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The Federal Reserve’s housing recession dilemma

Housing Wire

They say housing leads the economy in and out of a recession. Currently, housing starts are back at the levels seen during the COVID-19 recession in 2020. Interestingly, employment for residential construction workers typically one of the first areas to experience declines before a recession has not yet seen its usual downturn. Several factors have been keeping labor steady, such as working through a backlog of orders and long turnaround times to complete projects.

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Senate Passes Trigger Leads Measure

Appraisal Buzz

The U.S. Senate has announced the passage of the bipartisan Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (S. 3502) , a measure that will ban trigger leads except in limited circumstances. When a consumer applies for a mortgage, credit bureaus are notified that the consumer is interested in financing, which is referred to as a trigger lead. That information is then sold by the credit bureaus to data brokers (including other lenders) without the consumers knowledge or approval.

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ADUs are gaining momentum — can they help fix the housing shortage?

Real Estate News

Cities and states across the U.S. are making it easier to build ADUs. Leaders hope those reforms will lead to more supply and improve affordability.

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Three things to expect in the housing market in January

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

What’s January going to be like in 2025? What can we expect ahead for the housing market? Today, I have three quick points, and while these visuals are specific to my area, some of the language use can be used in many different markets. This is my last blog post of 2024. Thanks for being […] The post Three things to expect in the housing market in January first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.

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Homebuyers show readiness to pounce when mortgage rates dip

Inman

Requests for purchase loans picked up last week during a short-lived drop in rates, MBA survey shows, helped by "gradually improving inventory conditions and a more positive outlook on the economy and job market.

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Mortgage demand for new homes is slowing, but the market is still warm

Housing Wire

Mortgage applications for new-home purchases increased 7.2% year over year in November, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association ‘s (MBA) builder application survey that was released Tuesday. Applications decreased by 12% from October 2024. Applications to purchase newly built homes have seen annual increases since February 2023, as prospective homebuyers continue to favor new homes , given affordability challenges and constrained existing inventory , Joel Kan , the MBAs vic

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The Ten: The portal wars, and how the gloves came off in 2024

Real Estate News

For CoStar and Move, the battle for dominance escalated from civil competition to full-scale attacks. Zillow and other players, meanwhile, stayed out of it.

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Despite Inventory Rise, Home Buyers Remain Cautious

Empire Appraisal Group

Despite Inventory Rise, Home Buyers Remain Cautious Source: [link] More listings are coming to the real estate market, but home sales continue to be sluggish. Read more from NARs latest housing report. Home buyers may finally be finding more inventory options this fall, but theyre still being cautious about entering the real estate market, the National Association of REALTORS reported Wednesday.

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Clear Cooperation critics miss ‘the forest for the trees,’ eXp CEO says

Inman

Ahead of his appearance at Inman Connect New York in January, eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja told Inman that change is inevitable and that his "North Star" is improving the experience of his agents.

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The 2025 housing market for first-time homebuyers

Housing Wire

The American dream is synonymous with two ideas. One is the idea that anyone in this country can find a path to economic success regardless of their circumstances at birth. The second idea is the symbolic encapsulation of the first idea: homeownership. Owning a home is the signifier of economic success, but over the last few years, that milestone has gotten farther out of reach for first-time homebuyers.

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Zillow Reveals 2024’s ‘Most Desirable’ Cities 

Appraisal Buzz

Manchester, NH, Zillow s most favored city for 2024, was a hit with an influx of homebuyers this year. For the second consecutive year, Zillows ranking of the most popular markets was dominated by Northeastern cities. While only one West Coast market, which led the way in 2021, made it into the top 10, the Midwest also performed well. Most of the most popular cities this year were exurbs, which are quaint little settlements outside of the suburbs but yet accessible by car from a large city.

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Builder confidence holds steady in the last month of the year

Real Estate News

One measure in the monthly index stood out, however, as builders responded with more optimism about where the market is headed in 2025.

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Builder Confidence Steady but Signs of Future Optimism in 2025

Eyes on Housing

Builder sentiment held steady to end the year as high home prices and mortgage rates offset renewed hope about a better regulatory business climate in 2025. Along those lines, builders expressed increased optimism for higher sales expectations in the next months.

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12 ways to reduce stress and chaos and stay on track in 2025

Inman

Frustrated by the challenges of 2024 and finding it hard to get geared up for 2025? Bernice Ross offers a dozen strategies to help get your attitude and your business back on track.

Business 158
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New apartment construction hasn’t lowered rents in many areas

Housing Wire

Rent prices have fluctuated alongside home prices in this year’s housing market. More inventory can bring down prices, but some renters still struggle to meet the rental price hikes found in new construction. Seattle-based brokerage Redfin released a report this week that highlighted a 1.5% increase in asking rents for newly constructed apartments in 2024 the biggest spike in 18 months.

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Coal for Christmas

Appraisal Buzz

The post Coal for Christmas appeared first on Appraisal Buzz.

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Why trigger leads are a threat to the mortgage industry

Real Estate News

Outdated rules have allowed solicitors to bombard borrowers with unwanted calls or texts. While lenders arent to blame, consumers may hold them responsible.

