Well, it’s Christmas Eve, the time of mistletoe and yuletide and egg nog. But while visions of sugarplums may be dancing in the heads of most people tonight, we’ll be going to sleep with another, equally potent question on

In an effort to shore up its struggling finances, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has announced that it will be tightening its mortgage standards and policies for certain homebuyers in 2013. The FHA’s finances have been called into question

The multifamily housing market continued its dominant performance in the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Architecture Billings Index, a leading economic indicator of future construction activity that is based on the billings from the nation’s architectural firms. For November, the

There was nothing but good tidings and cheer in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) existing-home sales report for November, which found existing-home sales to have increased 5.9 percent from October to November and 14.5 percent from November 2011.

“Optimism” hasn’t been associated with real estate much in the past few years. Russ Bergeron, CEO of Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the Chicagoland’s multiple listing service, said, “I can’t remember feeling this positive about the prospects for a

Building permits increased 3.6 percent from October to November and 26.8 percent year-over-year in the latest joint study by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Altogether, between single-family and multifamily authorizations, building permits

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, the leading measure of builder confidence for the newly-built, single family home market, rose for the eighth consecutive month in December, hitting its highest mark since April 2006. Rising two

Declining foreclosure activity and strengthening home sales contributed positively to home prices in October, with FNC’s latest Residential Price Index increasing 3.7 percent year-over-year for the month. In addition, the Residential Price Index was up 0.4 percent from September

It’s official: it appears the mortgage interest deduction is now in play when it comes to the fiscal cliff debate. President Barack Obama signaled that the interest deduction may go away unless Republicans agree to increase taxes on higher

According to the Trulia American Dream survey, consumer optimism about homeownership is improving, with one in four consumers feeling more positive about homeownership than they did six months ago, and one in three renters planning to buy a home

By Peter Ricci The American Enterprise Institute strikes again! After being one of the first major research firms to call the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) finances into question, the Institute has published another analysis of the FHA’s books, and

By Peter Ricci Some of the nation’s top homebuilders, including PulteGroup and Lennar Corp., are finding a substantial revenue stream from an unlikely source – mortgage lending. Both builders, reports Bloomberg, have seen sizable returns from their in-house mortgage

New Prices, New Seller, Same Great Location! Ideally situated at the southeast corner of Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood, just north of Lincoln Park, is 2930 North Sheridan Road. The building features one and two bedroom, tastefully remodeled residences along

The precipitous decline of mortgage interest rates has been one of the major stories in real estate in 2012, but recent actions by the Federal Reserve has some thinking that rates could fall even further in

The Chicago Association of Realtors (CAR) Board of Directors approved an additional $15,000 contribution to the Realtors Relief Foundation in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. This brings the association’s total contribution up to

In the last few years, there have been some big changes in Cuba. Fidel Castro is no longer in power, having passed the baton to his young brother Raul; citizens are allowed to purchase cell phones; and now, a