News / Features

IAR Urging Governor Quinn to Sign SB2664 into Law

SB2664 needs only a signature to become law, and the IAR is hoping it happens. #124360764 / gettyimages.com Earlier this month, we wrote about Senate Bill 2664, which having passed the state’s General Assembly was on its way to

5 Takeaways From the Latest New Home Sales Report

The Census Bureau came out with its latest report on new home sales this week; what were its main findings? #152392688 / gettyimages.com The U.S. Census Bureau released its latest findings on new construction housing this week with a

New Home Sizes in the U.S. Just Keep Growing and Growing and Growing

It’s no mystery that newly built single-family homes are pretty big nowadays, but the latest data still surprises. #173750263 / gettyimages.com The last couple of years, we’ve been steadily tracking the return of large new construction homes, but even we

NAR Report: Market Improving After “Lackluster” First-Quarter

New report finds national existing-home sales increasing for the second consecutive month. #183008215 / gettyimages.com Carrying the momentum picked up in April, national existing-home sales continued rising strongly in May, according to a report from the National Association of

Why Millennials and Homebuying Don’t Mix

Things may be turning around for Millennials looking to settle down into homeownership, but a comfortable market is a long way off. #sb10062488l-001 / gettyimages.com In 1982, the U.S Census Bureau began tracking homeownership by age, and in more

Low Downpayments are Much More Common Than You Think

We’re conditioned to think that downpayments lower than 20 percent are in scant supply, but the data doesn’t bare that out. #96161922 / gettyimages.com It’s the peanut butter and jelly of today’s mortgage markets – not only do lending

Builder Confidence Regains its Footing in June

After a few months of fluctuations, it appears builder confidence has regained its, well, confidence! #103724088 / gettyimages.com Builder confidence for the single-family new construction home marketplace rose four points in June to reach a level of 49, according

The 7 Important Things to Know about Residential Construction

The Census Bureau’s new data on residential construction is out, but as always, we’re here to report on what lies between the lines. #482869355 / gettyimages.com Housing starts in the month of May reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate

NAR Report: What Do Job Growth and Construction Have in Common

A new report finds that construction is failing to meet the explosive level of job growth in many areas throughout the country; though, what that means is up for debate. #102853195 / gettyimages.com Earlier this month, the Department of

How Damaging, Really, Was 2013’s Mortgage Rate Increase?

Everyone knows that mortgage rates increased in a sudden, dramatic fashion in 2013, but how did that increase end up impacting housing? #98476417 / gettyimages.com It was the most dramatic story to hit housing since the downturn: on May

NAR Planning Big Changes for Local Associations

In the old days, eight years ago, when a newly licensed real estate agent was told by her broker that she needed to join the Realtor organization, she might ask, “Why do I need to join?” The broker would

The 3 Things that Could Hold Housing Back in 2014

The housing market has made considerable strides in the last few years, but what could hold it back from a true recovery? #173807241 / gettyimages.com There are many uncertainties in this world, but here’s something we can be fairly

Regulators Close to Chucking 20% Downpayment Requirement

The 20 percent downpayment in the Dodd-Frank bill proved quite controversial, but it’s looking like it will not become a reality. #112781338 / gettyimages.com A newly announced compromise between the SEC and federal regulators will likely result in the

The Serious Delinquency Roller Coaster Ride

We keep hearing that the nation’s serious delinquency rate has fallen, but what does its overall trajectory look like? #a0071-000153 / gettyimages.com The other week, news broke that the nation’s serious delinquency rate, as measured by Fannie Mae, fell

The 3 Things You Should Know About Student Loan Debt

Student debt is back in the news this week; as real estate agents, what details should you know? #107831987 / gettyimages.com Thanks to President Obama, the student debt crisis is back in the news, and once again, the numbers

Shocking Number of Americans Think We’re Still in a Housing Crisis

The numbers may be telling us that the housing crisis is a thing of the past, but don’t say that to a shockingly high percentage of consumers. #109350597 / gettyimages.com You’d think it was a fabricated stat – 70

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