More Chicago Homebuyers Returning to the Market

More Chicagoland homes were sold last month than in any other month over the past five years.

According to the Illinois Association of REALTORS®, home sales in the Chicago area rose 28.5 percent in August compared to the same month the previous year. The 9,240 homes sold last month marked the best month for sales volume around Chicagoland since 9,733 homes were sold in August of 2007.

Home values are still falling, and this helps increase the number of home sales. The median price for metro Chicago real estate for sale last month was $170,000, a 3.8 percent drop from the $176,750 average in August 2011. Still, values are rebounding, and the median price for a home in the Chicago area is now $30,000 higher than the $140,000 median price recorded in January of this year.

The city of Chicago not only posted a 23.6 percent year-over-year increase in home sales last month, but the median price of a home sold in Chicago also went up, increasing 3.9 percent from $192,500 in August 2011 to $200,000 in August 2012.

Throughout the entire state of Illinois, home sales rose 23.7 percent in year-over-year results, which have improved for 14 straight months, but the median home price was $147,000, which is a drop of 0.7 percent from $148,000 in August 2011.

The National Association of REALTORS® also reports that U.S. home sales rose 7.8 percent last month to the highest level since May of 2010 due to the federal home buyer’s tax credit incentive.

“The housing market is steadily recovering with consistent increases in both home sales and median prices,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “More buyers are taking advantage of excellent housing affordability conditions.”

Home Building is Growing in South Chicago

Recent news from the Construction Market Report and the Southwest Suburban Homebuilders Association states that Chicago new home builders in the South Chicago market were issued 538 new building permits in the past year.

Permits were issued at 34 different locations in the South Chicago market between August 1, 2011 and August 1, 2012, totaling $146 million. The creation of new homes and new condos will help to strengthen the economy.

The National Association of Home Builders predicts that the local impact of these new permits will be $8 million in local income, $10 million in taxes and other revenue and a total of 1,300 new jobs.

The new permits were issued in Will County, Orland Park and Tinley Park and covered 18 townships and 16 municipalties. The permits were issued for a combination of condos, townhomes and single-family homes.

Here is a list of the top 10 builders in the South Chicago market.

1. Hartz Construction
2. O’Malley Builders
3. Cambridge, DRH
4. Beechen & Dill Homes
5. Pulte Homes
6. Burdelik Huilders
7. Carlson Brothers
8. Overstreet Builders
9. SSW Developers LLC
10. Flaherty Builders

Chicago Homes Selling at a Faster Rate

 

Some good news for Chicago homeowners who will soon put their house up for sale on the Chicago real estate market. A recent study by the National Association of Realtors reported that the time it takes to a sell a home is now decreasing.

In July 2012, the median time it took for a home to sell was 69 days. One-third of homes that were purchased in July were sold in less than a month, while one in five took at least six months to sell.

The reason for shorter selling times? Home inventory has decreased, and this means there is more of an equal balance between homebuyers and home sellers. It is also important to note that homes priced at a reasonable market rate will sell more quickly than homes listed higher than the market average.

Homes began selling faster last spring and continued to sell at a solid rate throughout the summer.  Around this time in 2011 homes were taking 98 days to sell, so this year’s numbers are quite an improvement.

During the housing boom of 2004 and 2005, it took about four weeks to sell a home. In comparison, homes took about 10 weeks to sell during the economic downturn of 2009.

Some homeowners are still afraid to put their homes on the market because they are concerned that prices may decline again. Others aren't selling their homes because they are underwater on their mortgage.

However homeowners will be pleased to learn that this positive trend in home selling is expected to continue, and that home prices have risen in recent months.

Be Ready to Pay to Earn when Investing

Investing isn't a magic place to put your money and make it grow for retirement and Chicago new home down payments - there are a lot of people behind each transaction to make sure that your money goes into the right place and is monitored. This is where additional charges come in, and it's important that you consider them before you choose which investment brokerage you are going to trade with. The Equifax Finance Blog has an article with a number of charges you should be on the lookout for in the new article, "Breaking Down Investment Fees and Commissions."
Here are just a couple costs which are common:

• Annual account fees - like many checking accounts do now, some brokerages charge for their serves in a yearly capacity in addition to other fees. In an IRA account, where your finds are used to build a portfolio for you, this is often referred to as the custodial account. Expect this to range anywhere from $25 to $100 or more.

Understand the Costs of Doing Business with an Investment Strategy

Beware of the costs of using an investment strategy

If you are considering using an investment strategy to build capital for retirement or to help build up a fund for emergencies or another financial goal like a down payment on a Chicago new home, it is important to first understand your costs of doing business. While it’s true that not all investments are guaranteed to be rewarding, and many, in fact, are quite risky, there usually are some costs to be aware of in addition to market volatility. The Equifax Finance Blog explores these in the article "Breaking Down Investment Fees and Commissions."

• A typical fee for investing is the transaction fee, which happens every time your investment company buys or sells stocks, bonds, mutual funds and just about anything else. This cost depends largely upon the brokerage fee you use to conduct your business, and can vary from nothing to as much as $50 per transaction. Be sure to inquire about this fee when you sign up with a brokerage, as some have interesting rules about what causes a fee and what does not.

Remember to Notify When Moving

You’ve moved and are surrounded by boxes. It’s a moment of glory hampered by the extensive list of utilities to transfer, boxes to unpack and other lifestyle changes to make before you can truly relax and enjoy your new home. The Equifax Finance Blog reminds about some particular transfers to make sure are on that list in the new article, “Tell the IRS and Your State When You Move.”

It’s important to let the IRS, state tax agencies and other financial groups you work with are aware of where you are. While this adds another item to your list of moving chores, it can save you a lot of trouble in the long run. This is because when you don’t receive notices from financial groups, time doesn’t stop. With taxes, proposed assessment values for taxes will turn into assessed values. If you don’t get those messages, the cost of the assessments could grow with penalties and interest. By the time the letters finally catch up to you, there may be a big charge for not doing something as simple as notifying.

Avoid Risky Business when Saving for Big Purchases

Your credit report will be instrumental
in securing your home loan

When you are saving up for a big purchase like a car or a home, it is important to keep the goal in mind when making everyday purchases. If you can’t keep your self control when it comes to buying, your credit report will show. Then, you will end up paying for it with a higher interest rate. The Equifax Finance Blog explains how your credit report tells on you in the article, “Are You Receiving the Best Interest Rates on Your Loans?”

Your credit report keeps track of your financial habits, and it forms the score which determines your interest rates. If you borrow too much, have too many accounts or check your score too often, the report shows and lowers your score. Thankfully, the financial institutions that check your credit score for issuing you a loan now have to inform you when you don’t qualify for the best rate.