Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

According to Redfin , the median U.S. asking rent fell 0.7% year-over-year in November to $1,595, the lowest level since March 2022. Rents were down 1.1% on a month-over-month basis. The median rent is now 6.2% lower than when it hit an all-time high of $1,700 in August 2022. Highlighting improved rental affordability, November marked the 19th consecutive month where the median asking rent price per square foot (PPSF) fell year-over-year, down 2.2% to $1.79.

Construction 372

Construction Appraisal Marketing 372

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Tracking live weekly housing data would have been nearly impossible just a few years ago, but now we can gather and analyze real-time housing demand data. This valuable information can significantly enhance our understanding of housing economics and what is coming next. The question is: How can we harness the data to give you more confidence when talking about the housing market?

Contracts 431

Contracts Housing Market Inventory Mortgage 431

Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Paying a million dollars for a home might seem like a dream for most Americans. Yet every year, more people are spending seven figures on a new house, with San Jose and San Francisco the meccas of high-cost living in the US. In their new report analyzing U.S. Census Bureau data, LendingTree discovered that the share of million-dollar homes is increasing, and that some parts of the nation are becoming magnets for these high-priced houses.

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Law Home Value Construction Development 386

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Mortgage applications increased 5.4% on a seasonally adjusted basis during the week ending Dec. 6, stemming from a 27% jump in refinance activity, according to a report released Wednesday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). This is the latest weekly increase in mortgage applications, following a trend of steady demand increases over the past several weeks.

Mortgage 385

Mortgage Contracts Government Inventory 385

Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

According to a recent study published by Bright MLS , a large number of homeowners who intend to sell next year purchased their house less than five years ago. Additionally, the study indicates that since baby boomers intend to remain in their current homes, 2025 sellers will probably be younger. Approximately one in five (17.5%) of the 1,581 homeowners polled countrywide between November 19 and 20 indicate they intend to sell their house over the next 12 months.

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Sellers Buyers Mortgage Housing Market 370

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The stagnant 2024 housing market is one the real estate industry cant wait to get away from, but not so for the niche luxury market. The 2025 Red Paper from The Agency shows the luxury market making a sharp diversion from the broader existing home sales market, which could clock in near a historic low at fewer than 4 million sales. The number of homes sold at $1 million or higher rose by 5.2% in the first half of 2024, and the median luxury home price jumped by 14.2%.

Housing Market 370

Housing Market Marketing Buyers Real Estate 370

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The work you do now is what will set you up for success in the first quarter of 2025. The majority of sales success is mental, preparing yourself mentally is just as crucial as setting your priorities and goals for the year ahead. Whether you liked or disliked what 2024 brought, soon youll be facing a clean slate. Even if the year was challenging and you felt like quittingguess what?

Real Estate 388

Real Estate Agents 388

Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Older homeowners have given their input on the state of the market and their desire to age in place. A significant majority of adults aged 50 and older (75%) want to age in their current homes, and 73% want to age in their communities, according to AARP s national 2024 Home and Community Preferences Survey. This is much higher than the percentage of younger adults aged 18 to 49 (an estimated 60% and 63%, respectively), but current housing policies and community infrastructure are not keeping up

Property Taxes 195

Property Taxes Tenants Technology Investing 195

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

An ongoing lawsuit between two major reverse mortgage lenders, Mutual of Omaha Mortgage and Longbridge Financial , over marketing practices could come to an end if both parties can reach a settlement agreement prior to going to trial. But such an outcome isnt guaranteed, and Mutual of Omaha has requested additional time to provide a response to the allegations Longbridge laid out in its complaint, according to a court filing reviewed by HousingWire s Reverse Mortgage Daily (RMD).

Marketing 359

Marketing Legal Real Estate Mortgage 359

Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Wire and title fraud risks reached new heights in Q3 2024, according to FundingShields latest Wire Fraud Risk Report. An alarming 46.43% of transactions in an $82 billion portfolio of residential, commercial, and business-purpose loans revealed vulnerabilities. Each problematic loan exhibited an average of 2.23 issues, underscoring a widespread lack of adequate controls among closing agents and lenders.

