SPRINGFIELD, IL - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- An earthquake can’t be prevented, but the damage it could cause to homes and buildings can be minimized. As part of the state’s observance of Earthquake Preparedness Month, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) today offered several tips for making structures more earthquake resistant.

EUGENE, OR - April 13, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- IDX, Inc. and Joydine Keller have teamed up to create a thorough and comprehensive online property search page for Chicago, Illinois home seekers to explore. Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) listings are synced to the website of Keller with the dynamic IDX Broker software, integrating thousands of area property listings directly on the page of Keller. Home seekers can experience an online property search comparable to none without ever leaving the comfort of their home or the convenience of the IDX enabled website Keller supports

EUGENE, OR - April 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) listings are now more accessible than ever before, thanks to IDX, Inc. and Kevin Conners. The dynamic duo of real estate, has supplied Chicago, Illinois home seekers with the IDX enabled website of Conners. MRED listing data is extracted via IDX Broker software and seamlessly displayed on the search page Conners represents. Never again will potential buyers experience a fruitless or complicated online property search, thanks to the ease and efficiency Conners provides with his IDX solution. His custom real estate search page with IDX Broker has forever changed the way Chicago buyers search for homes online.

URBANA, IL - April 8, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Chicago-area man, Salvatore DiBenedetto, 52, of Downers Grove, appeared in federal court in Urbana today after his arrest on a 16-count indictment charging him with defrauding an Arcola, Illinois bank of approximately $2.5 million from April 2008 to February 2010. The indictment had remained sealed pending DiBenedetto’s arrest and court appearance. DiBenedetto was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending a hearing scheduled on Apr. 12.

EUGENE, OR - April 7, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Chicago, Illinois area properties are now conveniently displayed on one easy-to-use website, thanks to the partnership between IDX, Inc. and Aaron Nemirow of The Nemirow Group. Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) listings are synced seamlessly to the search page enabled by IDX, creating a comprehensive online database of properties for Nemirow's clients to search. The IDX solution customized to fit the functionality his website has allowed Nemirow to provide his clients and other potential Chicago buyers with unprecedented access to MRED listings, search tools and other IDX-hosted features.

MISSION VIEJO, CA - April 4, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Hammerhouse LLC, an expanding national recruiting and strategic growth firm for the financial service industry with mortgage sales and leadership placement at its core, announced today it has expanded its national footprint by opening a new regional office in Chicago, IL. This new office, the company’s third in the U.S., will be managed by John Van Tassel, Vice President Strategic Growth and will work with both national and regional clients to help grow their sales leadership, production teams and branch networks.

Springfield, IL - April 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- April marks the 43rd anniversary of the U.S. Fair Housing Act, landmark legislation prohibiting discrimination when it comes to housing. As one of the leading advocates for fair housing in the state, the Illinois Association of REALTORS® devotes the month of April to highlighting fair housing laws.“People have the right to live wherever they can afford to live and their access to a home shouldn’t be denied or restricted because of discrimination.

CHICAGO, IL - March 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Illinois Department of Insurance is reminding homeowners and renters to prepare in advance for the possibility of floods by reviewing policy coverage and determining whether flood insurance is needed.

WASHINGTON, DC - March 28, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a commitment to insure a mortgage loan to Mercy Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois. The $66 million loan is made possible through the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) Section 242 Hospital Mortgage Insurance Program.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - March 21, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- February home sales in Illinois rose from January while year-over-year comparisons still reflect an impact from the homebuyer tax credit incentive. The single family market shows signs of stabilization with steady median price gains statewide in the first two months of the year compared to 2009 and 2010 levels.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - March 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- A Springfield, Illinois real estate agent, Darlene M. Adkins, 65, today entered pleas of guilty to concealing assets in a bankruptcy proceeding and making a false statement to a bank, as announced by Jim Lewis, U.S. Attorney for the Central District of Illinois. Sentencing is scheduled for July 18, 2011

WASHINGTON, DC - March 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05) and Elijah Cummings (MD-7) introduced a bill that would increase transparency in property records and save the federal government billions of dollars simply by selling or disposing of unwanted government-owned property.

Chicago, IL - March 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- February home sales in the seven-county metropolitan Chicago real estate market registered mild declines when measured against January of this year and February of last year, according to an analysis of sales data by the RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network. The analysis looked at all sales recorded by Midwest Real Estate Data, LLC, which is the regional multiple listing service

SPRINGFIELD, IL - March 15, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Illinois Association of REALTORS® (IAR) today released new data that shows mortgage loans above the current conforming limit have not led to an increase in foreclosures in the Chicagoland region as some have previously thought. The data provides evidence to support those advocating for an increase in conventional loan limits in select areas of northern Illinois.

SPRINGFIELD, IL - March 14, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) today announced the approval of five supportive living facilities (SLFs) selected to participate in an innovative pilot project designed to provide specialized housing and care for persons with dementia. The five sites are in Decatur, Effingham, Rantoul, North Aurora and Chicago.