By one estimate, institutional buyers that acquire distressed homes and convert them into rentals bought about 9,500 properties in the Chicago area in a 32-month period that ended in August.

It's almost time to take down the 2014 calendar and hang up a new one in its place, one that's empty except for plenty of expectations of what the new year will bring.

Trees. Green space. Elbow room.

It's taken years of work and negotiation but a bill headed to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk attempts to mollify what can be an acrimonious relationship between condominium owners and their building associations and boards.

To say the 55-unit building in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood was in disarray when it was changing hands in 2009 would be an understatement.

Finding an apartment with the right combination of distance from the hustle and bustle yet near restaurants and retailers can be difficult. But as more developers branch out into suburban apartment construction, many are trying to achieve a mix of laid-back living with urban-style conveniences.

Kristin Faust has many concerns when it comes to housing, homeownership and neighborhoods, but prime among them is the disappearance of the middle class.

Fair housing groups 21 months ago hailed a rule finalized by the federal government that was intended to clarify federal fair housing protections that have been in place for more than 45 years.

The first stop Jamie Snydel makes after a 12- to 13-hour workday is at the concierge desk of her apartment building to pick up packages.

The share of first-time homebuyers fell to its lowest level this year in almost 30 years, according to the National Association of Realtors, which is out with its annual survey on the state of the housing market.

You may not have found the home of your dreams, but it may not be time to give up the hunt just yet.

For city-dwellers, lofts in restored industrial spaces offer character and a sense of history. But with a dwindling number of suitable old buildings for conversion, developers are redefining loft living with spaces that exude urban chic.

Gentrification has long been associated with redevelopment within cities, but a former Chicago architect who's now an educator wonders whether there isn't suburban gentrification underway in some of Chicago's inner-ring suburbs.

The unveiling of a new FICO credit scoring formula that could make it easier for some consumers to buy a home was heartily greeted by the real estate industry, but potential homebuyers shouldn't count on it just yet.

Look, up in the sky. It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a drone taking a picture of your house, your yard, your street.

The tech-crazy aspect of the real estate business isn't limited to buying and selling houses — the rental marketplace is bursting at the seams with apps to make apartment hunting easier, too, for tenants and landlords.

An 11th neighborhood of Chicago bungalows has been named to the National Register of Historic Places, giving another group of city residents bragging rights, as well as a potential property tax freeze if they undertake substantial home renovations.

A distinctive recessed detail adorns the glass exterior of OneEleven, the new 60-story rental tower at 111 W. Wacker Drive. It is subtle but sophisticated, which also describes the ambience within.

There's still a ways to go before 2014's housing market wraps up, but industry watchers are already looking ahead to next year. So, too, are potential buyers and sellers who decided to sit this year out.

One of the key attractions to apartment and condominium living is not having a yard to mow.

If you live in a walkable neighborhood, with easy access to public transportation, goods and services, how much do you need, or want, a car and a place to park it?

There is a fair amount of payment shock headed toward select groups of homeowners with mortgages.