Thu.Feb 20, 2025

article thumbnail

Fewer first-time homebuyers emerged in 2024, but Black Americans bucked the trend

Housing Wire

While the share of first-time homebuyers has declined across the country, Black homebuyers are bucking the trend and showing resilience in an increasingly difficult housing market. A recent Zillow survey found that 62% of all Black homebuyers in 2024 were first-timers, the same level as the previous year. In contrast, first-time buyers accounted for only 44% of the market, down from 50% in 2023.

article thumbnail

Where Is SFR Construction Booming?

Appraisal Buzz

The build-to-rent market is on fire, with occupancy levels at 95% and strong construction activity in most states and metros in the U.S. Nationwide, more than 110,000 new single-family homes for rent are currently under construction, and Point2Homes has just released a report about this rental construction boom. Key Highlights 110,727 single-family rentals are under construction in 613 communities : When completed, this will expand existing build-to-rent inventory by a robust 53.5%.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

eXp rides Clear Cooperation to international growth

Housing Wire

While Robert Reffkin and Compass are touting their success while pushing for the repeal of the National Association of Realtors ‘ (NAR) Clear Cooperation Policy, eXp Realty executives are claiming that the North American MLS system is helping to fuel their companys strong international growth. I was in Egypt last week with the team, and one of the most interesting things I noticed was the launch of Egypt MLS, which is being launched in conjunction with the government, Glenn Sanford , the C

Realty 352
article thumbnail

Return-to-Office Policies Forcing Many to Relocate

Appraisal Buzz

As companies continue enforcing return-to-office (RTO) policies, many employees are facing difficult decisions about where they live and work. A new StorageUnits.com survey of 2,370 workers impacted by RTO mandates reveals that one in four employees are now being asked to return to an office they dont live near, prompting major financial and lifestyle changes.

Appraisal 243
article thumbnail

Leverage Trellis Court Data To Identify More Investment Opportunities

Finance teams find Trellis to be particularly effective in conducting comprehensive due diligence on both individuals and businesses. With our court data solution, financial experts can access critical litigation insights, making it an invaluable resource for informed decision-making in the financial sector.

article thumbnail

Ditch the paper: 5 open house apps that make lead capture easy

Housing Wire

Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Your sign-in sheet. Your sign-in sheet who? The sign-in sheet that got lost on your desk. You should have downloaded one of those open house apps HousingWire was telling you about. Picture this: You sit down at your desk, free of clutter no papers, just your laptop and phone. You log in to check your email, and responses from potential buyers at yesterdays open house are already waiting.

More Trending

article thumbnail

Better.com reports 400% growth for HELOC business

Housing Wire

Digital homeownership company Better.com on Thursday announced a record 400% growth in its home equity line of credit ( HELOC ) and home equity loan businesses. In a press release, the company announced that its HELOC business channel increased its revenue from $15 million per month in January 2024 to $60 million per month by October 2024. “If you look at any of the industry’s measures of origination growth, particularly with respect to HELOC, I think we’re growing faster than

Business 332
article thumbnail

Servicers, Attorneys, and Government Representatives to Convene at 2025 Legal League Summit

Appraisal Buzz

Open to all mortgage lending and servicing professionals, GSEs , government entities, and Legal League members, the annual Spring Servicer Summit gathers the nations elite financial services law firms to discuss default policies, procedures, and emerging issues with leading mortgage servicing executives. The unique opportunities for education, networking, and engaging discussions on pressing issues impacting financial services law firms are not to be missed.

Legal 195
article thumbnail

Brokers struggle to scale the brick wall of membership agreements

Housing Wire

Some real estate brokers have found their path blocked as they try to navigate the membership agreements mandated by NAR and their local Realtor associations to gain access to MLS listings. (Image generated by AI in Midjourney) Luz de Amor Eytalis said she filed her antitrust suit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR), Texas Association of Realtors (TAR) and Wichita Falls Association of Realtors (WFAR) because she felt like she didnt have much of a choice.

