Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
Affordability challenges for renters reached unprecedented levels in 2023, as the number of cost-burdened households hit a record high of 22.6 million, according to the latest data from the American Community Survey analyzed by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. Among these households, 12.1 million were severely burdened, spending more than 50% of their income on rent and utilities.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
Georgia has upped its defenses against deed fraud and title theft. Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new law, which went into effect at the start of the year, that creates a spate of new requirements for those filing property-related documents and notaries involved in electronic document filing. Georgia House Bill 1292 was enacted to ensure that the persons presenting electronic documents for recording provide identifying information, according to the state Legislature.
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Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
Homeowners Association (HOA) fees are another rising home expense as Americans struggle with housing affordability. More properties on the market last year had a homeowners association (HOA) charge, and those fees were more expensive than the previous year, according to a new analysis from Realtor.com. According to Realtor.com, some 40.5% of for-sale listings in 2024 had a nonzero HOA fee, up from 39.2% the previous year.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
As high home prices continue to impact the market, many homeowners are deciding to stay put in their homes. But most still have plans to purse home renovations and younger generations are leading this new focus on home improvement. Emmy Award-winning home improvement platform This Old House conducted a survey of 2,000 homeowners on their renovation plans for 2025.
Speaker: Timothy Allsopp
Payment challenges often lead to delayed projects, financial bottlenecks, and strained relationships. With construction projects becoming more complex, outdated processes are no longer sustainable. By refining financial workflow, companies can improve cash flow, reduce error, and foster trust between stakeholders. Discover practical strategies for redesigning payment systems to overcome workflow challenges while creating a smoother, more reliable process for contractors and subcontractors alike.
Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
Moving is still a major component of the American Dream, according to a recent analysis by moveBuddha. This is because people are looking for better lifestyles, more affordable housing, and financial security. But as migration rates continue to decline, fewer Americans than ever before are able to fulfill their aspirations of relocating. Despite historically low rates of movement, a large percentage of Americans say they would like to move.
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Real Estate News
JANUARY 15, 2025
When the Fed lowers interest rates, a drop in mortgage rates often follows but recently, the opposite has happened. Heres why.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
The year 2025 will be transformative for real estate. Rising personal home insurance rates, fueled by escalating claims costs, increasing property values and the growing frequency of natural disasters, will all have a profound impact on market dynamics and homeowners insurance costs. For real estate professionals and mortgage lenders, these shifts present both challenges and opportunities.
Real Estate News
JANUARY 15, 2025
As the fires rage on, some agents are working on the front lines to help displaced residents facing big losses while navigating scarcity and price-gouging.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
An Elkhart, Indiana , resident who is a beneficiary of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assistance is poised to lose his benefits on Jan. 31 after disclosing on a form that he had ingested marijuana a single time, according to local reporting by a South Bend-based NBC affiliate. This will cause him to lose his home in a few months time, he said.
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Real Estate News
JANUARY 15, 2025
The brokerage revised its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings forecast upward, also noting that it added more than 650 agents in Q4.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
RE/MAX on Wednesday announced that it has hired Chris Lim as executive vice president and chief growth officer. Lim, who has 22 years of leadership experience in the real estate industry, will officially step into his new role on Feb. 3. Lim will focus on fostering franchise growth in key U.S. regions and ensure that existing franchisees have everything they need to succeed.
Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has published a final rule designed to improve access to liquidity for the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) System by adjusting the treatment of certain short-term FHLBank investments. The rule modifies FHLBank limits on the extension of certain forms of unsecured credit. Previously, an FHLBanks deposits held in member-provided interest-bearing deposit accounts (IBDAs) counted toward a more restrictive limit set in FHFAs existing regulation governing FHL
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) announced Wednesday that it has appointed Jarrod Grasso as its senior vice president of industry relations, a new position created to engage with state and local Realtor associations, in addition to individual Realtors. NAR’s reputation has been under attack over the last few years and the trade group has taken action to change that.
Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
Mortgage application volume surged 33.3% during the week ended January 10, despite an increase in rates, according to the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey. The increase was due primarily to a rebound in applications for refinances, which increased 44% compared with the previous week and were up 22% compared with the same week one year ago.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
With an adjustment for the New Year’s holiday, mortgage applications increased 33.3% from one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey, released today. This week’s reading, for the week ending Jan. 10, 2025, is a stark difference from last week’s applications , which reflected a seasonal lull following Christmas.
Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
DataTrace , a provider of data and automation solutions to the title and settlement services industry, has expanded automated title search to nearly 1,000 counties and launched significant enhancements to its data and product lines. The expanded automated title search capabilities are available via TitleIQ Search Automation, with additional title search access through the DataTrace System (DTS) and through the DataTrace Digital Gateway.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
Mutual of Omaha Mortgage , which rose to the No. 1 position on the reverse mortgage industry leaderboard for Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements in 2024, has responded to a September legal complaint by competitor Longbridge Financial. Mutual is denying allegations that it misled potential customers and is demanding a jury trial and for litigation to determine the monetary losses inflicted upon it by Longbridges alleged activities.
Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
Waterstone Mortgage has opened a new office in Bartonville, Texas, that will be managed by Jason Stier, director of VA lending. The new location will be known as the Veteran Community Mortgage Team. We saw a gap in the market, Stier says in a release. There werent many lenders who really understood the ins and outs of the VA process, and we wanted to change that.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
It may be a new year, but Howard Hanna Real Estate Services is picking up right where it left off. On Wednesday, the family-owned brokerage announced its acquisition of Ohio -based Home Experts Realty. Founded in 2011, Home Experts Realty has grown to nearly 400 agents. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Home Experts Realty has built a strong, values-driven foundation that aligns perfectly with Howard Hannas mission and culture, Shawn Adams, the president of Howard Hannas
Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
Rocket has rebranded some of its key businesses to unify its services under the overarching Rocket brand. As such, Rocket Pro TPO has been renamed to Rocket Pro, effective immediately and Amrock will soon become Rocket Close. In addition, Amrock Title Insurance Company is now Rocket Title Insurance Company. Rocket has also unveiled a refreshed overall visual identity that includes a new logo, wordmark, typeface and color palette.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
Technology has a lot of potential to assist older people with the goal of aging in place. A new study from AARP and the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) aims to make the case by arguing that tech can empower independence. Combining the work of a quantitative study from CTA and qualitative research from AARP, the report finds that older adults are largely comfortable with using more technology in their daily lives and find it useful as they seek to age in place.
Appraisal Buzz
JANUARY 15, 2025
Mortgage Capital Trading , which offers mortgage capital markets technology, reports a 16.7% decrease in mortgage lock volume in December compared with November. While there was a slight uptick in refinance production, it was not enough to significantly impact overall production levels, the firm says. The majority of Decembers mortgage activity stemmed from purchase volume, reflecting a consistent trend in the current housing market.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
What will happen to housing supply in the wake of the fires still burning in the LA area? Firefighters continue to battle the blazes that have already burned some 40,000 acres and killed at least 25 people , as of Wednesday. There are about 82,400 people in Los Angeles County that are still under evacuation orders, County Sheriff Robert Luna said to Reuters , and an estimated 12,000 structures have been destroyed.
Inman
JANUARY 15, 2025
Lim, who vacated the presidency of Christie's International Real Estate in 2023, will be tasked with growing RE/MAX at a time when the brokerage has struggled with falling revenue and U.S. agent count.
Housing Wire
JANUARY 15, 2025
First American Titles direct division is starting the new year off with a new division president. The big four title firm announced the appointment of Jim Dulle as the new division president on Wednesday. Dulles appointment comes as the previous division president, Janette Waller, is set to retire in March 2025. The company said Waller will remain on staff through March to help with the transition.
Inman
JANUARY 15, 2025
Social media is a powerful tool for real estate agents, but knowing what not to post is just as important as knowing what to share. Expert Jessi Healey outlines the top mistakes to avoid, from posting too much to ignoring comments, so you can maintain a polished, professional and trustworthy online presence.
Eyes on Housing
JANUARY 15, 2025
Over the first eleven months of 2024, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 912,910. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is an increase of 8.2% over the November 2023 level of 843,654. Year-to-date ending in November, single-family permits were up in all four regions. The range of permit increases spanned.
Inman
JANUARY 15, 2025
Investors bid up shares of mortgage lenders and real estate companies after "relatively benign" CPI report ends speculation that inflation worries might force the Fed to raise rates this year.
Eyes on Housing
JANUARY 15, 2025
Inflation edged up to a five-month high in December as energy prices surged, accounting for more than 40% of the monthly headline increase. Inflation ended 2024 at a 2.9% rate, down from 3.4% a year ago, although the last mile to the Feds 2% target continues to be challenging. While core inflation remained stubborn due.
Inman
JANUARY 15, 2025
Jarrod Grasso will lead the trade group's efforts to "deepen engagement with state and local associations, MLS executives and other critical industry partners.
Mortgagebroker News
JANUARY 15, 2025
The well-known economist is expected to join the race to replace Justin Trudeau
Inman
JANUARY 15, 2025
Are you anticipating some struggles this year from market forces, competition or other factors? What do you plan to do about it?
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