Thu.Mar 27, 2025

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FinLocker says it will cover 100% of mortgage verification costs

Housing Wire

Self-branded “financial fitness” platform FinLocker announced Wednesday that it will cover 100% of the verification costs for mortgage borrowers who use lenders’ FinLocker-powered apps. The company calls the move an “industry-first initiative.” According to data from the Community Home Lenders of America , verification of income , employment and assets typically costs up to $280 per mortgage application, a charge tacked onto others in an already-expensive transactio

Mortgage 323
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U.S. Homeowners Still Using Pandemic Savings for Down Payments

Appraisal Buzz

According to a recent Realtor.com survey, the average down payment in the fourth quarter was $30,250, which was around $3,000 more than the previous year but only somewhat less than the third quarters amount. The largest down payments in the history of the records, both in terms of total dollars and as a percentage of the buying price, occurred last year.

Buyers 248
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Social Security Administration backtracks on parts of proposed ID verification policy

Housing Wire

Following a raft of backlash over a proposal to require in-person identity verification for recipients of Social Security benefits, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced this week that it’s walking back some plans that proved controversial with older Americans and advocacy groups. The agency previously announced that any beneficiaries who could not complete their identity verification process via an online portal would need to travel to an SSA office and do so in person.

Training 318
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The last question I ask during an appraisal

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Does the value make sense? That’s the last question I ask when finishing an appraisal, and I want to walk you through what that looks like. I hope this will be useful for both agents and colleagues. Let me know what you think. UPCOMING SPEAKING GIGS: 4/2/25 SAFE Credit Union Coffee Talk (RSVP here) 4/10/25 […] The post The last question I ask during an appraisal first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.

Appraisal 280
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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.

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MLS owners pursuing sale of software company Remine

Housing Wire

The multiple listing service (MLS) owners of real estate software company Remine are moving to sell the firm. MLS Technology Holdings (MLSTH) , a joint venture of four MLS organizations with nearly 150,000 members, initiated an alternative to bankruptcy earlier this month to facilitate the sale of Remines assets, according to legal filings first reported by Inman.

Realtors 337

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Virtual staging: The best apps for 2025 + mind-blowing AI picks

Housing Wire

Is virtual staging finally ready for its close-up? We think it is. The days of AI-staged photos that look more like Salvador Dali paintings than comfy living rooms or HGTV-ready kitchens are long gone. The images todays virtual staging companies can create using AI are shockingly realistic and, dare we say it, stylish. AI can create virtually staged images to match any trendy interior design style you can dream up for a small fraction of the price of traditional virtual staging.

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Most Gen Z sellers have regrets over pandemic home purchases

Inman

Five years after the arrival of COVID in the US, 94 percent of Gen Z and 86 percent of millennial first-time homesellers say they regret their pandemic-era purchase, according to an analysis by Opendoor.

Sellers 151
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Statara Solutions adds digital audio ads to media platform for real estate pros

Housing Wire

Statara Solutions has expanded its Statara Media Platform to include digital audio advertising, allowing real estate professionals, associations and advocacy groups to target audiences through podcasts and streaming radio. The update was rolled out after months of beta testing. The company said its goal is to provide agents and affiliates of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) with new ad-buying tools for influencing policies that shape the real estate industry at the federal, state and l

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Realtor Fined $10,000 for Impersonating an Appraiser

Appraiserblogs

Impersonating an Appraiser – The Costly Consequences of Playing Dress-Up in Real Estate. Being an appraiser isn’t for the faint of heart. The job requires thick skin, a strong moral compass, and an unwavering commitment to impartiality. There are times when you have to stand your ground, even when clients plead with you to sway the value.

Realtors 158
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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.

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Judge admits expert testimony from TCB in case against Ginnie Mae

Housing Wire

Following the submission of a report from a subject matter expert by Texas Capital Bank (TCB) in its ongoing suit against Ginnie Mae over reverse mortgage collateral, the presiding judge has rejected a challenge by the government and will allow the report to be submitted as part of the record. TCB said the former executive, Robert Conway, was intimately involved in the financing and the pooling and securitization of Home Equity Conversion Mortgage ( HECM ) assets, mainly in securing financing fo

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Mortgage Rates Decrease and Flatten After Several Weeks of Volatility

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage rates edged down this week, with the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage falling to 6.65%, down from 6.67% last week, according to Freddie Macs Primary Mortgage Market Survey. A year ago at this time, the average rate for a 30-year was 6.79%. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage ticked down by two basis points this week, says Sam Khater, chief economist for Freddie Mac, in a statement.

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FHFA makes changes to climate risk, radon inspection policies

Housing Wire

Another day, another series of policy changes at the Federal Housing Finance Agency ( FHFA ). On Wednesday, the regulator directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to revise their respective radon policies for multifamily properties. The FHFA also issued an order ending a requirement for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) to engage in joint discussions and share information related to energy building code standards.

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4 advanced marketing tactics for real estate teams that really work

Inman

According to luxury consultant Chris Pollinger, adaptation and evolution are key to creating marketing that works both now and for the long haul.