Realtors 300
article thumbnail

Single-Family Built-for-Rent Construction Falls Back

Eyes on Housing

Single-family built-for-rent construction posted year-over-year declines for the fourth quarter of 2024, as a higher cost of financing crowded out development activity. This slowdown is similar to the deceleration of multifamily construction in recent quarters. According to NAHBs analysis of data from the Census BureausQuarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design, there were approximately.

article thumbnail

The Constructor's Digital Transformation Playbook: Reducing Risk With Technology

Speaker: Dylan Secrest

Construction projects are high-stakes operations where even minor inefficiencies can lead to costly delays, safety concerns, and budget overruns. Managing risk in construction has always been a challenge, but as projects grow in complexity, traditional methods no longer cut it. Enter Digital Transformation - a game changer approach that replaces inefficiency with AI-powered analytics, real-time monitoring, and automated workflows to proactively manage risk.

article thumbnail

Compass acquires luxury brokerage in Washington, D.C.

Housing Wire

Compass has added to its roster in the nations capital. The brokerage has acquired Washington Fine Properties (WFP), a luxury real estate brokerage located in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. WFP has 150 agents and has executed $43 billion in sales volume over the past 25 years. The acquisition gives Compass a firm footprint of high-end homes in an area with an expensive housing market.

Brokerage 351
article thumbnail

Black households led first-time homebuyer market in 2024

Inman

Despite a nationwide dip in first-time homeownership, Black buyers have bucked the trend in 2024, leading the market with 62 percent purchasing their first home, according to new data released by Zillow Thursday.This continues a growing trend, with Black first-time buyers making up 55 percent of the market in 2022 and 63 percent in 2023.

Marketing 129
article thumbnail

Chase Home Lending announces limited-time refinance rate discount

Housing Wire

Chase Home Lending recently announced a limited-time, nationwide interest rate discount that is designed to help homeowners save on their monthly mortgage payments.The offer is in effect through March 7. The limited-time refinance rate discount applies to customers looking to refinance into a lower interest rate or reduce their monthly payment, as well as those looking to tap into their home equity through a cash-out refinance, said Nina Gidwaney, Chase ‘s head of refinance and home equity

Lending 351
article thumbnail

EXp Q4 earnings mixed as revenue ticks up but agent count falls

Inman

The virtual brokerage ended 2024 with 82,980 agents a 5 percent drop compared to the previous year, according to Q4 earnings data. EXp also posted $1.1 billion in revenue in the final three months of last year.

Agents 136
article thumbnail

Need Curated Pre-foreclosure Lists to Generate New Real Estate Leads? Trellis Has the Data!

Trellis is a state trial court research and analytics platform that provides Real Estate Professionals (Buyers, Foreclosure, Loan Modification, etc.) with LEADS on Pre-Foreclosures, Lis Pendes, Distressed Assets and more — to help uncover **new** opportunities and grow their business. The process is quick and easy — and all in real time. Trellis will supply you with a link to the relevant dockets, a Leads sheet and access to its UI where applicable.

article thumbnail

NAR, Phoenix Realtors settle dispute over three-way agreement

Housing Wire

The Phoenix Association of Realtors (PAR) has blinked first in its game of chicken with the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The groups announced Thursday that theyve come to an agreement that will pare down PARs membership option to agents who are not Realtors, bringing PAR into compliance with NARs bylaws. The deal eliminates PARs MLS Choice membership option that allowed agents to become members of PAR without becoming members of the Arizona Association of Realtors or NAR while also ha

Realtors 273
article thumbnail

Under pressure from NAR, Phoenix Realtors cuts MLS Choice

Real Estate News

The Arizona association had been facing the loss of its charter after offering a discounted, non-Realtor membership option that included MLS access.

Realtors 284
article thumbnail

January shows slower than expected rebound in agent movement

Housing Wire

The latest data through January 2025 shows that while agent movement in January rose from Decembers lows following a typical seasonal pattern the rebound is notably weaker than in most prior years. The seasonally adjusted data continues to drift lower, indicating that the underlying pace of brokerage switching remains subdued. Meanwhile, the count of active agents continues a modest decline but has not yet reached levels seen back in 2018.

Agents 221
article thumbnail

Where Gen Z buyers are finding affordable homes

Real Estate News

In several metros in the Midwest and South, Gen Z accounted for a fifth of the mortgage applicants. Home prices in those markets were typically below $300K.

Buyers 270
article thumbnail

Gen Z seeking inventive homeownership paths

Housing Wire

While affordability challenges persist, Gen Z is proving resilient, carving out traditional and non-traditional paths to homeownership particularly in the Midwest. New data from LendingTree and CoreLogic highlights the struggles and successes of young buyers in todays real estate landscape. Young buyers still face an uphill battle According to a LendingTree analysis of anonymized credit reports, only 3.1 % of Americans under 30 currently hold a mortgage in the nations 50 largest metro areas.

