Fri.Jun 28, 2024

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Stern & Eisenberg Appoints New COO

Appraisal Buzz

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Legal 395
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REcolorado board fired as shareholders reveal new buyer

Housing Wire

The primary shareholders of REcolorado — the Denver Metro Association of Realtors (DMAR) and the South Metro Denver Realtor Association (SMDRA) — have fired the current board and announced the name of the company they are selling their shares to: MAZL, LLC., headed by J. Burks. According to a statement released Friday from DMAR and SMDRA, their board members have “signed and submitted a joint, unanimous resolution removing all REcolorado board members from their position and duties,

Buyers 390
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The Housing Market Meets the ‘Sandwich Generation’

Appraisal Buzz

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the “sandwich generation” as a generation of people who are caring for their aging parents while supporting their own children—and according to new research by Realtor.com, 17% (or one-in-six Americans) of Americans fall into this designation who are taking care of children under 18, and their parents/grandparents; an impact which has surprisingly led them to homeownership.

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Senior-held home equity bounces back in Q1 2024: NRMLA

Housing Wire

Homeowners 62 and older saw their collective home equity levels rise in the first quarter of 2024 by roughly $328.5 billion to a total of $13.19 trillion, a recovery after decreases observed over the past year. This is according to the Reverse Mortgage Market Index (RMMI), a measure of senior-held home equity maintained by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) and data analytics firm RiskSpan.

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Brokerages Prepare for Upcoming NAR Settlement Deadline

Appraisal Buzz

We have yet to find out the full extent of the court-ordered National Association of Realtors (NAR) settlement back in March on the topic of commissions in which the NAR is expected to pay $418 million over a four-year period in damages and will change numerous rules that housing experts believe will lower house costs going forward. This settlement is the culmination of a series of lawsuits against the NAR which will ultimately do away with standard commissions.

Brokerage 354
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Ginnie Mae official talks HMBS 2.0, hopes for detailed public comments

Housing Wire

After initially announcing the development of a new Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM)-backed Securities ( HMBS ) program in January, government-owned company Ginnie Mae — which oversees the government’s mortgage-backed securities (MBS) portfolio — released a highly anticipated term sheet this week for what is being referred to as “HMBS 2.0.” To get a better understanding of the newly proposed program and what it hopes to accomplish, HousingWire ’s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD) sat down with

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Can you afford to buy a home while supporting parents and children?

Housing Wire

With housing markets across the country dealing with a lack of inventory and rapidly rising prices, working-age adults who let their parents live with them is an increasingly common situation. It’s intended to limit the total amount of expenses for one of the involved parties. The impact on a working-age adult’s ability to buy a home or pay a mortgage varies.

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C.A.R. responds to harsh criticism of its buyer agreement

Real Estate News

The California association said the Consumer Federation of America’s assessment was “misguided” and that its forms will be fully compliant.

Buyers 256
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Easy Street Offers expands operations into nine new states

Housing Wire

Real estate investors in nine states just gained a new option for finding homes and agents. Easy Street Offers announced Friday that it’s expanding its operations to include states with increasingly hot housing markets — and geographically, these are all over the country. The states added are Utah, Pennsylvania , Oklahoma , Missouri , Kansas, Indiana, Florida, Georgia and Colorado.

Investors 303
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EquiFi Taps Paul Giangrande to Head Up its Mortgage Division

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage industry veteran Paul Giangrande has joined EquiFi , a provider of shared equity home financing solutions, as corporate executive vice president and president of the EquiFi mortgage division. Giangrande has more than 30 years of financial service and mortgage industry experience, specializing in direct-to-consumer loan originations, portfolio retention, call center management, sales and marketing, and lead acquisition.

Mortgage 195
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Opinion: Title insurance is an essential consumer protection  

Housing Wire

Title insurance provides vital protection to the largest and most important purchase most Americans will ever make—their home. Without this essential product, owners could be forced to pay out of pocket to settle costly challenges to their ownership rights—or even worse—lose their home. Unfortunately, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) on mortgage closing costs—including title insurance—that continues a concerning pattern of labeling l

Insurance 291
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NAR: Pending Home Sales Fell in May Despite Rising Inventory 

Appraisal Buzz

Pending home sales decreased 2.1% in May compared with April and were down 6.6% compared with May 2023, as higher mortgage rates continued to keep homebuyers on the sidelines, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Regionally, and month over month, contract signings declined in the Midwest and South but increased in the Northeast and West.

Inventory 195
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Ending the hire/layoff cycle in mortgage lending

Housing Wire

The mortgage origination industry has long made use of an operational strategy that relies on “staffing up” during cycles of high volume and then making staff reductions, sometimes en masse, when origination volume declines. While this was once a necessary business strategy, the technology now exists to implement a much more efficient approach. In order to achieve this, lenders need to take a thoughtful approach to the implementation of technology, and the very highest decision makers need to pu

Lending 287
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eXp harassment case dismissed, but assault litigation continues

Real Estate News

A Nevada lawsuit was dismissed this week, but an amended sexual misconduct complaint filed in California could put company leadership back in the hot seat.

