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

Construction spending increased again in July, with residential construction leading the way. Construction spending in July continued its strong 2013 comeback, with overall construction activity rising 0.6 percent from June and 5.2 percent from July 2012 to a seasonally

The nation’s home prices continued to improve in July, with the latest Home Price Index from CoreLogic posting fantastic year-over-year numbers. Home prices continued their double-digit performance in the CoreLogic Home Price Index, rising 12.4 percent year-over-year in July. That

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

Many analysts were proclaiming the demise of the McMansion, but the super-sized housing option seems to have returned from the dead. The narrative went a little something like this: McMansions, or over-sized suburban homes, were an outgrowth of the

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

Andy Ogorzaly, a broker associate at Chicago-based Exit Strategy Realty, recently received a CAR Designation Scholarship courtesy of the Chicago Association of Realtors (CAR), according to a press release. Ogorzaly was selected for the scholarship, which gives recipients $500

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

Higher mortgage rates negatively impacted pending home sales, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors. The Pending Home Sales Index, the leading measure of contract signings in the residential housing market, declined 1.3 percent from June

Today, Fannie Mae announced the results of their Servicer Total Achievement and Rewards (STAR) Program for the first half of the year. STAR was created to establish servicing standards and recognize Fannie Mae servicers on their overall performance, customer

New home sales fell by a hefty amount in July; what does such a decline suggest about the housing recovery? July was a lukewarm month for new single-family home sales, with the Census Bureau reporting declines in sales numbers.

Residential construction put up some great numbers in July, but are those gains consistent with our local real estate market? July was a very strong month for residential new construction. Not only were building permits up 2.7 percent from

Nationwide housing affordability slipped several notches as recovering markets witnessed significant firming of home prices in the second quarter, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). In all, 69.3 percent of new and

According to the National Association of Realtors’ second quarter report, median home prices continued improving, with annual price gains showing their strongest reading in more than seven years. Compared to the second quarter of last year, 87 percent of

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

Data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in conjunction with the Department of Housing and Urban Development indicated that privately-owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 896,000 in July, 6 percent above the upwardly revised