Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Among homeowners who have a mortgage escrow account, only 52% fully understand how the account works, according to survey results released Thursday by property tax services provider LERETA. More than 80% of survey respondents said they know what an escrow account is and its primary purpose — to pay property taxes and other expenses, such as homeowners insurance , flood insurance and mortgage insurance premiums.

Property Taxes 505

Property Taxes Insurance Mortgage Finance 505

Real Estate News

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

A statement of interest filed late Thursday by the Department of Justice savages the proposed MLS PIN settlement, and calls out MLSs for limiting competition.

Buyers 345

Buyers Agents 345

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The preference that older Americans have for aging in place in their own homes is showing up in broader trend data, according to a new report from Redfin. While “homeowner tenure” has fallen slightly since its 2020 peak, the length of time that homeowners are remaining in their properties doubled to 11.9 years last year, up from 6.5 years in 2005, according to a Redfin analysis of median U.S. homeowner tenure by year using county records.

Property Taxes 488

Property Taxes Insurance Construction Inventory 488

Real Estate News

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The 30-year fixed rate rose to 6.77% this week, the highest level since mid-December.

Mortgage 306

Mortgage 306

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Homebuilder confidence shot up for the third straight month in February as builders await future rate cuts by the Federal Reserve. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) climbed four points to 48 in February, its highest level since August 2023. The HMI is a monthly survey that gauges NAHB members’ perceptions of newly built single-family home sales, expected sales for the next six months and potential homebuyer traffic.

Buyers 481

Buyers Housing Market Construction Inventory 481

Real Estate News

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The leading iBuyer lost $275 million in 2023, but that was less than a fifth of 2022 losses. Now the focus is “sustainable” growth of the business.

Business 277

Business 277

Real Estate News

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Net losses for the year improved, however. CEO Ryan Schneider pointed to debt reduction and settlements as wins, and spoke favorably about buyer agreements.

Buyers 264

Buyers 264

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Government-sponsored enterprise Fannie Mae reported $77.4 billion in net worth at the end of 2023, including $17.4 billion in additional net income for the full year, according to its financial results report released on Thursday. The $77.4 billion figure marks a sharp increase from prior years — $60.3 billion in 2022 and $47.4 billion in 2021. In the fourth quarter of last year, specifically, the GSE reported $3.9 billion in net income, which was “primarily driven by a $7.9 billion shift to a b

Government 468

Government Inventory Mortgage 468

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Broker and reality television legend Ryan Serhant headlines an all-star roster of the industry's most compelling voices for the second-annual Inman Global Real Estate Influencers program.

Real Estate 208

Real Estate Realty Technology Agents 208

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Mortgage rates climbed 13 basis points this week on the back of Tuesday’s strong inflation reading. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.77% as of Feb. 15, an increase from last week ’s figure of 6.64%, according to Freddie Mac ’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey released on Thursday. Meanwhile, the 15-year fixed rate averaged 6.12% this week, up from 5.90% during the prior week.

Mortgage 468

Mortgage Buyers Inventory Marketing 468

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

DeLeon Realty in Silicon Valley began advertising commissions of 3.5 percent or less for homesellers who choose to work with the firm. The marketing push appeared in the mail and social media this week.

Advertising 195

Advertising Brokerage Realty Marketing 195

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Nearly a dozen real estate industry firms have been named as defendants in the 118 data privacy lawsuits filed in the Superior Court of New Jersey over the past 10 days by Atlas Data Privacy Corp. The lawsuits allege that the defendants, which are referred to as “data brokers,” have violated a law that prohibits the disclosure of home addresses and unpublished home phone numbers for judges, law enforcement officers, prosecutors and their families.

Real Estate 448

Real Estate Law Business 448

The Appraiser Coach

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The short answer is, Yes. Check out this minisode to find out why and what is next for The Appraiser Coach.

Appraisal 195

Appraisal 195

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The parties involved in the Nosalek commission lawsuit got a sweet treat for Valentine’s Day from Judge Patti B. Saris. After three weeks of going back and forth, Saris granted the plaintiffs’ motion to administratively stay the lawsuit. As a result, the docket was listed as closed as of Thursday morning before being reopened at midday. That’s because the deadline for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file its statement of interest in the MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN) settlement ag

Brokerage 447

Brokerage Real Estate Agent Buyers Real Estate 447

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The typical homeowner in 2024 has spent 11.9 years in their home, up from 6.5 years in 2005, according to Redfin data.

Marketing 190

Marketing 190

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

For iBuyer Opendoor , 2023 was all about moderation. “We are excited about how we are set up for 2024 and beyond,” CEO Carrie Wheeler told investors and analysts listening to the firm’s Q4 2023 earnings call on Thursday evening. “We’ve done the hard work in 2023 to be leaner, to be more agile, to be able to rescale the business in a sustainable fashion.

Business 443

Business Advertising Inventory Contracts 443

Eyes on Housing

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Expectations that mortgage rates will continue to moderate in the coming months, the prospect of future rate cuts by the Federal Reserve later this year, and a protracted lack of existing inventory helped provide a boost to builder sentiment for the third straight month. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes climbed four points to 48 in.