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Brokerage defendants file motion to dismiss Batton 2 suit

Housing Wire

The remaining brokerage defendants in the Batton 2 homebuyer commission lawsuit filed a joint motion to dismiss the suit last week. This is the second time the remaining defendants have looked to get the case dismissed. In the motion filed by Compass , eXp World Holdings , Redfin , Weichert Realtors and United Real Estate , the defendants claim that the homebuyer plaintiffs are simply trying “to parrot the allegations they made in an amended complaint,” filed in the Batton 1 commission laws

Brokerage 278
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'Unfiltered' podcast: Share your stories, not your sales volume

Real Estate News

Watch the conversation with speaker and “crazy idea” guy Kyle Scheele as he explains how the power of storytelling can foster lasting client relationships.

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Shared equity provider EquiFi names Paul Giangrande to head mortgage division

Housing Wire

San Jose -based EquiFi Corp. , a provider of shared equity financing products, announced Thursday that it hired Paul Giangrande as a corporate executive vice president and president of its mortgage division. Giangrande previously served as president of AmeriCash Mortgage and has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services and mortgage arenas.

Mortgage 276
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More commissions cases paused ahead of November hearing

Real Estate News

Two cases involving REBNY as well as the Nosalek case are now on hold, but a Pennsylvania case will move forward — and so will MLS PIN.

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MLS PIN moves forward with settlement changes despite lack of final approval

Housing Wire

Despite lacking final court approval — and while facing vocal disapproval from the Department of Justice — MLS Property Information Network has decided to move forward in implementing some of the changes outlined in its settlement agreement for the Nosalek commission lawsuit. In an email sent to MLS PIN customers on June 20 and obtained by HousingWire , the MLS states that, effective immediately, listing brokers and agents are able to submit listings to its platform without offering any cooperat

Sellers 274
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REColorado owners oust board amid plans to sell MLS

Inman

Owners of the 16th largest MLS in the country plan to sell to a newly formed private company called MAZL that is run by a person identified only as J. Burks.

Realtors 172
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Mortgage Rates Declined in June but Remain High

Eyes on Housing

According to Freddie Mac, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased by 14 basis points (bps) from 7.06% in the previous month to 6.92% in June 2024. This decline comes after increases from 6.64% in January to a peak above 7.2% in May. Nonetheless, the current rate is still higher from one year ago by 21.

Mortgage 132
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Prospects for lower mortgage rates grow as inflation continues to ease

Inman

The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge fell to 2.56 percent in May, getting closer to the Fed's 2 percent target for the 2nd month in a row. Core inflation reading is lowest since March 2021.

Mortgage 158
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2024 First Quarter State-Level GDP Data

Eyes on Housing

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 39 states and the District of Columbia in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the last quarter of 2023 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Ten states reported an economic contraction during this time, while Maryland reported no change. The percent change in real.

Contracts 115
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Ryan Serhant’s flashy ‘Owning Manhattan’ raises bar for reality TV

Inman

The Netflix series focuses on Serhant's agents and lifts the stakes on real estate-focused reality TV thanks to high production values and sophisticated plotting, reporter Lillian Dickerson writes.

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CBO Boosts Deficit Estimate By 27%

Eyes on Housing

The budget deficit in 2024 is expected to total $1.9 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s most recent June estimates. This marks a $408 billion increase from the $1.5 trillion estimate published in February. This increase is the result of increased spending of $363 billion and decreased revenues of $45 billion for the year.

Investing 111
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Marilyn Monroe’s former home achieves cultural monument status

Inman

The home's current owners, heiress Brinah Milstein and reality TV producer Roy Bank, had hoped to demolish the home and said that instead of selling, they will continue their legal fight against the city of LA.

Legal 146
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Corruption Scandal Shows How Some Housing Nonprofits Misused Tax Dollars to Obstruct Affordable Development

BiggerPockets

HomeRise, a nonprofit housing developer that has received more than $200 million in grants and loans from the city of San Francisco, declares on its website

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Keller Williams picks up 31-agent Texas indie

Inman

TJ Lewis Real Estate is based in Austin, Keller Williams' home turf, and has done $27.9 million in volume this year so far.

Agents 169
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Massoud Atallah Joins Lamacchia Realty as Senior Vice President of Business Development

Lamacchia Realty

On June 17, 2024, at Lamacchia Realty’s monthly company updates meeting, Chief Operating Officer Jackie Louh proudly announced that effective immediately, Massoud Atallah had joined Lamacchia Realty as the Senior Vice President of Business Development. Massoud has spent 23 years at a competitor real estate company in various positions, with 12 of those years as Sales Manager at multiple Massachusetts branch offices.

Realty 69
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Jones Fridman International brings on Straser Silicon Valley team

Inman

The merger brings on Katy Thielke Straser's seven-person team and allows Jones Fridman International to expand its market area into Northern California. The team now represents about $25 billion in career sales.

Marketing 136
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Freddie Mac’s CFO Just Resigned, Will Freddie Change Direction?

BiggerPockets

Christian Lown is leaving the housing behemoth for another giant, CoStar. Where does that leave Freddie Mac?

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5 mindfulness myths debunked — so you can enhance your edge

Inman

Mindfulness is a powerful and practical skill that can enhance your edge, efficiency and performance in both personal and professional realms, broker and coach Aaron Hendon writes.

Agents 133
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Conference Board of Canada: More cuts are needed to revive mortgage market

Mortgagebroker News

BoC's rate cut is a positive step, but more are needed for long-term economic growth

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Commission workarounds, courts cases, content ideas: Inman’s Top 5

Inman

Looking for a quick catch-up on the buzziest stories of the week? Here’s Inman Top 5, the most essential stories, according to Inman readers.

Brokerage 135