The Chicago 77

31 July 2009 ? Bonds opened up 19 bps this morning and continued to improve after a good Treasury auction; they are currently (1:45 p.m.) up 45 bps. The 30-year fixed is around 5% to 5.125% and there are no auctions next week which should stabilize the bond market and the mortgage rates should be [...]

31 July 2009 ? Chicago?s North Shore high-end market has been especially hard hit by the real estate market?s downturn as reported today on Rismedia. Even offering creative incentives and major price reductions has not helped in moving luxury properties in Chicago?s north suburban areas. According to the North Shore Association of Realtors only 154 [...]

30 July 2009 ? Today the bonds opened down 6 bps and continued to slide and are currently (12:00 p.m.) down 22. The seven-year Treasury Note auction is today at 1:00 p.m EST and this may pressure bonds again. No auctions are scheduled next week, but we need to get through this week’s auctions for [...]

Let?s face it, it’s a scary time to be a landlord. The apartment rental market is facing difficulties like never before. For the first time in six years apartment rents are down nationwide. Fueling the fire are investor-owned properties (usually condos or town homes), which has expanded the rental supply by roughly 50 percent. Whether [...]

30 July 2009 ? The new construction building on northeast corner of Clark and Kinzie may look like any other new construction project in the city, but look again. This green glass covered parking garage generates its own energy and is technologically advanced enough to have been awarded a U.S. patent. Wind turbines will be [...]

29 July 2009 – Today the bonds opened up 29 bps. However by noon the bonds were up 12, which is a decrease of 9bps. By 12:15 the volatility hit that I discussed in yesterday’s update and the bonds are now down 10, which is a 31 bps drop for the day. This auction results [...]

29 July 2009 ? PrivateBank & Trust Co. has filed to foreclose on Pearson on the Park (222 E. Pearson St.) a 219-unit condo conversion that as of late has been struggling to sell its remaining twenty percent of units. According to records found in MLS (Multiple Listing Service), three developer units have sold since [...]

28 July 2009 ? What a day for bonds, this morning the bonds were up 3bps, and by Noon we were flying high with Day Change up 50 bps. However as I mentioned in my daily update last week, there were treasury auctions that were taking place this week of almost 210 billion which is [...]

28 July 2009 ? The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index is reporting that Chicago-area home prices were up 1.1 percent in May when compared to April. This is the first monthly increase in since Sept. 2006. According to the index, Chicago-area prices were down 17.5 percent compared with May 2008, which is more than [...]

The Federal Fair Housing Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have issued a new guidance to all lenders clarifying two points. They are: Lenders should use appraisers who have clear experience in the geographic area. The Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) requires that an appraiser be competent and knowledgeable of the local market [...]

First-time buyers have been driving the market in Chicago for months. They are taking advantage of both the low prices and the nearly record breaking interest rates available to them. First-time buyers are also helping the market by buying homes from sellers wanting to also take advantage of the market by buying something larger. In [...]

27 July 2009 ? With only 127 days left for first time home buyers to take advantage of the $8000 tax credit, speculation is heating up on whether it has been effective with much doubt it will be renewed. Because of longer times for processing mortgages, buyers must be under contract in the next 60 [...]

24 July 2009 ? The bonds really took a beating yesterday, finishing down 66bps. The pressure came from the rally in the stock market and the announcement of $115 billion in Treasury auctions next week. Today we opened up 6bps and are currently flat, which is a change of -6. Basically this will not impact [...]