News / Features
By Carlo Calma and Peter Ricci Michael Pierson, principal for Prudential Rubloff Properties, announced Tuesday, Oct. 30 that operations for the brokerage will not be affected by the recent acquisition of the Prudential and Real Living real estate franchises
By Peter Ricci One of the more interesting real estate surveys out there is the HousingPulse Tracking Survey from Campbell Surveys and Inside Mortgage Finance, a broad look at the real estate markets and the preeminent issues and trends on agents
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), has announced that its Chief Executive Officer Russ Bergeron has been elected to the 2013 Board of Directors of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO). RESO is a group
By Carlo Calma Illinois Hardest Hit, a temporary mortgage payment assistance program, has helped its 5,000th homeowner protect their home from foreclosure, according to an issued press release. Resident James Thomas Henry is the 5,000th homeowner the state assistance
By Peter Ricci Chicago home prices increased 0.7 percent from July to August in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the economic measure from Standard & Poor’s (S&P) that is considered the authority on home prices in the U.S.
By Peter Ricci The mortgage markets have been bracing themselves for new regulations ever since the passing of the Dodd-Frank regulatory bill in 2010, and a new study from the American Action Forum on the qualified mortgage rule, Basel
By Peter Ricci “Boomerang buyers” are just like any other prospective homebuyer, except with one key difference – as the clever name would suggest, they are returning to the homeownership market after going through a foreclosure during the housing
By Peter Ricci According to a new survey jointly conducted by the Department of Psychology at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and technology firm Merge, 64 percent of agents said they update clients weekly or several times weekly. But this communications
Fifth Third Mortgage Company, a subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank, and the 13th largest originator in the country (Inside Mortgage Finance, Second Quarter 2012) continues to outpace the industry in permanent modifications in the government’s Home Affordable Modification Program
By Peter Ricci Real estate syndication site Zillow is making headlines with its decision to list 1.2 million “pre-market inventory” foreclosure properties on its site, a decision that is simultaneously satisfying the data needs of potential homebuyers and riling
David Dubin, developer and CEO of the Chicago-based Dubin Residential, has been ordered to pay more than $15 million to his lender after defaulting on loans tied to two planned projects on the South Side. Court records show that
By Peter Ricci Let’s face it – smartphones are more than mere mobile devices; rather, they’re precious, indispensable companions, ones that we use for our photography, scheduling, email, messaging and, of course, phone call needs, and in many cases exclusively. Therefore,
By Peter Ricci The Architecture Billings Index, a leading measure of growth in the commercial and multifamily sectors of real estate, grew at its fastest pace since 2010, rising from 50.2 in August to 51.6 in September. A measure
By Natalie Terchek Fannie Mae (NFMA/OTC) released a statement announcing enhancements on it’s HomePath properties, making the REO sales process easier and more efficient. Starting this week, real estate professionals may access Fannie Mae offer documents online through their
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s MLS, has announced that the MLS Data Co-op, from CoreLogic, the provider of the Realist public records platform, has gone live with what will eventually become a major listing content
By Peter Ricci Just a day after the best new single-family home sales data in years, the National Association of Realtors is reporting another strong month for the Pending Home Sales Index, which rose 14.5 percent from September. From August to