The Krain Blog

August 2009 - Posts

• Surprise: New-Home Sales Jump by Almost 10%

  August 26, 2009 New-home sales unexpectedly spiked 9.6% in July following a 9.1% rise in June, another sign that the housing market could indeed be on the mend. According to figures compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau, sales of new single-family homes Read More... Posted Friday, August 28, 2009 3:01 PM by KRAIN - Commercial and Residential Real Estate | 0 Comments

• Survey: Women are Quicker to Decide Which Home is the Right One

  A new Coldwell Banker survey found that almost 70 percent of women make up their mind the day they walk into the house compared to 62 percent of men. Men are also more likely to need two or more visits. Read more survey results . Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 19, 2009 12:01 PM by KRAIN - Commercial and Residential Real Estate | 0 Comments

• Fed Says Lending Tight Through Mid-2010

  Quarterly survey of bankers finds credit crunch likely to persist as lenders clamp down on loans, according to a recent story in MarketWatch . Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 19, 2009 12:00 PM by KRAIN - Commercial and Residential Real Estate | 0 Comments

• Second Quarter Home Sales Rise Nationally and in Illinois.

  Home sales in the second quarter of 2009 showed promising gains over the first quarter of 2009, according to housing statistics from NAR and IAR. Nationally, existing-home sales rose 3.8 percent from the first quarter. Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 19, 2009 11:58 AM by KRAIN - Commercial and Residential Real Estate | 0 Comments

• Don't Miss Green Music Fest THIS WEEKEND!

  Don't Miss Green Music Fest THIS WEEKEND! Saturday & Sunday, August 15th & 16th, 2009 12-10pm in Eckhart Park 1330 W. Chicago Ave. www.greenmusicfestchicago.com New Fest Features Green Vendors and Services, Live Music by Art Brut, tapes n' Read More... Posted Thursday, August 13, 2009 11:29 AM by KRAIN - Commercial and Residential Real Estate | 0 Comments

• New FHA Loan Modification Options

  Beginning August 15, struggling homeowners with FHA loans can reduce their monthly mortgage payments by seeking a loan modification through the new FHA—Making Home Affordable Loan Modification Program. Learn more about FHA modification s and read Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 05, 2009 9:31 AM by KRAIN - Commercial and Residential Real Estate | 0 Comments

• Pending Home Sales Up Again

  Pending home sales rose 3.6 percent in June, marking the fifth consecutive month of increases and first time in six years for such a streak, according to NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index released today. NAR’s Housing Affordability Index also Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 05, 2009 9:31 AM by KRAIN - Commercial and Residential Real Estate | 0 Comments

• IRS Cracking Down on First-Time Buyer Tax Credit Fraud

  The IRS last week announced the successful prosecution of a Florida tax preparer who pleaded guilty to falsely claiming the tax credit on a client’s federal tax return. The IRS is cautioning taxpayers to beware of such schemes. To date, the IRS Read More... Posted Wednesday, August 05, 2009 9:30 AM by KRAIN - Commercial and Residential Real Estate | 0 Comments