http://www.NeetiArndt.com Chicago Real Estate Agent Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:47:31 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Just one week after reports of Existing Home Sales and New Home Sales plunging, the housing market is signaling that auturm may fare better than did summer. The number of homes under contract to sell rose 5 percent in July. The data comes from the July Pending Home Sales Index, ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/09/pending-home-sales-july-2010/ There's plenty of reasons to want to change a showerhead in your head. Perhaps you're trying to fix a leak in the faucet; or, remodeling your bathroom; or, trying to conserve water via a low-flow showerhead.  Whatever the reason, changing a showerhead ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/09/changing-showerhead/ On the first Friday of each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases Non-Farm Payrolls data for the month prior.  The data is more commonly called "the jobs report" and it's a major factor in setting mortgage rates for residents of IL and homeowners everywhere. Especially today, considering the economy. ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/09/jobs-report-august-2010/ Home affordability took a slight hit this week after the Federal Reserve's release of its August 10 meeting minutes. The "Fed Minutes" is a lengthy, detailed recap of a Federal Open Market Committee meeting, not unlike the minutes published after a corporate conference, or condo association gathering. The Federal Reserve ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/09/fomc-meeting-minutes-august-2010/ According to the Standard & Poors Case-Shiller Index, home values rose 5 percent in June versus the month prior, and 4 percent from a year earlier.  It's the 16th consecutive month in which Case-Shiller reported an increase in home values and the third straight month of outstanding results. That ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/09/case-shiller-index-june-2010/ Mortgage rates are low right now but pinning them down this week could be a challenge. As Labor Day Weekend nears and Wall Streeters take their head-start on the holiday, trading volume will fall, which will cause mortgage rates in IL to get jumpy. As mortgage rates change, so ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/08/labor-day-mortgage-rates/ With Labor Day looming, the autumn and winter months aren't far behind. It's a good time to reflect on your home's heating and cooling costs, and take steps to lower your energy bills. Finding air leaks may be a perfect first project. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, up ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/08/reduce-energy-bill-fix-air-leaks/ With home prices holding firm and mortgage rates still dropping, home affordability is reaching new heights. According to the quarterly Home Opportunity Index as published by the National Association of Home Builders, more than 72 percent of all new and existing homes sold between April-June 2010 were affordable to ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/08/home-affordability-2010-q2/ One day after the National Association of Realtors released the softest Existing Home Sales report since 1995, the U.S. Census Bureau released a similarly-weak New Home Sales report. Americans bought just 276,000 newly-built homes in July. That marks the fewest units sold since the government started keeping records in 1963. ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/08/new-home-sales-july-2010/ The number of home resales plunged by 1.4 million units in July, according to the National Association of Realtors®' Existing Home Sales report. It's a drop of 27 percent from June; single-family home resales are at the report's lowest levels since May 1999. Furthermore, because of the sharp drop in ... http://www.NeetiArndt.com/2010/08/existing-home-sales-july-2010/