Were you at the Rally to Protect the American Dream in Washington, D.C., last week?

As part of the festivities, NAR set up a “FanCam” that took a high-resolution image of everyone at the rally. They have it set up so you can view the panoramic image and tag yourself. Or, you can tag a friend.

John Vranas

John Vranas has been named to fill a vacant position on the Lincolnwood School District 74 board.

The Trib Local article notes he comes in at a pivotal time for the Lincolnwood district which is the subject of a criminal investigation. Voters there recently defeated a $25 million bond referendum.

“My objective is to have a board that is productive, that looks out for the best interests of taxpayers and children and is open with the community,” Vranas said. “I look forward to the challenge and opportunity.”

Vranas is past president of the Chicago Board of REALTORS®. He is with the Vranas and Chioros Realty Group. He has been a past president of the Fairview District 72 school board in Skokie, according to the bio on the real estate firm’s website.

Customer service all-stars. Think you offer great customer service to your real estate clients? The new Chicago Agent Magazine features three Illinois REALTORS® who really go above and beyond to meet their clients’ needs. Read more about Dale Taylor, a broker with RE/MAX All Properties in New Lenox; Maria Del Boccio, a broker associate with Coldwell Banker Residential, Northwest in Arlington Heights; and Deborah Hess, a broker with Conlon: A Real Estate Company in Chicago.

In other news:

Rural economies remain strong.  The healthy agriculture business means strong rural economies in 10 Midwest and Western states including Illinois, Quad-Cities Online reports.

 

By Megan Oster In real estate, the modern definition of customer service means getting in the trenches with clients. Think you provide your clients with superb customer service? Dale Taylor, a broker with RE/MAX All Properties in New Lenox, literally cleaned up feces for a client. The tenant to whom the client had been renting had, without the client’s knowledge, been breeding dogs in the base

By Peter Ricci Builder confidence is one of the main areas of focus for real estate, and it will be particularly interesting how builders in Illinois react to a series of environmentally-conscious regulations currently working their way through the state government. Sometime soon, the Illinois House is expected to approve the state’s adoption of the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code,

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? The economy remains strong in rural areas of 10 Midwest and Western states because of the health of agricultural businesses there, according to a new survey of banks serving rural areas. The overall economic index included in the monthly Rural Mainstreet survey rose to 58.5 in May from April's already healthy 57.1. Any score above 50 on the index, which ranges from 1 to 100,

It seemed that 2:30 was the designated hour this week for critical issues and your Capitol lobbyists were scrambling between committees and meetings on your behalf.  We spoke in SUPPORT of an initiative- Senate Bill 3595 to clarify the use of compulsory sales in the assessment process in the Senate Revenue Committee; OPPOSED Senate Amendment #3 to House Bill 506- another amendment on the erroneous homestead legislation in the Senate Executive Committee; heard persuasive arguments from a wide variety of construction related proponents an

Events: 

June 13-15 - IAR AE Institute, Bloomingdale

August 20-21 - NAR Leadership Summit, Chicago

October 1-3 - IAR Business Meetings, St. Charles

Date:  May 18, 2012 State Capitol Report Quote: 

“Truth has no special time of its own.  Its hour is now-always.”

~Albert Schweitzer
 

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Date:  May 18, 2012

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Thousands of REALTORS® from around the country rallied to promote homeownership and the real estate industry at the foot of the Washington Monument on Thursday, the largest assembly of REALTORS® in one place and U.S. News & World Report was there to cover it. Find photos, a video and full coverage.

