General

    QUOTE OF THE WEEK “You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.”—Franklin P. Jones, American writer and humorist    NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   Pending Homes Sales spiked 6.1% in March, posting the biggest monthly gain since 2023. The National Association of Realtors said this rise in signed …

Inside Lending | For the Week of May 5, 2025 Read More »

    QUOTE OF THE WEEK ““I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.”—Groucho Marx, American comedian, actor, writer, and singer   NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   Sales of new single-family homes unexpectedly shot up 7.4% in March and are now up 6.0% from a year ago. Good news for buyers, the median …

Inside Lending | Market Snapshot for the Week of April 28, 2025 Read More »

Here’s your monthly Chicago Housing Stats video, courtesy of The Jim Passi Team at Alameda Mortgage Corp. For all of your home financing needs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Georgia, Tennessee, or Florida, call The Jim Passi Team today at 847-899-1813! Follow our social media pages for more informational tools! Curious about the market stats …

Chicago Housing Video | March 2025 Read More »

3 TIPS FOR YOUTUBE SUCCESS Creating a YouTube channel can pull in prospects, customers, and referral partners, and do a lot to build your brand. You can use it to demonstrate your knowledge, build relationships, showcase your successes, and share valuable information. Here are three tips from YouTube video experts on building a channel. Start …

Power Tools | April 2025 Read More »

QUOTE OF THE WEEK  “Speak when you are angry—and you’ll make the best speech you’ll ever regret.”—Laurence J. Peter, Canadian educator, psychologist, and writer NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE Realtor.com reports 70% of potential sellers think it’s a good time to sell. 81% expect to get their asking price or more, 75% think they’ll sell in the average time …

Inside Lending | Market Snapshot for the Week of April 21, 2025 Read More »

BUSINESS TIPSHOW TO GET YOUR SHARE OF EXPIRED LISTINGS AND TURN THEM INTO SALES   Expired listings are a huge opportunity for real estate agents. Data from REDX, a real estate client acquisition platform, reports that in the first week of 2024, 129,686 listings expired or were canceled or withdrawn. Those list prices added up …

Essential Hacks | April 2025 Read More »

      QUOTE OF THE WEEK “If you see someone without a smile today, give ‘em yours.”—Dolly Parton, American singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist     NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported purchase mortgage applications rocketed up 10% over the prior week, coming in 24% higher than a year ago—the strongest …

Inside Lending | Marketing Snapshot for the Week of April 14, 2025 Read More »

A DOZEN MAINTENANCE ITEMS HOMEOWNERS OFTEN NEGLECT     Few things can compare to the feeling of being a homeowner. You have achieved a big part of the American Dream for yourself and your loved ones. But you want to keep that dream alive and well. So, along with the joys of home ownership come …

Home & Wealth | April 2025 Read More »

        QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not quite sure.”—Tommy Cooper, Welsh comedian and magician     NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE   Spending on residential construction rebounded in February, up 1.3% from January’s weather-beaten building activities. Spending is now 1.6% ahead of a year ago, encouraging for the …

Inside Lending | Marketing Snapshot for the Week of April 7, 2025 Read More »

  QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I want a pit crew…. I hate the procedure I currently have to go through when I have car problems.”—Dave Barry, American author and humor columnist   NATIONAL MARKET UPDATE New Home Sales gained in February, and are up 5.1% from a year ago. The median sales price is now …

Inside Lending | Marketing Snapshot for the Week of March 31, 2025 Read More »