The Obama administration’s foreclosure mitigation programs provided relief to millions of distressed borrowers recovering from the housing market over the past four years. The Making Home Affordable Program has assisted nearly 1.6 million homeowners since its inception in 2009,

One of the biggest challenges of launching a new business is finding like minds to hire that will help take your company to the next level, and startups are constantly forced to make these decisions, not only in the

Q: Is there any way I can assist with expediting the financing process for my client? A: To make the mortgage lending process move as quickly as possible, first and foremost, direct your client to a lender that you trust,

The Census Bureau’s latest new construction numbers were a topsy turvy bunch, with housing starts plunging but building permits soaring. If the Census Bureau’s latest numbers are any indicator, April was a wild month for new housing construction in

There are some initiatives underway to bring more affordable housing to Chicago’s North Shore communities, but do they stand a chance of succeeding? Chicago’s North Shore has long been a bastion of upper-class living, but efforts are underway to

What income is necessary to afford the typical house in Chicago? And how do those requirements compare with other major metro areas? “Housing affordability” is a term that gets thrown around quite a bit nowadays, and for good reason;

The site of the stalled Chicago Spire condominium property shows promise of coming back to life, receiving several bids from developers. As the housing market recovers, developers are placing bids on the site of the former Chicago Spire condominium

Builder confidence for both the general housing market and the 55+ market increased in May on the strength of homebuyer urgency. Builder confidence at all levels of the homebuilding industry showed some of its strongest numbers in years in

Along with its economic findings, NAR’s 2012 Member Profile also offered great insight into the demographics of today’s Realtors – including median age. The average Realtor is 57 years old, and only 2 percent of the entire Realtor class

Is it still tough to get a mortgage? New numbers from the Federal Reserve offer an enlightening perspective on the issue. It’s the question on everyone’s mind, now that the housing market is on a slow, sustainable path to

DocuSign partners with Cartavi to simplify real estate transactions. DocuSign, the Global Standard for eSignature, announced that it has acquired Cartavi, a leading provider of collaboration services for real estate transactions. This combination, along with a deeper integration with

Inflation, housing demand and the Syrian opposition all have one thing in common; can you guess what it is? Mortgage rates for 15- and 30-year mortgage in the first week of May, according to the latest Primary Mortgage Market

Broker associates at Buffalo Grove’s RE/MAX Experts received special recognition from the RE/MAX Northern Illinois region for their sales success in 2012. Specific agents of the RE/MAX Experts team were offered membership to one of five honorary clubs, each

For the second straight year, both the income and business activity for Realtors increased in 2012, with incomes jumping by 25 percent. 2012 was a good year for Realtors, with both business activity and income up for the second

The news was relatively good for Illinois’ foreclosure markets in April, with foreclosure activity down by double-digit amounts. RealtyTrac’s U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for April was relatively kind to Illinois, showing the state’s foreclosure markets to be improving. Overall foreclosure

Qualified mortgage standards are back in the news, with the FHFA announcing that it is on track to adopt the standards’ “ability to repay” provisions. The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) has announced that beginning Jan. 10, 2014, Fannie