Inventory 187

Inventory Mortgage Marketing 187

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Opportunity in the current mortgage market may be challenging to find — and that could arguably be truer for those who offer reverse mortgage products for clients. Still, reverse mortgage professionals are always keeping their eyes peeled, and a group of them shared what they’re looking out for in 2024 for their businesses. To get the lay of the land, RMD spoke to front-line reverse mortgage originators Jim Cullen in Green Bay, Wisconsin; David Heilman in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; and Bruc

Mortgage 434

Mortgage Clients Business Law 434

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Borrowers can use the company's Tinman platform to see their rates and get pre-approved in minutes, and may qualify to buy with no down payment.

Mortgage 187

Mortgage Tools Lending Buyers 187

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Anywhere Real Estat e felt the brunt of slow home sales during the fourth quarter of 2023 as the company reported a loss of $107 million during the three-month period. It generated $1.3 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter, a decrease of 6% year over year. A nearly 20% annualized decline in home sales was the major driver of the decline in revenue.

Housing Market 434

Housing Market Marketing Brokerage Agents 434

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Learn how this Boston broker puts his sales experience to work as he guides, supports and develops the next generation of great real estate professionals.

Real Estate 184

Real Estate Development Brokerage 184

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Better.com announced Thursday that it’s launching fully digital U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) loans through its Tinman platform. The product, which has no minimum down payment requirement, is expected to reach about 10% of the lender’s portfolio in 2024. “We’ve been working toward launching a VA product for the past two years,” Vishal Garg, founder and CEO of Better, said in an interview with HousingWire.

Loan Officers 434

Loan Officers Finance Mortgage Lending 434

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The trade group will not take on pet projects for the duration of NAR President Kevin Sears' tenure, which is slated to last until November 2025, he told NAR's Board of Directors Wednesday morning.

Realtors 183

Realtors Brokerage Agents 183

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

In an email to the board of directors on Wednesday, National Association of Realtors (NAR) President Kevin Sears announced that he and the trade organization would not be taking on any presidential initiatives throughout the duration of his term, as first reported by Inman News. Sears stepped into the role of NAR president in January after Tracy Kasper announced her resignation , reportedly due to threats of blackmail.

Realtors 433

Realtors Real Estate Agents 433

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The real estate brokerage and franchisor posted $5.6 billion in revenue during a grueling 2023 while losses improved to $97 million, according to a full-year earnings call on Thursday morning.

Housing Market 178

Housing Market Brokerage Real Estate Marketing 178

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The nation’s top loan officer Shant Banosian joined the board of directors at Healing Realty Trust , a healthcare-focused real estate investment company. Established in 2022, the real estate venture carved out a niche focusing on healthcare properties in the $1 million to $15 million price range – including those for behavioral, physical and mental health care.

Realty 433

Realty Loan Officers Retail Real Estate 433

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The Mediterranean-style home in Florida was once owned by Bob Ross Inc. and hosted art retreats for Bob Ross-certified instructors and their students. Now it's for sale for $1.999 million.

Realty 177

Realty 177

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has accused California-based brokerage and correspondent lender Mortgage Solutions FCS, dba Client Direct Mortgage, of breaching its early payoff (EPO) provision and its owner, Ramon Walker, of trademark infringement. UWM filed a lawsuit in a U.S. district court in Michigan on Wednesday. The legal battle follows the creation of a Facebook group called “Rocket Pro TPO vs UWM,” which UWM says Walker founded on Oct. 28, 2023.

Mortgage 412

Mortgage Legal Advertising Loan Officers 412

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Bekki Shae Smith is a regional director for the Georgia Association of Realtors and past president of the Cherokee Association of Realtors.

Realtors 171

Realtors Real Estate Brokerage Agents 171

Appraiserblogs

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have issued a clarion call to all appraisers to pitch in and help build the gallows from which they will hang us all in 2025. The mission is to “modernize” the appraisal profession into a skeleton crew of compliant zombies who will be rubber stamping appraisal reports for $25 each (Source: Voice of Appraisal) from the dark confines of their private offices.

Modernization 166

Modernization Appraisal Housing Market Marketing 166

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The off-market sale is a highlight for greater LA's luxury market, which has slowed in the last year in response to market shifts, interest rates and new luxury taxes.

Marketing 170

Marketing 170

BiggerPockets

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Want to pay less money to the IRS in 2024? We’ve got the real estate tax strategies to help you do just that.

Real Estate 92

Real Estate 92

Inman

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Known as Matterport Property Intelligence, the release contains features now out of beta testing, such as automatic room-by-room labeling and dimensions, color-coded and company-branded floor plans and property reports for fully detailed physical listing insights.

Technology 167

Technology 167

BiggerPockets

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

The climate crisis is already here, and the cost of real estate is being directly affected.

Insurance 91

Insurance Investing Real Estate 91