In other news:

Lenders are stepping up efforts to crack down on mortgage fraud. (Chicago Tribune)

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) may be easing condo mortgage rules. (Daily Herald)

30-year mortgage rates fall to new record low of 3.79. (Chicago Sun-Times)

WASHINGTON, D.C.— A sea of blue lapped against the foot of the Washington Monument Thursday as more than 10,000 blue-shirted Realtors from across the country descended on the nation's capital to pressure Congress to keep housing at the top of legislators' priorities in coming months. According to organizers, the rally—sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and complete with a jumbo

$0", "r+m+g-")% --> By Ken Harney WASHINGTON ? Thousands of condo unit owners and buyers around the country could soon be in line for some welcome news on mortgage financing: Though officials are mum on specifics, the Federal Housing Administration is readying changes to its controversial condominium rules that have rendered large numbers of units ineligible for low down-payment insured

Mi casa es su casa. At least that's what HomeExchange.com is offering travelers with their vacation home trading program. For a minimum of $9.95 per month, travelers can pay for an unlimited amount of trades to live in your home while they live in yours. According to the FAQs, it's up to the travelers to decide whether they want to trade cars and take care of pets if that's part of the deal. Con

Thinking about fudging on your application for a mortgage? Maybe inflating your income a tad? Checking the box to indicate you're going to live there when you're really not? Exaggerating your job description? Don't. Not long ago, people could get away with little white lies like these to obtain financing. But not anymore.

In its latest monthly outlook, mortgage-finance company Fannie Mae says the housing market is off to a promising start and improving consumer sentiment will help with a gradual recovery in 2012, Dow Jones Newswires reports.

Among its findings, Fannie Mae noted that more consumers are reporting they believe it is a good time to sell their homes, a segment of the market that has long been depressed, according to Dow Jones Newswires.

In other news:

Slow foreclosure process in Illinois. A new report from the Mortgage Bankers Association finds that “7.5 percent of mortgage loans on one- to four-unit residential properties in Illinois were in foreclosure at the end of March, compared with a national average of 4.39 percent,” due in part to the state’s court-supervised foreclosure process, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Protesters in Chicago call for foreclosure freeze. CBS2-TV in Chicago reports that as the city readies for the upcoming NATO Summit, protesters are calling for a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions.

Foreclosure starts in Illinois are on par with those in other areas, but the state's court-supervised foreclosure system continues to bog down properties in the process. Almost 7.5 percent of mortgage loans on one- to four-unit residential properties in Illinois were in foreclosure at the end of March, compared with a national average of 4.39 percent, according to data released Wednesday by the M

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Maybe the U.S. economy's strength this winter wasn't just weather-related after all. Home construction is near a three-year high. And factory output has risen in three of the year's first four months. The data released Wednesday suggest growth in the April-June quarter is off to a good start, helped by falling gas prices and solid hiring gains. Fears of a spring slump are e

CHICAGO (CBS) — With just four days to go before the NATO Summit, protesters have already been making their presence known for three days. As CBS 2’s Mike Puccinelli reports, activists with Occupy Chicago and Communities United against Foreclosures and Evictions gathered in front of the Citibank branch at LaSalle and Madison streets Wednesday morning, in a call for a moratorium on foreclos

NSBAR President and CEO Terry Penza

The Illinois Association of REALTORS® congratulates Terry Penza, president and CEO of the North Shore-Barrington Association of REALTORS®, on being chosen the 2012 recipient of the William R. Magel Award of Excellence today at the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Midyear in Washington, D.C.

The NAR award honors an individual who has truly excelled in his or her role as an association executive of a local or state REALTOR® association. NAR’s Midyear Live Blog offers more detail about the award.

Penza, RCE, CAE, has led the North Shore-Barrington Association of REALTORS® (NSBAR) for more than 25 years. Prior to that she was affiliated with REALTOR® associations in central and southern Illinois.

Congratulations Terry!

New home construction rose to 717,000 homes in April, a 2.6 percent increase from March, the U.S. Commerce Department announced today. Construction of both single-family homes and apartments increased, reports the Belleville News-Democrat (via AP).

In other news:

Foreclosed owners back on the path to homeownership
An article in today’s Chicago Tribune reports on a small but growing number of people who lost their homes to foreclosure or sold through short sale and are already returning to homeownership.