Thirty-nine REALTORS® from across northern Illinois attended an Illinois Association of REALTORS® State Legislative Contacts (SLC) class hosted by the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® on Monday. Those appointed to serve as State Legislative Contacts fulfill a vital role as the … Continue reading →

The Illinois Association of REALTORS®’ Greg St. Aubin and Julie Sullivan give an update on the first weeks of the Illinois General Assembly. They outline key upcoming battles, and discuss pending deadlines for legislators.

Illinois home sales increased 31.1 percent over previous-year levels in January and median prices increased 1.2 percent, according to the Illinois Association of REALTORS®. Statewide home sales (including single-family homes and condominiums) in January 2013 totaled 8,502 homes sold, up … Continue reading →

Date:  February 20, 2013 Intro: 

Illinois home sales increased 31.1 percent over previous-year levels in January and median prices increased 1.2 percent, according to the Illinois Association of REALTORS®.

FOR RELEASE: February 21, 2013

For Further Information Contact: Stephanie Sievers, 217-529-2600

 

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Housing starts fell slightly in January compared to December, but still remain at a solid pace overall and applications for building permits rose, the Associated Press reports today (via Bloomberg BusinessWeek). The decline was due largely to a drop in … Continue reading →

Education and Training

Need Broker Management CE by April 30? IAR Can Help You Keep Your License

Date:  February 19, 2013 IAR Weekly Connection Ad URL 1:  http://www.LRSCurbAppeal.com/iar//// Ad Image 1:  Ad URL 2:  http://www.illinoisrealtor.org/springconference Ad Image 2:  Ad URL 3:  http://www.illinoisrealtor.org/capitolconference Ad Image 3: 

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Available housing inventory, already at an 11-year low by the end of 2012, fell even more in January, the Wall Street Journal reports. “There were just 1.48 million homes listed for sale at the end of January, down by 5.6% … Continue reading →

RealtyTrac has released its foreclosure report for the month of January and nationally, foreclosure starts hit a six-year low. Read the news release from RealtyTrac. In Illinois, a judicial foreclosure state, Chicago-area foreclosure starts were up compared to December, but … Continue reading →

In his State of the Union speech Tuesday night President Obama singled out the housing sector as evidence that the economy was growing stronger. Part of our rebuilding effort must also involve our housing sector. Today, our housing market is … Continue reading →

The Wall Street Journal reports on an interesting survey by real estate broker Redfin that finds that homes listed on a Friday sold for 99.1 percent of the seller’s original asking price, higher than any other day of the week. … Continue reading →

Industry News & Trends

Broker Management Continuing Education Webinars Coming Soon

Date:  February 12, 2013 IAR Weekly Connection Ad URL 1:  http://www.LRSCurbAppeal.com/iar//// Ad Image 1:  Ad URL 2:  http://www.ilreef.org Ad Image 2:  Ad URL 3:  http://www.illinoisrealtor.org/capitolconference Ad Image 3: 

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Did you watch the Grammy Awards? If you did, you might have seen a new ad that debuted showing the value of the REALTOR® brand when it comes to protecting homeowners. The ad ran during an event that delivers nearly … Continue reading →

Want to learn more about REALTOR® Party and what it means to you? The National Association of REALTORS® has launched a six-week effort to educate members on the ins and outs of the effort to protect our industry. Week one was … Continue reading →

Demolish a property in Highland Park and you could get hit with a hefty demolition tax from the city. In a column for the Highland Park Patch, Illinois Association of REALTORS® local Government Affairs Director Howard Handler writes about the … Continue reading →

Chicago REALTOR® Sarah L. Ware, principal and managing broker of The Carter Ware Group, Inc., has been named to the Cook County Land Bank Authority’s Board of Directors. The 10-member board includes public officials, community development advocates and real estate … Continue reading →

The Business Insider article, “The US Housing Market Is Actually Two Very Different Housing Markets,” looks at the impact of the foreclosure inventory on the housing recovery. States such as Illinois that require the foreclosure process to go through the courts … Continue reading →

Industry News & Trends

FHA Announces Higher Insurance Premiums

Date:  February 5, 2013 IAR Weekly Connection Ad URL 1:  http://www.LRSCurbAppeal.com/iar//// Ad Image 1:  Ad URL 2:  http://www.illinoisrealtor.org/capitolconference Ad Image 2:  Ad URL 3:  http://www.ilreef.org Ad Image 3: 

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While sales of existing homes in the Chicago area have been on the rise, so too have the sales of newly constructed homes, which saw an 18.2 percent gain in 2012 compared to a year earlier, according to a new … Continue reading →

Hedge funds, private equity firms and other investors are seeing investment promise in housing and are “rushing in to buy up companies and assets in every part of the housing supply chain,” CNN Money reports in the article, “Big money … Continue reading →

Congratulations to Illinois REALTOR® Marce G. Van Glabek, of Coldwell Banker Honig-Bell in the Fox Valley area, on being named the 2012 Charlemagne Award winner by the St. Charles Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes lifetime achievement to individuals who have … Continue reading →