Real Estate 221

Real Estate Finance Insurance Tools 221

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)s Office of Policy Development and Research recently published a report that more closely examines the housing needs of older Americans and the pain points that have exacerbated their needs stemming from a national housing crisis. The material featured came from a workshop hosted by Fannie Mae and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia , which highlighted research assessing the impact of demographic shifts, including the aging U.S. popu

Finance 358

Finance Development Insurance Investing 358

Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Mortgage application volume increased 5.4% on an adjusted basis during the week ended December 6, as the average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage dipped to 6.67%, down from 6.69% the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey. The results include an adjustment for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Applications for refinances increased 27% compared with the previous week and were up 42% compared with the same week one year earlier.

Inventory 195

Inventory Mortgage Appraisal Marketing 195

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Every season is fraud season and title firm First American is not messing around. On Wednesday, the Big Four title company announced the launch of Order Insights, a real-time fraud alert system. The tool is available to all First American policy-issuing title agents and is now included with AgentNet Services, First Americans digital title product and service storefront.

Agents 348

Agents Clients Tools Real Estate 348

Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

First American has released Order Insights, a real-time, transaction-based fraud alert system available to its policy-issuing title agents. Fraud continues to challenge the real estate industry, with real estate-related fraud losses totaling over $145 million in 2023, according to the FBIs annual Internet Crime Report. Order Insights leverages First Americans industry-leading data assets to provide title agents an edge in reducing fraud risk.

Real Estate 195

Real Estate Agents Clients Tools 195

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Dallas -based United Real Estate has announced another strategic expansion in the Carolinas. Charlotte -headquartered United Real Estate Queen City will open a new affiliate location in Fort Mill, South Carolina. According to a company statement, this move will strengthen the brokerage’s presence in the Carolinas. The Fort Mill brokerage is the second United Queen City location in the region and the expansion “reinforces Uniteds eastern service areas stretching over a thousand miles

Real Estate 323

Real Estate Brokerage Agents Realty 323

Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Colorado Springs, Colo. is Realtor.coms Top Housing Market for 2025 , a list of the top 100 housing markets that are forecast to see increased sales in the coming year. Rounding out the top 10 markets are Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Fla.; Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C.; El Paso, Texas; Richmond, Va.; Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.; McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas; Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, Ariz.; Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, Ga.

Housing Market 195

Housing Market Marketing Buyers Design 195

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

In a year that has been full of noise, United Real Estate President Rick Haase has somehow managed to stay focused. Some of that focus comes from the messages written on the three colorful rubber bands adorning his wrist. The first reads, Go through life with an attitude of gratitude. A second reads, United Real Estate: Better Together. The third, a gift from the United franchise in Richmond, Virginia , states, Only the strong survive in 2025.

Real Estate 299

Real Estate Brokerage Agents Business 299

Inman

DECEMBER 11, 2024

In its response to an NAR appeal, the DOJ acknowledged that, although it had closed an investigation into two NAR policies in 2020, it didn't agree not to reopen it.

Realtors 176

Realtors Brokerage Agents 176

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Sierra Pacific Mortgage has hired Suzy Lindblom as its new Chief Operating Officer, the company announced in a LinkedIn post. Lindblom confirmed the move in her own post , adding that she has been working with Sierra Pacific as a consultant for the last six months. With more than 40 years of experience in the mortgage industry, Lindblom was most recently chief operating officer (COO) at lender and servicer Arc Home , serving in that role from August 2022 to February 2024.

Mortgage 368

Mortgage Lending 368

Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 11, 2024

In this episode, Hal sits down with Tony Washington, aka The Giant Appraiser, to explore his unique journey into the appraisal industry. Tony shares how his unconventional start shaped his approach and why he’s a fierce advocate for appraisers embracing social media to grow their businesses. Listen in as Tony discusses: The lessons hes learned firsthand from marketing online.

