Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

Seller impersonation fraud has reportedly risen significantly over the years, and one such fraudster attempted to cash in by facilitating a fraudulent sale of Graceland, the famous Memphis, Tennessee , home owned by the late Elvis Presley. But while a fraud attempt targeting such a famous structure and family would easily make national news, the vast majority of title theft and mortgage fraud schemes do not.

Mortgage 488

Mortgage Insurance Real Estate Sellers 488

Appraisal Buzz

JUNE 4, 2024

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued “ CFPB Circular 2024-03: Unlawful and Unenforceable Contract Terms and Conditions ,” warning against the use of unlawful or unenforceable terms and conditions in contracts for consumer financial products or services. According to CFPB Circular 2024-03 , companies use fine print tactics to try to trick consumers into believing they have given up certain legal rights or protections.

Contracts 390

Contracts Law Mortgage Legal 390

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

More executive changes are afoot at franchise real estate brokerage RE/MAX. Serene Smith, the chief of staff and chief operating officer at RE/MAX Holdings , has transitioned to a non-executive, part-time role at the brokerage. RE/MAX will no longer have a principal operating officer and Smith’s responsibilities will be absorbed by other executives, the company disclosed Friday in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC ).

Brokerage 486

Brokerage Agents Real Estate Realtors 486

Appraisal Buzz

JUNE 4, 2024

According to Realtor.com May housing data , median list prices have grown 37.5% from May 2019, yet inventory has decreased 34.2% compared to normal 2017 to 2019 levels, indicating that the market remains seller-friendly. “In addition to higher median list prices and fewer homes for sale versus 2019, the increase in median price-per-square foot suggests that the typical home on the market today is worth 52.7% more than before the pandemic, more than double the roughly 23% increase in consumer pri

Sellers 370

Sellers Inventory Buyers Insurance 370

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

Even after dropping considerably over the past month, mortgage rates remain well above 7% ahead of the next U.S. jobs report and the next meeting of Federal Reserve policymakers. Mortgage rates were nearly flat on weekly basis as HousingWire ’s Mortgage Rates Center showed that the average 30-year rate for conforming loans was 7.23% on Tuesday, down only 2 basis points from one week ago.

Mortgage 468

Mortgage Inventory Realtors Development 468

Real Estate News

JUNE 4, 2024

91% of Gen Zers in a recent survey said the cost of housing will play into who they vote for in November’s presidential election.

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Real Estate News

JUNE 4, 2024

The Austin-based MLS will roll out mandatory changes a few days early to help its members “own the moment” in August and beyond.

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Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

Realoq , a real estate portal with a “multi-sided marketplace“ that connects consumers and service providers, has expanded its services to Florida , Georgia and North Carolina. “Unlike industry stalwarts, Realoq’s free-to-use service offers a hand-picked and custom-vetted pool of local agents to provide home buyers and sellers with peace of mind, full transparency, and top quality,” Anvesh Chakravartula, founder and CEO of Realoq, said in a statement.

Sellers 459

Sellers Real Estate Agents Technology 459

Real Estate News

JUNE 4, 2024

Serene Smith had been chief operating officer since 2017, a position RE/MAX will now sunset. The company has also hired an EVP for HR and administration.

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Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

Building on momentum seen in April, reverse mortgage volume and securities issuance each posted gains in May, with a caveat in place about the runway ahead from case number assignments in April. Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements increased by 16.9% to 2,460, while HECM case numbers remained relatively flat compared to April, which could result in a scenario that interrupts a recent streak of consecutive monthly increases.

Mortgage 456

Mortgage Loan Officers Finance Retail 456

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

Some believe more buyers will come to the table without agents. That could lead to fertile breeding grounds for the polarizing practice sometimes known as "double ending.

Agents 199

Agents Buyers Law Realty 199

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

Shopping around for a mortgage could prove beneficial for borrowers looking to save money, particularly in a high interest rate environment, according to a new report from LendingTree. The potential savings breaks down to roughly $212 a month, or $2,547 per year on average, according to the report. But in states with higher home prices — particularly California , New Jersey and Hawaii — shopping around could provide even more substantial savings of $131,190, $127,125 and $115,947, respectively,

Mortgage 451

Mortgage Home Value Construction Lending 451

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

Industry watchers are sounding the alarm about Microsoft's Bing Real Estate, a site that for several months has been reposting listings from Zillow, Realtor.com and Redfin without explanation.

Real Estate 197

Real Estate Technology Brokerage Agents 197

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

With flood insurance premiums commanding ever-higher prices, a U.S. senator recently described a hardship faced by a constituent who endured challenges with higher flood insurance costs while keeping a reverse mortgage in good standing. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) implemented a new flood insurance pricing methodology in late 2021 called “Risk Rating 2.0,” which was designed to price each home individually as opposed to lumping them together in “flood zones.

Insurance 448

Insurance Mortgage Property Taxes Modernization 448

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

The franchisors are not required to implement the business practice changes they agreed to until after the appeals process.

Buyers 195

Buyers Business Brokerage 195

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

United Real Estate is growing in Dallas. The nation’s eighth-largest brokerage today announced a merger between existing affiliate United Real Estate I DFW Properties and Fort Worth-based Stryve Realty. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The combined operations include two offices in Fort Worth and one in Grapevine under the United flag and gives United | DFW Properties more than 200 agents servicing the region.

