Hispanic households made up more than half 0f the U.S.’ new household units in the third quarter, a strong indicator that a powerful group of buyers has emerged in the wake of the housing downturn. According to Census Bureau

The Pending Home Sales Index, a prospective data set compiled monthly by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), increased by 10.4 percent in October, rising from 84.5 in September to 93.3 last month. In addition, the index posted a

Ideas abound on how GSEs and private banks should deal with their backlog of distressed and foreclosed homes, a collection of properties known as the shadow inventory. From fire sales with investors to rental conversions, a new idea seems

The Mainstreet Organization of Realtors (MORe) will be holding a free gift-wrapping event on December 3rd at 14 Chicagoloand locations between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. MORe volunteers will be wrapping shopper’s gifts, completely free of charge. Donations are

Financing has been one of the main talking points since the housing downturn began in early 2007. Potential buyers, we are told by numerous outlets and trade groups, are unable to secure valid financing for homes because of stingy

U.S. cities are reporting little change in prices in the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, the monthly report by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) that is the leading measure of U.S. home prices. The newest report, which surveys home prices for the third

The PMI Group, one of the country’s largest mortgage insurers, filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings last week to an amount of $736 million in debts, according to a HousingWire piece on the development. The bankruptcy filing is intended to

A racially-themed fair housing lawsuit involving Prudential Rubloff Properties and one of its top agents, Jeffrey Lowe, has been settled, according to a new report from The Chicago Tribune’s Mary Ellen

New-home sales rose slightly in October by 1.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 307,000, according to new data from the Commerce Department released this morning. The data, which represented a 4,000-unit increase from September, beat economists’

Financial institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) displayed positive gains on lower loan-loss provisions in this year’s third quarterly report; 63 percent of the FDIC’s client banks reported higher earnings, according to FDIC data cited by

According to a survey by Reuters of economists and housing analysts, U.S. home prices will begin to improve in 2013, only after another year of stagnant recovery in 2012.  The survey polled 27 economic analysts between November 17 and

Michael J. Sato, president at Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, has been charged with shoplifting three designer ties at the Michigan Avenue Bloomingdale’s store on Black Friday, though his attorney says it was a

The Super Committee, the congressional panel charged with cutting $1.2 trillion from the federal budget, failed to meet a deadline this week, casting government budget conflicts and housing-related cuts in further distress. Though the cuts would not be scheduled

Thanksgiving is a time for family, community and scrumptious dining; or, if you’re an agent, a great time to list and sell properties! A new story in The Los Angeles Times by Lauren Beale has spotlighted several agents off the West

The Laramar Group, a Chicago-based investment firm, has made plans to purchase the historic Belden-Stratford building in Lincoln Park from an affiliate of IRMCO Properties & Management Corp. The 16-story, 297-unit complex was purchased for an undisclosed price, but

Housing affordability displayed slight improvements in the third quarter of 2011, with interest rates at their lowest levels and  affordability near the highest levels it has been in over twenty years, according to the National Association of Home Builders