal. The project has been approved by the full city council by a vote of 33 to 15, after many internal negotiations and

More Americans say now is a good time to buy a home

The state of the U.S. housing market has shifted rapidly in the last few months, but are consumers keeping up? A new survey from the National Association of Realtors makes the case that low mortgage rates and increased inventory

Real Estate in Brief: Broker alliances, rebranding and more

RE/MAX to partner with Redfin through referrals RE/MAX announced in a March 18 press release that it had entered into a “strategic alliance” with Redfin to boost sales at both nationwide brokers through referral incentives. In about 5,000 ZIP

New insight from Fed meeting could keep mortgage rates low

In a positive sign for homebuyers planning on taking out new mortgages, the Federal Reserve sent its clearest signals yet that it will hold off on interest rate increases for the foreseeable future and perhaps the rest of 2019.

Chicago leads the country in new construction gains

Chicago lead the country in construction activity by two key measures last month, as the broader housing market showed signs of weakness. According to a new report by BuildFax, Chicago was one of just four metro areas that saw a significant increase

Congress still trying to pass long-term flood insurance solution

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) has been a subject of debate for years in Congress, gaining temporary funding multiple times without any permanent solutions. Recently, representatives across political lines have shown interest in finally reaching a long-term resolution,

Remote workers more likely to own than rent

For most Americans, the average commute is less than 90 minutes. However, extreme commuters exist on either end of this spectrum, with telecommuters (who work from home) experiencing no travel time and so-called “super commuters” traveling over 90 minutes

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