News / Features

Will the Shadow Inventory Shroud a Housing Recovery?

There may be more than 3 million homes officially for sale nationwide, but a recent Miami Herald investigation has shown that millions of additional properties lay dormant in housing’s “shadow inventory,” many of them tucked away on bank’s balance

Illinois Home Sales Continue Upward Mobility with 15.3 Percent Increase

Single-family and condominium home sales for Illinois in October were up 15.3 percent from a year ago, according to new data from the Illinois Association of Realtors (IAR). Total sales volume was 8,536, and though the statewide median price

House of Reps Decisively Approve New FHA Loan Limits

The House of Representatives voted in favor for a bill that re-raised the limit of conforming jumbo mortgages for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), ending a nearly two month gridlock in

Today’s Homebuyers Have Changed

The 2011 National Association of Realtors (NAR) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers surveyed 5,708 home buyers and sellers, learning that the demographics of home buyers and types of homes being sold has shifted drastically this year, mostly due

Where are the Fixer-Uppers in the MLS?

Have you ever paid attention to some of the words used to describe properties in the MLS? LeapRE searched for keywords in descriptions that could be signals to have your affiliate recommendations ready for clients who buy the properties.

Homebuyers Want to Live in Their Homes Longer

Although reality doesn’t always match the expectations of any buyer, according to the 2011 National Association of Realtors (NAR) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, which surveyed 5,708 homebuyers and sellers this summer, homebuyers expect to stay in their

How Do I Avoid a Documentation Nightmare?

Q: A client’s friend recently bought a home and told my client the mortgage process was a nightmare in terms of documentation. Specifically, she said that the loan officer kept asking her for documentation on deposits into her accounts.

This Week in Real Estate: Loan Limit Reconciliation, Indexes and Excess Supply

Is the conforming loans controversy finally settled? What is going on with the Chicago rental market? And how did housing starts data look? Here’s a quick rundown of stats from this week’s news (Nov. 14 – Nov. 18) by the

HBAGC 2011 Key Awards Recognize Industry Excellence

The Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago’s (HBAGC)annual Key Awards ceremony took place at the European Crystal Banquets in Arlington Heights on November 16. The event congratulated real estate professionals for their hard work and well-earned accomplishments in a

October Scares More Homes off the Market

Year-over-year housing inventory was down 21 percent in October, according to a RE/MAX housing report cited by HousingWire. The decline is the 16th straight month of falling inventories. In addition, agents reported a 7.7 month supply of homes to

Unorthodox Strategies Emerge for Dealing with Foreclosures

States with the slowest foreclosure processes might see their federal funding suspended until conditions improve, according to HousingWire’s Jon Prior. During a House committee hearing Wednesday over bonuses paid to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac executives, Edward DeMarco, Federal

Charles Rutenberg Realty Makes No. 4 on Tribune’s Top Workplaces List

While the industry has been facing an economic downturn, Charles Rutenberg Realty, a Naperville-based firm, has been adding new agents to their team. According to The Chicago Tribune, this comes as no surprise, as the firm made the Tribune‘s

New CRS Leaders Elected at NAR Conference in Anaheim, CA

The annual conference and exposition held by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in Anaheim, California, included an inaugural dinner and awards ceremony for new inductees in the Council of Residential Specialists’ (CRS) 2012 leadership team, on November 12.

Homebuilders Adapting to the ‘Family’ Business

Apparently, academics and media outlets aren’t the only ones following Pew research polls. After releasing a study in October on multigenerational housing – which reported that in the last 30 years, 23 million Americans have transitioned to multigen housing,

HUD Grants $749 Million to Housing for Low-Income Seniors and Disabled

Affordable housing is now within reach for thousands of very low-income senior citizens and people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Wednesday it will grant more than $749 million to housing assistance programs

Obama Administration Makes Housing More Affordable for Seniors and the Disabled

Thanks to $749 million worth of grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), thousands of very-low-income seniors and disabled persons will have access to affordable and supportive

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