Chris Eigel and Michael Pierson of Chicago real estate firm Prudential Rubloff Properties  are proud to announce that Elizabeth Jakaitis is the newest member of the Lake Forest sales team. Jakaitis has been recognized among the top 5 percent of

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released its 2013 budget yesterday, and as can be expected from an agency of HUD’s size and scope, there are dozens of pages in the budget proposal highlighting the many initiatives

The recently-announced mortgage settlement is being heralded by state attorneys general and government officials for its $26 billion deal to help hundreds of thousands of troubled homeowners, but as a recent CNNMoney article reveals, there may be unintended consequences

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments’ Secretary Shaun Donovan approved a grant of more than $128 Million for the public housing authorities in Illinois to be used for major large-scale improvement projects, such as new roofs and

“McMansions,” the derogatory name given to overly-large, mass-produced suburban homes, were as much a feature of the housing boom as subprime loans and credit default swaps, with new developments of such homes seemingly springing up wherever land was available. But as

  Chicago agent Patti Furman has been named the “No. 1 Sales Associate in North America in Total Units for 2011,” for her outstanding achievement of selling 375 units, resulting in $44.5 million in sales in 2011. Furman has

  The Marquette Companies has announced the purchase of Two Itasca Place, a condominium property in Itasca, Ill., originally developed by Bloomingdale, Ill.-based Donald E. Morris Enterprises. Marquette is converting the property to apartments and will serve as the

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke offered measured comments on housing in a speech at the National Association of Home Builder’s (NAHB) International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida on Friday, describing a market more in transition than one that has

Housing affordability reached record heights in 2011, according to the National Association of Realtor’s (NAR) latest Housing Affordability Index (HAI),reaching its highest levels since the index was first launched in 1970. Based on median home price, median family income

LeapRE referenced Alexa.com to pull the following infographics to see which site gets the most traffic. At press time, among the “big three,” Zillow wins in terms of traffic; Realtor.com and Trulia are neck and neck for second place.

By Peter Ricci The announcement that San Diego-based real estate firm Abbot Realty Group (ARG) would pull all its listings off third-party MLS websites and cease all future syndication was not, historically speaking, an unprecedented development; Edina Realty Inc.,

Mortgage applications soared nearly 10 percent this past week as record low interest rates lifted refinancing activity, an industry trade group said. The Mortgage Bankers Association, which measures loan application volume through the market composite index, said loan volume

A majority of Americans believe mortgage rates will remain steady over the next year, while home price expectations in January improved for the fourth consecutive month in a row, Fannie Mae said in its consumer sentiment report. The government-sponsored

• No startup fees. • No franchise fees. • No desk fees. • No transaction fees. Add in an open door policy with owners and management; free, enhanced online listing syndications; free virtual tours; a 48-hour turnaround on commission

How many new homes were added to the latest Improving Markets Index? Where did Illinois home sales end up for 2011? And has housing finally bottomed out? We take a look at this week’s real estate news, Feb. 6

The finances of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and the affects that delinquent loans have had on them, have been a constant source of media coverage the last couple of months, with some predicting the future bailout of the agency