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 →

This week the new Federal Political Coordinators for the Illinois Association of REALTORS®, along with other policy and political leadership, attended the National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) Annual REALTOR® Party Policy & Advocacy Conference and Training in Washington, D.C.  They … Continue reading →

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced this week that it is increasing the annual mortgage insurance premium by 0.10 percent on most loans and 0.05 percent on jumbo loans ($625,500 and higher). Borrowers will also be required to pay the … Continue reading →

Agreed: Bedbugs bad. Less clear, how to craft a fair policy that addresses the problem in  Chicago that won’t hurt REALTORS®, property owners and tenants. The Illinois Association of REALTORS®’ Brian Bernardoni testified Tuesday before a Chicago City Council joint … Continue reading →

What’s ahead for housing in 2013? In a new video, University of Illinois economist Dr. Geoffrey Hewings outlines some of the trends that could positively impact the market, from rising rents prompting more people to consider homeownership to lower inventory … Continue reading →