The program allows these temporary renters to recoup 50% of the rent they pay (up to 2.5% of the sales price) during construction as a credit toward their condo at closing.

Inventory levels rebounded last month, finally showing signs of recovery following a year of historical declines. 

The typical increase in home sales as summer approaches failed to materialize nationwide last month, with average sales dropping 0.2% from April to May, but month-over-month sales in Chicago bucked the trend, climbing 4.3%, according to the RE/MAX May National Housing Report.

Single-family housing starts were up 4.2% from April and 49.8% from May 2020, at 1,098,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Illinois is the 18th-best state to live in the country, according to WalletHub’s 2021 Best States to Live In list. 

Although pending sales are up 29% from last year, they are starting to slow down, dropping 9.7% from their peak four weeks ago.

Increasing costs and declining availability of key building materials dampened builder sentiment, as higher costs have pushed some new homes beyond the budget of prospective buyers.

CoreLogic says the boost in equity will help stave off foreclosures, but the share of homes underwater in the metro Chicago area was at 6.1% at the end of the first quarter of 2021, outpacing the national rate of 2.6%.

Experts at Builder Magazine recently came out with their Local Leaders list for 2020, which ranks the country’s 50 largest new-home markets based on closings by the end of the year.

With high costs slowing construction and potentially lowering homeownership for many, easing zoning rules may be the most effective way to increase the supply of new housing.

Some cities fared better than others with the global pandemic and Chicago is one of them, according to The Economist’s 2021 Livability Index’s ranking of the most livable cities in the world.

Rising property values had homeowners cashing out of their existing residences to buy bigger homes in less-expensive areas last year.

High-end home sales surged in the three months ended April 30 as prices also rose and listings increased.

Detached single-family homes listed in the Chicago area are selling faster than ever, spending an unprecedented average of 53 days on the market in April, according to a report from the Mainstreet Organization of Realtors (MORe).

Houses in today’s market are selling in days, and Chicago sellers wanting the best chance for a quick sale should list on a Thursday before Labor Day, according to a new analysis from Zillow. 

While masks and social distance requirements may eventually fall by the wayside, much of the new real estate technology that has surfaced during the pandemic is likely to stick around for the foreseeable future.