Buyers 381
article thumbnail

The ultimate guide to grammar, syntax and real estate writing

Inman

From using ChatGPT to enhance your writing to avoiding simple errors in communication, this guide is designed to help you target your most common mistakes and make your writing more effective.

article thumbnail

Mortgage demand for new homes is down 6% in the past year

Housing Wire

Mortgage applications for newly built homes decreased 6% year over year in January 2025, according to a report released Thursday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). But application volume increased by 19% from December 2024. MBA’s Builder Application Survey (BAS) explores mortgage application data on a monthly basis across mortgage subsidiaries of homebuilders.

Mortgage 372
article thumbnail

Mortgage rates seem stuck — so what will bring back buyers?

Real Estate News

Rates have dipped slightly, but demand is weak. Agents hope rising inventory and increased bargaining power will prompt more buyers to move forward this spring.

Buyers 262
article thumbnail

CrossCountry’s reverse mortgage VP joins NRMLA board of directors

Housing Wire

The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) board of directors is poised to grow by one member. Richard Thorpe, the divisional vice president of CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM)s reverse mortgage division, was announced Thursday as NRMLA’s newest board member. The move underscores CCMs commitment to advancing its reverse mortgage business and leadership within the industry, the company said.

Mortgage 359
article thumbnail

NextHome takes ‘two is better than one’ approach to CEO role

Real Estate News

Co-founder James Dwiggins and Keith Robinson are now co-CEOs as the Unfiltered podcast duo embraces a move designed to ramp up our already winning strategy.

Design 261
article thumbnail

Milwaukee housing authority owes $5M to the city, officials say

Housing Wire

The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee (HACM), an independent agency in Wisconsin s largest city that was already embattled following the discovery of millions of dollars in misappropriated federal funds, is facing further financial scrutiny this week after the citys comptroller said it is owed more than $5 million in reimbursements to a city department.

Design 334
article thumbnail

CoStar makes bid to buy REA Group classifieds rival in Australia

Inman

CoStar is eying Australian real estate classifieds firm Domain for a rumored $2.7 billion. The purchase would put it toe-to-toe with News Corp, which owns REA Group, Australias largest classifieds firm.

article thumbnail

Massachusetts AG sues Hometap over ‘illegal reverse mortgage’

Housing Wire

The Attorney General of Massachusetts has filed suit against home equity contract provider Hometap , alleging that the company pervasively and systematically violated the states consumer protection laws, including mortgage and foreclosure prevention laws, putting financially vulnerable homeowners at high risk of losing their homes. The suit goes on to claim that Hometaps primary product offerings which give the company a share of a clients future home value in exchange for what it calls debt-fr

Mortgage 307
article thumbnail

Compass snaps up major Washington DC luxury brokerage

Inman

Washington Fine Properties operates in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia and has about 150 agents. The company's leadership team will remain in place after joining Compass.

article thumbnail

Why mortgage originations should pick up in 2025

Housing Wire

U.S. mortgage originations are projected to grow moderately in 2025, despite continued economic uncertainty and elevated interest rates, according to TransUnion s newly released credit insights in the fourth quarter of 2024. After years of sluggish origination growth due to inflation , high borrowing costs, and a tight housing market , mortgage originations are expected to rise to 5.7 million in 2025 from approximately 4.6 million in 2024, with the bulk coming from purchase loans. “Consume

Mortgage 284
article thumbnail

Broker Spotlight: Emily Duke, LUX Denver ERA Powered

Inman

Find out how this broker-owner and her team are implementing "purpose-driven leadership" to deliver exceptional experiences tailored to their clients' needs.

Clients 90
article thumbnail

ServiceLink’s Melinda Maloney on the next generation of housing leaders

Housing Wire

The HousingWire award spotlight series highlights the individuals and organizations that have been recognized through our Editors Choice Awards. Nominations for HousingWires 2025 Rising Stars Award are open now through February 28, 2025. Click here to nominate. The mortgage industry is undergoing rapid transformation, with rising competition pushing lenders to enhance borrower experiences and embrace new technologies.

article thumbnail

10 ways brokers can elevate their agent recruiting game

Inman

Get passionate and intentional about real estate recruiting, and see what a difference it makes in your real estate business, ERA's Alex Vidal writes.

Agents 90