According to the Illinois Association of Realtors (IAR), home sales for the state of Illinois in August 2011 were up by 25.9 percent from sales in August 2010. For the month of August, Illinois home sales, which include condominiums

After weeks of speculation and debate, the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) Acting Director, Edward DeMarco, has finally offered some specifics on a possible revamp of the agency’s Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). Speaking at the American Mortgage Conference

Existing home sales exceeded expectations in August, growing at a seasonally-adjusted monthly rate of 7.7 percent  and year-over-year rate of 18.6 percent. Existing homes include single family, town homes, condominiums and co-ops. For the Midwest, monthly sales were up 3.8

According to techcrunch.com, Market Leader recently purchased RealEstate.com. The cost of the transaction was $8.25

The Residential Remodeling Index, which is compiled monthly by Austin, Tx.-based BuildFax, rose in July for the 21st straight month, an indication that homeowners are opting to renovate their current homes rather than buy new properties – and with

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) launched an interactive market analytics tool last week called “The Thing.” The Thing uses MRED’s property database to create charts about local housing trends that are tailored to the customer’s needs. With just a

HouseFix.com, an online social networking community for homeowners and contractors, debuted recently to mixed reviews. The site offers peer recommendations for the home repair industry and launched at the TechCrunch Disrupt Battlefield (TCDB), a premier conference for startup companies.

This Thursday, September 22nd, the North Shore-Barrington Association of Realtors (NSBAR) will hold their annual awards session in honor of the new Board of

Existing home sales in August are projected to increase 5.4 percent from July and 15.8 percent year-over-year, according to the most recent projections from Tom Lawler, a noted analyst of the housing market. Lawler said he based his estimates

Despite efforts by politicians and housing professionals, federal housing limits will likely decrease on Oct. 1, a development that could hamper homeownership in some markets. The limit to loans by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Housing Authority

Mainstreet Organization of Realtors (MORe) and the Realtor Association of Northwest Chicagoland (RANWC) put the finishing touches on their merger last week, a consolidation that will result in the largest local Realtor association in Illinois and the fourth largest in

Household debt declined for the 12th straight quarter, as a decrease in mortgages pushed total debt down by a seasonally-adjusted 0.6 percent and mortgage debt by 2.4 percent, according to data from the Federal Reserve. John Wasik, a columnist

“Doubled-up” homes, or, homes that include at least one additional adult who is neither a student nor the homeowner’s spouse/partner, decreased by 0.4 percent in 2011, though the total number of doubled-up homes remains far above its 2007 totals.

The National Association of Realtors has responded to a request from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the U.S. Department of the Treasury for input on recommendations for selling real estate

Last month, the @properties Friends and Neighbors Community Fund (FNCF) held its second annual Chicago Revealed fundraiser. The proceeds went to local non-profit organizations Deborah’s Place and Barrel of

RentJuice, the leading provider of rental relationship management for real estate brokerages and property managers, recently announced the launch of the RentJuice Directory, a free online directory specifically for Chicago’s rental