Tue.Nov 26, 2024

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Did new home sales really just crash?

Housing Wire

Did today’s new home sales report really show an epic crash in sales? New home sales reports can be quite volatile from month to month. When I notice a significant increase or decrease compared to estimates, I often suspect that revisions will be made or that a one-time event may have influenced the figures. In this case, several factors contributed to the substantial decline in new home sales.

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Housing Market Forecast: Unpredictable Mortgage Rates to Shake Up 2025

Appraisal Buzz

As 2025 draws near, mortgage rates are once again in the news. Those who want to buy, or even refinance, should prepare for a turbulent journey and be prepared to move when the time is right. Zillow anticipates a more active housing market with more buyers obtaining the upper hand in 2025. “Buying a home in 2024 was surprisingly competitive given how high the affordability hurdle became,” said Skylar Olsen, Zillow Chief Economist.

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FHFA conforming loan limits increase to $806,500 in 2025

Housing Wire

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has set a new baseline conforming loan limit of $806,500 for one-unit properties in 2025, authorizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase mortgages up to this amount. The new limit reflects a 5.2% increase over the current $766,550 cap for 2024, aligning with home price trends. The adjustment indicates a weaker housing market this year, driven by still-elevated mortgage rates.

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FHFA Announces 2025 Conforming Loan Limits

Appraisal Buzz

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that the conforming loan limit values (CLLs) for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) in 2025. In most of the U.S., the 2025 CLL value for one-unit properties will be $806,500, an increase of $39,950 (or 5.2%) from 2024. Click here for a list of 2025 conforming loan limits for all counties and county-equivalent areas in the U.S., and click here for a map showing the 2025 conforming loan limits across the nation.

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NAR fires back against the DOJ’s statement of interest

Housing Wire

With just hours to go before Judge Stephen R. Bough holds a final approval hearing for the National Association of Realtors ’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement , the trade association has fired back at the statement of interest filed Sunday by the Department of Justice (DOJ). In its filing, NAR mentions that the DOJ’s statement of interest is “non-binding” and “says nothing that prevents final approval of the NAR Settlement as written.

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Investor Home Purchases Begin to Plateau

Appraisal Buzz

A new study from Redfin found that real estate investors purchased 2.3% fewer homes in Q3 2024 than they did a year earlier. The small size of the change is notable because it comes after four years of huge swings driven by the wild pandemic-era housing market. For instance, investor purchases surged as much as 144% year-over-year in 2021, then dropped as much as 47% last year.

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The Week Ahead: Preparing for 2025

Appraisal Buzz

On Tuesday, December 3, Williston Financial Group (WFG) will host its fourth and final 2024 quarterly installment of the company’s “ Quarterly Economic Outlook ” webinar, featuring WFG Chairman and Founder Patrick F. Stone , and Economist and Forbes contributor Bill Conerly, Ph.D. at Noon CT. During the webinar, Stone and Conerly will provide essential insights and analysis on the current state of the economy and its impact on the housing market, delve into the latest economic data and trends, a

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FHA loan limit increases to $524,225 in 2025

Housing Wire

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is increasing the “floor” and “ceiling” FHA loan limits in 2025 to $524,225 and $1,209,750, respectively, the agency announced Tuesday. The new FHA loan limits apply to forward mortgages for a one-unit property and take effect on Jan. 1, according to the publication of FHA Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2024-21. In 2024, those figures were $498,257 and $1,149,825, respectively.

Finance 363
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Intergenerational Communities: A Blueprint for Expanding Housing Alternatives

Appraisal Buzz

Intergenerational residential communities, designed to support individuals of all ages in affordable, socially engaging settings, are emerging as a solution to address challenges like social isolation and housing costs. Although currently limited in availability, these communities bring together households from diverse age groups, focusing on relationship-building, while providing supportive services and affordable housing options.

