The perfect rental clients know their budget, the neighborhood they want to live in and have a firm move date. You’ve helped them choose the right apartment, however, when they go to sign the lease, they’re surprised by the

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today, builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes fell two points in April, dipping to 42, meaning more builders remain pessimistic

Housing starts in the U.S. climbed 7 percent from February to March and rose a dramatic 46.7 percent from year-ago levels, the U.S. Census Bureau said last week. Starts last month rose to an annual rate of 1.03 million

When it comes to recommending a lender for a home purchase transaction, a new study shows that closing time, reliability and costs are among the most significant factors for real estate agents. The Campbell Surveys and Inside Mortgage Finance

The Institute of Luxury Home Marketing (ILHM) has so many tools that can help luxury agents. One valuable tool is the weekly ILHM National Luxury Market Report. I recently spoke with an ILHM member who was using this report

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but what’s a word worth? Trulia combed through millions of property listings on for-sale homes to find the words and phrases in the most expensive and least expensive listings, as well

According to Laurie Moore-Moore, CEO of The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, the Great Recession not only reduced the number of wealthy people, but changed attitudes and buyer behaviors. Moore-Moore notes that, “In 2008, as a result of the

The Economic Growth  Pace is Above-Trend and Expected to Set a Moderate Pace for the Year Economic growth has accelerated to a pace of 3.2 percent, according to Fannie Mae’s Economic & Strategic Research Group. This pace is above-trend,

For the second time, Fifth Third Bank has been recognized as a Gallup Great Workplace Award winner. Fifth Third was one of 32 companies across a diverse group of industries nationally to make the grade. “As you know, employee

It can be difficult for renters to find a residence for them and their pets, but a select number of cities – Chicago included – are quite pet-friendly! Americans are a diverse bunch, with numerous views on religion, politics

A West Loop condo project is the newest development in the works in the Chicago neighborhoods, as the real estate market recovers from a severe slump. A West Loop condo project is in the process of development. Two developers

The mortgage markets have been on a bumpy ride the last five years; are the latest numbers from the Mortgage Bankers Association, though, a positive sign? Mortgage applications rose 4.8 percent last week to their highest level since May

The agent/lender relationship is a darned important one, and a new survey highlights just how influential agents are in the creation of that relationship. The relationship between agent and lender is one of the more integral in real estate,

The 2014 Obama budget has been garnering plenty of attention from the press, but how could it affect your residential real estate business? Well, it’s that time of the year! Oh yes, the nation’s capitol has begun the early

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the Chicagoland multiple listing service, is pleased to announce that its Technical Help Desk has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Call Centers in the United States and Canada by BenchmarkPortal for

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan spoke about housing-related in separate speeches before the Illinois Housing Leaders Conference in Springfield on Monday, offering a possible snapshot of the upcoming battle for the 2014 Democratic nomination