After a flat spring market, what’s in store for Northern Illinois for the rest of 2011? There are some factors that will be starting to influence prices and activity in the region beginning now – the most important being the rate of new foreclosures. Recent statistics show we’re currently at a 44 month low for new foreclosure filings. Also, the “shadow inventory” that was the big worry this spring has yet to materialize and many now believe that it was largely hype. As you can see from the graph, our downward slide in median price bottomed in May and since then we’ve seen things move up a bit. I would expect that to continue through this fall with perhaps a leveling off during the winter months. It remains to be seen what the current turmoil with the financial markets and uncertainty with Europe and the threat of a double-dip recession will do, if anything. I honestly don’t attribute our improvements since May to an increase in the number of new buyers – more of a combination of pent-up demand, fewer foreclosures and time of the year. There are lots of buyers “bottom shopping” this market – snatching up any juicy deals that come through. That’s causing an interesting situation where homes at certain price points are selling in days with multiple offers while others sit un-touched. Often the foreclosures in this market are garnering a lot of attention because they represent a quick purchase opportunity at great prices.