Wed.Jan 31, 2024

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NAR “sets the record straight” on commissions

Housing Wire

After months of plaintiffs’ lawyers in commission lawsuits claiming that the National Association of Realtors sets real estate agent commissions, the trade group finally decided to, in its words, “set the record straight.” In a video posted on Wednesday, NAR interim CEO Nykia Wright told viewers that, “the notion that the National Association of Realtors controls what real estate professionals get paid is wholly untrue.

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NAR interim CEO ‘sets the record straight’ in new video

Real Estate News

In her first public message as CEO, Nykia Wright defended the real estate profession, saying it has been “vilified,” “sensationalized” and “misrepresented.

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DataDigest: National rent price growth normalizes, while Austin rents lose steam

Housing Wire

The pandemic-era boom in single-family rental prices is over, according to CoreLogic ‘s Single-Family Rent Index. The index, which analyzes single-family rent price changes nationally and across major metropolitan areas, tracked 13-15% annual growth in rental prices in the first half of 2023, but the index value rose only 2.7% in November, the latest data available.

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FTC weighs in on antitrust allegations leveled against CoStar

Real Estate News

CoStar’s residential business has managed to avoid the antitrust cases rocking the industry, but it’s a different story on the commercial side.

Business 264
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UWM initiates 100 bps discount for conventional rate-and-term refis 

Housing Wire

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) announced Wednesday that it’s allowing its broker partners to offer a temporary discount of 100 basis points (bps) for conventional rate-and-term refinances. The discount is valid on new loan locks through March 29. It’s not the first time that the Pontiac, Michigan-based lender has encouraged borrowers to refinance their loans.

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Fed policymakers want more data, dash hopes of March rate cut

Inman

Fed Chair Jerome Powell says a rate cut at the central bank's next meeting is not "the base case," with policymakers wanting to see more data showing inflation is on a sustainable path down to 2 percent.

Mortgage 195

More Trending

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Judgment or Analysis?

George Dell

Appraiser judgment is required. Analysis is reduction and logic. Analysis comprises reasoning and reducing the problem into well-mannered parts. Logic can be mathematical/absolute, or it may involve uncertainty/probabilistic reality. Reduction is the act of separating a larger problem into manageable parts. Judgment, in (traditional-legacy) appraisal, is emphasized in picking comps (data selection).

Appraisal 195
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Mortgage applications decline ahead of Fed meeting

Housing Wire

Mortgage demand slumped last week as consumers hit the brakes on purchase applications. Mortgage applications decreased by 7.2% in the week ending Jan. 26 compared to one week earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association ‘s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey. “Applications decreased compared to a holiday-adjusted week, driven by a decline in purchase applications that offset a slight increase in refinance activity,” Joel Kan , MBA’s vice president

Mortgage 475
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New York Comptroller asks eXp to investigate sexual assault claims

Inman

The office of New York State Comptroller, which holds nearly 27,000 shares of eXp World Holdings stock, sent a letter to eXp CEO Glenn Sanford requesting he establish an independent committee to formally look into the allegations.

Realty 192
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Mortgage and title firms grapple with recent rise in cyberattacks

Housing Wire

When loanDepot announced that it was the victim of a cybersecurity incident in early January, it became the fourth publicly traded mortgage or title firm to absorb an attack in as many months. “There has absolutely been an increase in cyber security incidents,” said Alex Hamlin, the chief information security officer at Qualia , a digital real estate closing platform.

Mortgage 468
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New legislation aims to ban algorithmic pricing of rents

Inman

The "Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act" is expected to be introduced in the U.S. Senate this week.

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How LOs can use short-form video content to connect with Gen Z

Housing Wire

The accessibility of information, the encouragement of multitasking culture and a desire for instant gratification are all huge societal changes that have massively impacted Gen Z individuals. How can we as an industry and as real estate finance experts adapt to reach and maintain the attention of next-generation prospective homebuyers? Social media is going to be a vital piece of the “Gen Z Connection” puzzle.

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Private Residential Construction Spending Grows for Third Straight Month

Eyes on Housing

NAHB analysis of Census data shows that private residential construction spending rose 1.4% in December, marking three months of gains. It stood at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of $911.7 billion. The 2023 annual spending on private residential construction was $864.9 billion, 5.8% lower than the 2022 annual totals. The monthly increase in total construction spending is attributed to more.

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As the Fed plays waiting game to cut rates, housing pros lean toward incoming economic data 

Housing Wire

One of the biggest takeaways from the Wednesday press conference held by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is that the central bank isn’t likely to cut interest rates in March as investors had hoped. After signaling interest rate cuts for 2024 in its previous meeting, the focus shifted to when such a move might come and how extensively policymakers could lower interest rates this year.

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Watson Salari Group makes it Official, leaves Coldwell Banker

Inman

Teammates Brent Watson and Marco Salari will become founding agents for Official in Los Angeles. The team has closed more than $2.75 billion in career sales.

Agents 182
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Evergreen Home Loans expands into Montana

Housing Wire

Mortgage company Evergreen Home Loans is continuing its expansion across the country with the opening of new branches in Montana, the company announced on Wednesday. “We are thrilled to welcome the Montana team to our Evergreen family,” Robert Lipston, the company’s executive vice president of production, said in a statement. “We’re excited to bring our personalized approach to mortgage solutions to the residents of Montana.

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What’s your best one-liner to start real estate conversations? Pulse

Inman

Getting someone talking about real estate so that you can talk about your service can be tough. How do you break the ice?

