In a complete overhaul of one of the largest real estate search sites in the nation, realtor.com has not only rolled out a new website, but also a new logo, tagline and color scheme. With the rebranding of realtor.com,

This is a piece aimed at owners and agents, with an emphasis on the importance of providing information. Information gathering and sharing is crucial in our industry; agents providing relevant information to their customers, owners to their agents, and

The Hispanic population in the U.S. has grown by leaps and bounds, as has its importance on local housing markets; where are Hispanics most concentrated? Hispanics represent a growing part of the U.S. population, and are inarguably the hottest

Everything is in place for your client’s transaction, but the appraisal came in low; what can you do? Michael Hobbs writes about the value of an ROV. Every Realtor has received “that dreaded phone call.” You know the one.

Quite a few Americans moved about in 2012, but what were the reasons behind their move? Last year, a hefty number of Americans moved to new residences – 35.5 million Americans, in fact, a 4 percent increase from 2011

Regulators have proposed new mortgage rules that will give more Americans access to mortgage credit, generating a positive reaction from housing stakeholders. The proposal would align the qualified residential mortgage rule (QRM) with the qualified mortgage rule (QM), finalized

Why have home sellers sold their residences in 2013? We look at some interesting data and find the most prominent reasons. Housing inventory has been on a major upswing so far in 2013, with inventory rising nearly 22 percent

Chicago’s housing market has been putting up some great numbers in 2013; what are the staging secrets behind those numbers? There’s no doubt that the Chicago real estate market this year is at levels it hasn’t been in years.

Mortgage rates have risen rather dramatically since May; what impact could those increases have, though, on the housing market? At the beginning of May the average mortgage rate for a 30-year FRM was just 3.35 percent. Since then, as

In an office environment where everyone is using technology, there are definitely some rules of the road you should be following. We risk summoning Captain Obvious with this statement, but it’s worth making nonetheless: technology is pretty much ubiquitous

How do you avoid a deficiency in a short sale? In his latest blog, Joseph C. Alfe explains how with five rules. One of the most frequently asked questions I get, from both brokers and sellers, is how to

There are many factors that consumers consider when searching for homes, and a new Trulia survey shows the impact that kids have on homebuying decisions. Homebuyers have many factors to consider when searching for a home. From the area’s

What is it?  Contactually, (www.contactually.com) is one of the most useful platforms for prospecting and follow up, combining CRM, email and reminders into a super sexy and integrated tool.  Where it won’t replace your current email or client relationship

With existing-home inventory low and Chicago’s real estate market becoming increasingly competitive, the time has never been better to include new construction homes in your clients’ home search. Whether it’s in a new construction development or a tear-down in

Home sellers have been tiptoeing back into the housing market throughout 2013, and we’ve collected the most important traits of those sellers. We’ve been covering the National Association of Realtors’ Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends report pretty extensively

We keep hearing that mortgage lending standards are unfairly tight, but does the data support that meme? One of the more prevailing memes in the housing recovery has been the relative tightness of lending standards on residential mortgages, and