Training 195

Training Appraisal Technology Business 195

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement may have received final approval , but it looks like NARs commission lawsuit woes are not over. On Tuesday, two Ohio -based companies that specialize in the acquisition, renovation and management of distressed real estate properties in Northeast Ohio, Abandoned Homes Project Scattered Site I LLC and Scattered Site II LLC., filed a suit against NAR, claiming that the trade groups now abandoned Participation Rule ,

Renovations 269

Renovations Real Estate Sellers Realtors 269

Eyes on Housing

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Inflation picked up to 2.7% in November, while matching expectations, the last mile to the Feds 2% target proves to be the most challenging. Shelter costs continued to be the main driver of inflation, contributing nearly 40% of the monthly increase. However, the year-over-year change in the shelter index remained below 5% for a third.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Real estate website design is evolving fast. Todays sites are sleeker, faster and capture leads based on data from tens of millions of user interactions. To keep up, your site needs to offer more than just a pretty picture of a lakefront mansion. In 2025, effective websites leverage beautiful imagery, videography, graphics, copywriting, captivating typography and user experience design (UX) to educate buyers and sellers and sell you as a hyper-local market expert and trusted advisor.

Design 228

Design Real Estate Brokerage Realty 228

Inman

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The price of mobile homes has surged by approximately 58 percent between 2018 and 2023, outpacing the 37.66 percent growth in traditional single-family home prices.

Lending 158

Lending Marketing 158

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Wednesday published a final rule in the Federal Register, establishing a permanent program to sell seriously delinquent, FHA-insured single-family mortgages following the release of a proposal over the summer. A public inspection version of the rule was released on Tuesday prior to its final publication. This rule amends the requirements for the sale of eligible single family mortgage loans insured by the [FHA] that have been assigned to the secretary

Insurance 228

Insurance Inspection Technology Mortgage 228

Inman

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Titled Perfect Strangers, the latest commercial is part of Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie Realtors' stated goal of creating a national movement to change how consumers think of real estate agents.

Real Estate Agent 158

Real Estate Agent Realtors Real Estate Agents 158

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement may have received final approval , but it looks like NARs commission lawsuit woes are not over. On Tuesday, two Ohio -based companies that specialize in the acquisition, renovation and management of distressed real estate properties in Northeast Ohio, Abandoned Homes Project Scattered Site I LLC and Scattered Site II LLC., filed a suit against NAR, claiming that the trade groups now abandoned Participation Rule ,

Renovations 195

Renovations Real Estate Sellers Realtors 195

George Dell

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Time-series adjustments and market conditions are required by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A recent FHFA research paper revealed that as few as 10% of appraisals had been even attempting a time adjustment, although in some markets, where the value was not high enough, the time adjustment came in handy to get closer to the […] The post Time-series or Garbage?

Appraisal 195

Appraisal Marketing 195

Inman

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Find out how this Pacific Palisades luxury agent and new development expert has grown her career alongside the growth of her market.

Real Estate 157

Real Estate Development Agents Marketing 157

Appraisal Hub

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Youre about to buy a propertyexciting, right? But before you pop the champagne, imagine moving in only to discover a leaky roof, faulty wiring, or worserealizing you overpaid by thousands. Thats why understanding home inspections and home appraisals is your first step to making a smart investment. These two processes are often misunderstood. While they might seem similar, they serve very different purposes.

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Inspection Buyers Appraisal Investing 78

Inman

DECEMBER 11, 2024

The latest Consumer Price Index reading is in line with expectations, but progress in fighting inflation has stalled. Forecasts for a slower pace of easing next year might keep mortgage rates above 6 percent.

Mortgage 149

Mortgage Marketing 149

Mortgagebroker News

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Rents drop nationwide but remain higher than pre-pandemic levels in many regions

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Inman

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Order Insights helped protect over 130,000 files in November by validating transaction data, notifying title agents of discrepancies and identifying other potential fraud indicators.

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Agents Real Estate Technology Mortgage 148

Mortgagebroker News

DECEMBER 11, 2024

Kevin Fettig calls flipping and vacant home taxes symbolic and ineffective

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