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Single-Family Starts Posts Solid Gain While Multifamily Falters

Eyes on Housing

Ongoing lean levels of single-family existing home inventory helped to boost single-family production in November, while overall housing production fell because of a double-digit percentage drop in multifamily construction. Overall housing starts decreased 1.8% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.29 million units, according to a report from the U.S.

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Steve Baird: National franchises have lost touch with Main Street

Inman

In an era of increased industry consolidation, independence still matters, Steve Baird, president and CEO of Baird & Warner Real Estate, writes.

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Florida Realtors’ Tim Weisheyer on using servant leadership to drive success in business

Housing Wire

In this week’s episode of the RealTrending podcast , host Tracey Velt is joined by Tim Weisheyer, Florida Realtors ‘ 2025 president. The duo explore the concept of servant leadership for business success, relying on learning for long-term success, balancing technology usage with relationship building and the trade group’s top priorities for 2025.

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How Big a Bite of American Income Are Bills Consuming Annually?

Appraisal Buzz

The average U.S. household spends $25,512 annually on essential household billsan annual bill spend of roughly $2,126 per month, over one-third (34%) of the U.S. household median income ($74,755). This news, from a report by doxo , shows that many states rank well above or below the national average. Its no surprise that the most expensive states to live in are Hawaii, California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, nor that West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky lead the list of most aff

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Judge denies dismissal motions from Gibson/Umpa defendants

Real Estate News

Hanna Holdings, eXp and Weichert are among the brokerages yet to resolve litigation in the buyer agent commissions lawsuit.

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Single-Family Permits Up in October 2024  

Eyes on Housing

Over the first ten months of 2024, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 846,446. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is an increase of 9.4% over the October 2023 level of 773,526. Year-to-date ending in October, single-family permits were up in all four regions. The range of permit increases spanned.

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Reality star Jason Oppenheim’s kickback scandal: The Download

Inman

Can "Selling Sunset's" star bounce back from kickback accusations, or will they take a toll on his professional reputation?

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CreditXpert announces launch date for new credit optimization platform

Housing Wire

CreditXpert , a leading mortgage technology company, announced on Wednesday the launch date for its new credit optimization platform. The company will replace its What-if Simulator and Wayfinder tools with the new platform on Dec. 31. CreditXpert seeks to take a different approach when addressing homebuyer credit profiles. Instead of focusing on credit repair, the company takes it a step further with credit optimization, which benefits more applicants on a shorter timeline with improved predicta

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Q3 Commercial Mortgage Delinquency Rates Ramp Up

Appraisal Buzz

The most recent Commercial Delinquency Report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) shows that commercial mortgage delinquencies rose in the third quarter of 2024. The share of the balance of delinquent commercial mortgages increased for every major capital source during the third quarter of 2024, said Jamie Woodwell, MBAs Head of Commercial Real Estate Research.

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REBNY sues over new commission rules for NYC brokers

Real Estate News

The Real Estate Board of New York told a federal court that rules limiting how agents are paid will make it harder for renters to find apartments.

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2024 Third Quarter State-Level GDP Data

Eyes on Housing

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 45 states and the District of Columbia in the third quarter of 2024 compared to the second quarter of 2024 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Iowa reported no change during this time. The percent change in real GDP ranged from a 6.9 percent increase.

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Is 2025 your year to (finally) join a real estate team?

Inman

With the real estate industry constantly changing, coach Verl Workman writes, now might be the ideal opportunity to capitalize on the strength of a team and propel your career forward.

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Powell’s remarks shoot mortgage rates higher

Housing Wire

The fallout from Fed day got out of hand very quickly. The market reacted badly to the FOMC statement and remarks by Federal Reserve Chairman Powell during the Q&A presser, sending the 10-year yield and mortgage rates higher. Also, the Dow was down over 1,000 points today. So what gives? Market players were already talking about how the Fed would dial back rate cuts in 2025, but Powell didnt sound sure of himself in that press event and left an opening to create tighter financial conditions.

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Report Reveals How Community Land Trusts Preserve Affordable Homeownership

Appraisal Buzz

Drawing on insights from 115 community land trusts (CLTs), Preserving Affordable Homeownership: Municipal Partnerships with Community Land Trusts , a new 2024 Policy Focus Report released by The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy , explores how CLTs are partnering with public officials to help address the housing affordability crisis. In this model, individuals buy homes on land leased from a local CLT and agree to limit the resale price.

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Fed cuts rates, but resets expectations for 2025

Real Estate News

Look for just two cuts next year half the number previously forecast as the Federal Reserve predicts inflation will remain high.

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Fed Cuts But Signals Slowing Pace of Easing Ahead

Eyes on Housing

In a widely anticipated move, the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) reduced the short-term federal funds rate by an additional 25 basis points at the conclusion of its December meeting. This policy move reduces the top target rate to 4.5%. However, the Fed’s newly published forward-looking projections also noted a reduction in the.

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Yonkers Housing Authority taps AreaHub to provide climate data

Inman

The Municipal Housing Authority for the City of Yonkers is collaborating with AreaHub to better understand how severe weather impacts its mission to protect and safeguard affordable housing.

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