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FOA’s Sieffert on ‘massive pivot’ in 2023, reverse mortgage opportunities ahead

Housing Wire

Finance of America Companies (FOA) President Kristen Sieffert is bullish on the prospects for the reverse mortgage industry’s leading lender in 2024, particularly after the company went through a series of major changes last year, including the acquisition of American Advisors Group (AAG). This is according to an interview with Sieffert featured on “ Ten Minute Talks ,” an interview series hosted by HousingWire President Diego Sanchez featuring mortgage or real estate leaders in the industry gro

Mortgage 436
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Record-breaking NYC townhouse sale goes to mystery buyer

Inman

A mystery couple has bought Greenwich Village's most expensive townhouse for $72.5 million, surpassing the previous record by $14.3 million. The 12,000-square-foot property was sold off-market, with the buyers planning to use it as a pied-à-terre.

Buyers 178
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Dark Matter onboards mortgage tech veteran from ICE

Housing Wire

Dark Matter Technologies (DMT) tapped Tony Fox, former director of ICE Mortgage Technology , as its new chief of client engagement. Fox is responsible for directing the company’s account management and client success teams. He will report to Sean Dugan, chief revenue officer at DMT. Fox was director of client management at I CE Mortgage Technology for four months after the firm acquired Black Knight in September 2023.

Mortgage 435
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Illinois Realtors raises $1M war chest to fight Chicago tax hike

Inman

Chicago voters are set to decide whether to quadruple the tax buyers pay on residential and commercial properties in the city. Illinois Realtors plans to lead the fight.

Realtors 178
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Serhant hires a familiar name as its first president

Housing Wire

Josh Team is joining real estate brokerage Serhant as its first-ever president, Inman reported on Monday. After taking a three-year break from the industry, Team, the former president of Keller Williams , chose the brokerage headed by Ryan Serhant to make his comeback. In his new role, Team will be responsible for scaling Serhant’s national brokerage operations as it pursues expansion across the country.

Brokerage 435
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13 ways to find a home for your buyers in this tight market

Inman

If you currently have buyers but cannot land an escrow, writes team leader Carl Medford, consider stepping up your game to provide the highest level of service possible. It's time to start thinking outside the box.

Buyers 176
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Experts weigh in on whether seniors should get new mortgages: Bankrate

Housing Wire

For seniors who have retired, taking on additional debt that requires a monthly payment while being on a fixed income could have ramifications on quality of retirement, and it should be considered in concert with all the facts about how it will impact a senior’s financial situation. This is according to experts who spoke to personal finance website Bankrate about the concept of taking on a new mortgage in retirement.

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Fed Decision: Shifting Expectations toward Future Rate Cuts

Eyes on Housing

The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy committee held the federal funds rate constant at a top target of 5.5% at the conclusion of its January meeting. The Fed will continue to reduce its balance sheet holdings of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities as part of quantitative tightening and balance sheet normalization.

Mortgage 176
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ALTA Registry data integrates with the Qualia platform

Housing Wire

Data from the American Land Title Association’s (ALTA) Title & Settlement Agent Registry (ALTA Registry) will be integrated with the platform of closing software provider Qualia , according to an announcement on Wednesday. The data will be provided to Qualia under a licensing agreement with the ALTA Registry, which is a national database of title and settlement agents.

Insurance 434
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Long-serving HAR CEO Bob Hale announces his retirement

Inman

Hale has been with HAR since the 1970s, racking up a long list of accomplishments and awards along the way. René Galvan will succeed him as president and CEO.

Realtors 174
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Top sales team joins The Real Brokerage

Housing Wire

The top-producing Suarez Team is joining real estate firm The Real Brokerage , according to a company announcement on Wednesday. Powered by James and Roxanne Suarez, the 10-person team serves the greater Los Angeles market, including Silicon Beach, Beverly Hills, Hollywood Hills and the South Bay. Before joining Real, the team was affiliated with Keller Williams Beverly Hills.

Brokerage 425
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How Jeff Lobb navigates a career built on passion, innovation, family

Inman

In his latest Snapshot profile, Brandon Doyle offers insight into the SparkTank Media founder's marketing philosophy and personal commitments.

Marketing 174
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Old Republic records 12.8% decline in net income in 2023

Housing Wire

Despite cooling interest rates , the title insurance segment at Big Four title firm Old Republic recorded a 22.8% annualized decline in net premiums and fees during the fourth quarter of 2023 , which contributed heavily to a 12.8% decrease for all of last year. During the last three months of the year, the company’s title segment reported that it earned $645.4 million in net premiums and fees.

Insurance 424
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Client pipelines tick back up as agents eye 2024 gains: Triple-I

Inman

More real estate agents believe their client shortfall has begun to stabilize, an indication of rising home demand in the new year, according to new results from the latest Inman Intel Index survey.

Clients 173
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Unlocking Property Value: The Essential Role of Residential Appraisals

Appraisal Partners Blog

The post <div class="hrt">Unlocking Property Value: The Essential Role of Residential Appraisals</div> appeared first on Appraisal Partners.

Appraisal 148
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Assumable loan platform Roam offers seller closing guarantee

Inman

If it takes longer than 60 days from the time an offer is accepted until close of escrow, Roam will make the homeseller's mortgage payments for up 60 days after the scheduled closing date.

Sellers 172
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UAD Redesign Timeline

Appraiserblogs

Appraisers, to see more about the upcoming new UAD currently in design, read the Updated Timeline link in the message below. My concern at this point is ‘training’ materials will be available in Q4 2024, but actual implementation of the ‘new reporting process’ won’t begin until Q3 2025 with limited production, into 2026. Note that in the future “form numbers” won’t be used.

Training 114