In case you missed it, here are four of the top IARbuzz blog posts from last week.

Morning Minute: Illinois and U.S. housing markets pick up in June – The housing market continued to make positive gains in June as home sales and median prices rose in many regions. Available inventory, which has been lower this year, is beginning to increase, giving this summer’s buyers more options as they search for a home.

Study reveals the hidden cost of foreclosures in Chicago neighborhoods – What is the real cost of having a foreclosure in your neighborhood? A new study looked at the Chicago area and found that having one or two foreclosed properties within a tenth of a mile of a home can reduce its price by $6,535, based on a home worth $150,000, according to research by the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (REAL) of the University of Illinois.

You could win big in the Game On Giveaway! – How would you like to attend the 2014 IAR Fall Conference & Expo without having to pay for your two-night stay at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place or the conference registration fee? If you enter the Game On Giveaway, and your name is selected in the random drawing, you could win just that.

Sign up for Fall Conference to see the amazing Elizabeth Dozier – Chicago Fenger Academy High School Principal Elizabeth Dozier has been added to the roster of featured speakers for the 2014 Fall Conference & Expo. Join her on Sat., Sept. 6, as she talks about her family and what inspired her to become a teacher and – ultimately – the driving force behind remarkable change in her school and the surrounding community.