Finance 195
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Year-end pricing strategies: How to position your listings for maximum appeal

Housing Wire

At any time of year, an effective pricing strategy can be the difference between a home that sells quickly at a desired price and one that languishes on the market for months. There’s no time when this is more apparent than at the end of the year, as holidays and family gatherings overtake the urgency of finding and moving into a new home. Although your sellers have already made a great decision by choosing to hire a real estate agent (which can add about $34,000 more to their final sale price),

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Home Insurance Markets Stabilize as 2024 Comes to a Close 

Appraisal Buzz

Matic announced that it has published its annual year-end trends and predictions report, which examines significant developments in the house insurance market and their effects on mortgage lenders and homeowners. Based on information from 10 million properties, roughly 36 million quotation requests, and external quoting engines, the research provides predictions for 2025 as well as insights into the key trends of 2024.

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Mortgage rates are back above 7%. Is there relief in sight?

Housing Wire

The mortgage rate increases of the past two months continued this week even as the pace of increases showed more signs of slowing. But rates have also crossed the 7% threshold once again, which could represent a mental hurdle for home shoppers. According to data at HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center , the average 30-year conforming rate rose 3 basis points (bps) during the past week to reach 7.02% on Tuesday.

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Fairway Promotes President of National Branch Optimization to Operations

Appraisal Buzz

Linda Davidson, an industry veteran and President of National Branch Optimization, has been promoted to the critical position of Operations at Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. Linda Davidson, President of National Branch Optimization—Operations at Fairway Independent Mortgage “Linda embodies two of Fairway’s most important Core Values—Humility and Creating an Amazing Experience for our customers,” said Steve Jacobson, CEO and Founder of Fairway.

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Citi invests in mortgage platform Pylon

Housing Wire

Mortgage infrastructure provider Pylon received a minority strategic investment from Citi and closed a deal to sell mortgages on its platform through the bank’s mortgage trading desk, the parties announced on Tuesday. Pylon, founded in 2022, has Peter Thiel, the co-founder and former CEO of PayPal , among its investors. The list also includes venture capital firms Conversion Capital , Allegis Capital , QED and Fifth Wall.

Investing 335
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Optimal Blue Promotes Industry Experts to New Executive Positions 

Appraisal Buzz

Optimal Blue has announced two important executive promotions that will help the firm grow its network of partners and position it to offer innovation more quickly across its whole capital markets platform. Mike Vough has been promoted to Head of Corporate Strategy, and Erin Wester has been named Chief Product Officer. “At Optimal Blue, we are very fortunate to not only have the latest and most accurate technology in the industry, but we also have proven industry experts that bring incredible ex

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Case-Shiller home-price growth experiences September cooldown

Housing Wire

U.S. home-price growth continued to cool in September. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home-price index (HPI) rose 3.9% annually to a reading of 324.80 in September, according to data released Tuesday. This increase is down from a 4.3% annual gain in August and a 5% jump in July , and it marks the lowest year-over-year increase since August 2023.

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For the Love of the Game: How NFL Team Loyalty Factors Into Homebuying 

Appraisal Buzz

HUT HUT! While buying a home is no picnic, for some Americans, their NFL team has a lot to do with the buying process. According to recent research from Realtor.com , more than half (55%) of NFL fans say that supporting a local team makes them feel more connected to their city and neighborhood community, while roughly 1 in 5 indicate that their loyalty played an extremely significant or highly significant impact in their home shopping process.

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Home prices rose in 49 states in Q3, FHFA reports

Housing Wire

U.S. home prices rose 4.3% year over year in the third quarter of 2024, per the latest House Price Index (HPI) released Tuesday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). Compared to the second-quarter figure, home prices were up 0.7%. And the FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for September also rose 0.7% from August. “U.S. house price growth slowed in the third quarter, continuing a trend that started in the fourth quarter of the previous year,” Anju Vajja, deputy director

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Making Thanksgiving dinner awkward with housing conversations

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Turkey with a side of real estate? Yes please. Or maybe not. Here are some topics to potentially bring up at the Thanksgiving table if you need a little spice. I also have two new graphs that I’m excited to share. OVER FOUR THOUSAND BLESSINGS TO COUNT This year we’ve seen 3,346 more new listings […] The post Making Thanksgiving dinner awkward with housing conversations first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.

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Look out below! New-home sales fall off a cliff

Housing Wire

After a year of strong results, sales of newly built homes took a major step back last month. Data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shows new-home sales in October clocking in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 610,000 — a 17.3% decline compared to September and a 9.4% decline year over year.