Real Estate 446

Real Estate Realty Brokerage Training 446

Appraisal Buzz

JUNE 4, 2024

BLOG VIEW: Natural disasters are inevitable in the homeowners’ insurance and mortgage loan servicing industries. Moreover, as disasters increase in severity and frequency, property loss claims will also increase. In November 2023, the National Center for Environmental Information reported that the U.S. experienced 25 weather-related disasters in the first 10 months of the year, more than any other year on record.

Insurance 195

Insurance Tools Modernization Technology 195

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

On an enforcement streak since the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a challenge to its funding mechanism in mid-May, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is now targeting the use of what it deemed ”unlawful or unenforceable” terms and conditions in contracts. On Tuesday, the U.S. consumer financial watchdog released a circular warning companies that use ”fine-print tactics to trick consumers” about the risk of violating the Consumer Financial Protection Act.

Legal 446

Legal Contracts Law Lending 446

Appraisal Buzz

JUNE 4, 2024

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced $44 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 funding for the Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) Program and the Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency (ROS) Service Coordinator Program. The funds from both initiatives will be utilized to provide citizens with the tools and resources they need to achieve financial independence, realize family goals, and generate generational wealth and economic mobility.

Investing 195

Investing Development Training Tools 195

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

NAF Cash , a subsidiary of multichannel mortgage lender New American Funding (NAF), announced on Tuesday the availability of a tool called NAF Cash Maps that aims to offer data on trends related to all-cash home purchases. “The data is derived from information collected by real estate data provider MMI, MLS data, and public records, enhanced with NAF Cash data engineers’ detailed work and analysis,” the company explained.

Tools 444

Tools Finance Buyers Real Estate 444

Appraisal Buzz

JUNE 4, 2024

Joseph M. Otting has been appointed to the additional role of executive chairman of the board of New York Community Bancorp , parent company of Flagstar Bank. Otting’s appointment will better facilitate his ability, alongside the new senior executive leadership team, to continue to improve all aspects of the company’s operations and execute on its strategic initiatives.

Finance 195

Finance Appraisal 195

Housing Wire

JUNE 4, 2024

Hometown Lenders has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Alabama, blaming the Federal Reserve’s policy to curb inflation for its debacle. In court filings, the Huntsville, Alabama-based company stated that as of April 30, 2023, it owed approximately $107.1 million to taxing authorities, former employees, warehouse lenders , and general unsecured creditors.

Investors 442

Investors Mortgage Marketing Legal 442

Appraisal Buzz

JUNE 4, 2024

Truework , which offers income and employment verification for mortgage lenders, is now integrated with the Exchange network of mortgage-specific service providers available to customers of the Empower loan origination system (LOS) by Dark Matter Technologies. With this integration, mortgage lenders can access the Truework platform and verify U.S. employees’ income and employment directly within the Empower LOS.

Technology 195

Technology Mortgage Appraisal 195

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

Real estate compliance expert Summer Goralik looks at the projected prevelance of dual agency and offers a prescription for determining whether it's the best option for agents and their clients.

Real Estate 192

Real Estate Clients Agents Brokerage 192

Appraisal Buzz

JUNE 4, 2024

U.S. home prices continued to increase in April, rising 1.1% compared with March and up 5.3% compared with April 2023, according to CoreLogic. All states posted annual home price appreciation in April, led by New Hampshire at 12%, New Jersey at 11% and South Dakota at 10.8%. San Diego posted the highest year-over-year home price increase of the country’s 10 highlighted metro areas, at 9.9%.

HOA 195

HOA Insurance Construction Inventory 195

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

"The Offer Mobile" is driving around neighborhoods in Nashville, Tennessee, to literally bring Opendoor's instant offers to consumers' front doors.

Technology 190

Technology Marketing 190

Appraisal Buzz

JUNE 4, 2024

American Pacific Mortgage is using LenderLogix ‘ Fee Chaser solution to efficiently and compliantly collect initial mortgage-related fees from borrowers. The seamless integration of Fee Chaser with American Pacific Mortgage’s loan origination software (LOS) allows its loan officers and support personnel to effortlessly send a unique payment link to borrowers with a single click, LenderLogix says in a release.

Mortgage 195

Mortgage Loan Officers Business Appraisal 195

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

While awards and honors are geared toward high volume, it's high profitability that offers the rewards you're really looking for, coach Verl Workman writes.

Real Estate 190

Real Estate Agents Marketing 190

Eyes on Housing

JUNE 4, 2024

Fueled by a lack of existing inventory and pent-up demand, single-family permit growth is occurring across all tracked geographic regions of the nation. The opposite holds true for the multifamily sector, according to the latest findings from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) for the first quarter of 2024.

Inventory 166

Inventory Construction 166

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

Will buyers be seeking out dual agency more often, and, if so, do you anticipate working both sides of the transaction?

Buyers 183

Buyers Brokerage Agents 183

Mortgagebroker News

JUNE 4, 2024

Bank is facing mounting legal problems

Legal 83

Legal 83

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

Home values have boomed over the past five years, with New York, Boston and Nashville experiencing double-digit gains in the median price per square foot.

Home Value 183

Home Value Inventory Marketing Mortgage 183

Eyes on Housing

JUNE 4, 2024

Due to tightened monetary policy, the count of open jobs for the economy and construction is declining, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). This is consistent with a somewhat cooler economy, which is a positive sign for future inflation readings. In April, the number of open jobs for.

Construction 78

Construction 78

Inman

JUNE 4, 2024

Understanding technology adoption and service integration, Brandon Dobell of Brown Gibbons Lang & Company writes, will, in turn, unlock operational efficiencies and value creation.

Technology 180

Technology Investing Real Estate Marketing 180