Friday Batch of Links

John Hughes passed away yesterday at the age of 59, leaving behind a wife, kids, grandchildren and more than a few iconic films. Hughes wrote and directed some classic movies of the 1980s and 90s (including The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and Home Alone) and routinely shot in Chicago’s suburbs or in [...]

10 Facts You Should Know About Today’s Illinois Real Estate Market

We found a great PDF over at the Illinois Association of Realtors web site, outlining 10 important facts you should know about the real estate market in Illinois. Without further delay:
1. There is no such thing as a national real estate market. What happens in Las Vegas…well, as far as the housing market there, yes, [...]

A Bit of Bright News in The Chicago Home Market

With all the economic, financial and credit turmoil that seems to be in the news lately, the web site, Happy Real Estate News, discloses actual, reported home sales- and price-related data.
Created and maintain by IMS, a researcher for the real estate industry, the information presented there seems to be a breath of fresh air in [...]

Freddie & Fannie: What’s the Bailout Mean?

Unless you’ve been under a financial rock the past week or so, doubtless you know of the federal government’s announcement that it would bail out two of the nation’s largest mortgage holders (by some accounts, they hold 50% of all mortgages in the U.S.), Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
But what does this mean for buyers? [...]