Inventory 317
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New Home Sales Plummeted in October

Appraisal Buzz

New home sales in October were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 610,000, a decrease of 17.3% compared with September and down 9.4% compared with October 2023, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The decrease follows a 4.1% month-over-month increase that came in September, when rates fell.

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FHA’s HECM limit rises above $1.2 million in 2025

Housing Wire

The limit for federally backed reverse mortgages is increasing for the ninth consecutive year. The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced on Tuesday via Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2024-22 a maximum claim amount of $1,209,750 in 2025. That’s up $59,925 from the current limit of $1,149,825 for Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs), which equates to an increase of roughly 5%.

Lending 309
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Judge approves $700 million in deals with NAR, HomeServices

Real Estate News

A last-minute filing by the DOJ and a handful of objections failed to derail the settlements, which cap more than five years of litigation in Sitzer/Burnett.

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Haven partners with Ownwell to streamline property tax monitoring and appeals

Housing Wire

Mortgage technology platform Haven is allowing its users to access property tax monitoring and protesting services. The New Jersey-based company has partnered with property tax service provider Ownwell , according to a recent joint announcement. Through this partnership, Haven will offer an escrow monitoring feature through the platform’s affiliate marketplace, or app store, which offers products and services that benefit servicers and borrowers.

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The DOJ has spoken. Are buyer agreements at risk?

Real Estate News

With the NAR settlement on the cusp of approval, a filing from the Department of Justice cast a shadow on a core part of the deal. Now what?

Buyers 234
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Baby boomers’ renovation needs are expected to accelerate: Property Brothers

Housing Wire

To better accommodate their needs as they age, baby boomer homeowners will likely need to renovate their homes to more easily accomplish goals related to aging in place and living in a safer, more comfortable dwelling. This is according to housing experts Jonathan and Drew Scott in a conversation with Yahoo Finance. The Scotts are the eponymous “Property Brothers” from the TV series of the same name, broadcast in the U.S. on HGTV.

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Texas broker piles on to mandatory membership challenges

Real Estate News

A new complaint, like others filed in Michigan and Pennsylvania, claims that requiring association membership as a precondition for MLS access is monopolistic.

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Transforming the mortgage and real estate process: Insights from Tech100 leaders

Housing Wire

The HousingWire award spotlight series highlights the individuals and organizations that have been recognized through our Editors’ Choice Awards. Nominations for HousingWire’s 2025 Tech100 Award are open now through December 16, 2024. Click here to nominate a tech organization. For the past 14 years, HousingWire’s Tech100 award has been celebrating the most innovative and impactful tech organizations in real estate and housing.

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Court grants final approval to NAR’s landmark settlement deal

Inman

Judge Stephen R. Bough approved antitrust deals reached with the National Association of Realtors and HomeServices of America Tuesday afternoon.

Realtors 181
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23 creative open house ideas to drive foot traffic, get leads and sell fast

Housing Wire

Vetted by HousingWire | Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. If an uptick in housing inventory and more favorable interest rates materialize in 2025, you’ll still need to find creative ways to generate buzz for your listings and expand your client network. Even amid the growing popularity of TikTok videos and Instagram reels, real estate open houses are still one of the best ways to get new clients in the d

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HUD raising FHA ceiling in high-cost markets to $1.2M next year

Inman

Adjustment for rising home prices increases FHA ceiling in high-cost markets like New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and raises the floor in low-cost markets to $524,225.

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Seventh Straight Month of Yearly Deceleration in Home Prices

Eyes on Housing

Home price growth continued to slow in September, growing at a rate just below 4% year-over-year. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index (seasonally adjusted – SA) posted a 3.89% annual gain, down from a 4.28% increase in August. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller HPI year-over-year rate has decelerated for the seventh consecutive month, peaking at.

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NAR’s settlement is up for final approval. Here’s why that matters

Inman

The National Association of Realtors settlement became the inciting incident for the most disruptive year for real estate in living memory. A judge is now expected to approve the deal Tuesday afternoon.

Realtors 144
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October New Home Sales Down on Higher Rates

Eyes on Housing

Steadily rising mortgage rates coupled with ongoing affordability challenges kept many potential home buyers on the sidelines in October. Sales of newly built, single-family homes in October declined 17.3% to a 610,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S.