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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.

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ERA Real Estate hits the field with baseball-centric ad campaign

Housing Wire

ERA Real Estate , part of Anywhere Real Estate , is launching its first multifaceted media campaign with advertising across Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) games this season. The campaign aims to boost brand visibility during peak real estate sales seasons. Messaging is set to include ads on MLB.TV, social media content and in-stadium events with more than a dozen minor league teams.

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Top DC small team joins TTR Sotheby’s International Realty

Inman

HRLS Partners, consisting of Robert Hryniewicki, Adam Rackliffe, Christopher Leary and Micah Smith, built a strong reputation at Washington Fine Properties over the past nine years. The team was the No. 2 small team in D.C. in 2024.

Realty 155
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Homebuyers made record down payments in 2024

Housing Wire

U.S. homebuyers continued making historically large down payments in late 2024, responding to a year of record-high upfront housing costs , according to a Realtor.com report. The typical down payment in the fourth quarter was $30,250, slightly below the previous quarter but roughly $3,000 above results from late-2023. For all of 2024, buyers put down an average of $29,900, or 14.4% of the purchase price, marking the highest figures since tracking began.

Buyers 244
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Broker Spotlight: Chris Parra, One Caribbean Estates

Inman

Find out how this international industry leader is driving the growth of the Caribbean luxury real estate market while "setting new standards of achievement for the industry.

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Mortgage affordability was stable in February as homebuyer activity stayed static

Housing Wire

Mortgage affordability remained flat in February as the national median monthly payment for purchase loan applicants remained unchanged at $2,205. That figure is up $21, or 1%, from a year ago. That’s according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI), which measures how new monthly mortgage payments vary across time relative to income using data from MBAs Weekly Applications Survey.

Mortgage 217
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ERA hits a home run with Major League Baseball campaign

Inman

Starting March 27, ERA will be running ads on Major League Baseball's streaming platform, MLB.TV. The campaign also includes more than a dozen in-stadium events and local baseball opportunities for ERA affiliates.

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Fannie and Freddie privatization push gains momentum

Real Estate News

The new FHFA director's involvement with the two boards suggests that decades-long government oversight could soon end.

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Mauricio Umansky: 2025 is the best time ever to be a new agent

Inman

Despite market headwinds, The Agency CEO says that new technology and marketing capabilities make now a great time to be a new real estate agent.

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Windermere and Compass spar over Clear Cooperation

Real Estate News

Leaders of the two brokerages traded barbs over private listings, hurling accusations of anticompetitiveness, self-interest and efforts to double-end deals.

Brokerage 211
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CoStar makes ‘best and final’ $1.8B offer for REA Group rival

Inman

CoStar Group is one step closer to purchasing Australia's second-largest real estate classifieds firm, Domain. Australian newspapers reported that CoStar founder and CEO Andy Florance spent several days in Sydney with Domain's owners.

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Mortgage Rates Hold Steady After Early March Drop

Eyes on Housing

Mortgage rates dropped significantly at the start of March before stabilizing, with the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage settling at 6.65%, according to Freddie Mac. This marks a 19-basis-point (bps) decline from February. Meanwhile, the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage fell by 20 bps to 5.83%. The drop in long-term borrowing costs was driven by a 24-bps decline.

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Have you tried turning it on? The top tech snags vexing agents today

Inman

As Florida Realtors' Tech Helpline expands service to 28,000 members across six organizations, Inman dug into the top technology snags agents have inquired about. Printer issues top the list.

Agents 121
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Are Your Patient Intake Forms Hurting Efficiency?

GoForrmz

The hidden costs of inefficient patient intake While the total ways that paper-based processes contribute to medical mistakes are fuzzy, with varying attribution numbers and miscommunication processes, the one clear detail is that paper forms hamper the medical field. One study even found that implementing electronic medical prescription processes showed a 12% reduction in overall errors.

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Pending home sales tick up as buyers make cautious comeback

Inman

The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) rose by 2.0 percent to 72.0 in February, according to new data released Thursday by NAR. But contract signings fell 3.6 percent compared to last year.

Buyers 117
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Waterstone Mortgage Hires Margie Hennessey as VP, Eastern Region Sales

Appraisal Buzz

Margie Hennessey has joined Waterstone Mortgage Corp. as vice-president eastern region sales. Hennessey has more than 21 years of experience in the mortgage lending industry, including nearly 15 years in senior leadership roles. She is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL) and spent over 15 years as a nationally certified ASL interpreter before beginning her mortgage career.

Mortgage 195
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25 unique ways to cut brokerage costs (without killing growth)

Inman

Every dollar you keep is a dollar you dont have to chase in sales, Chris Pollinger writes. The best brokerages dont just earn more they keep more.

Brokerage 107
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Florida Cities Shine as ‘Most Fun’

Empire Appraisal Group

News & Media Andrea Antonetti / EyeEm / Getty Images Source: [link] Florida Cities Shine as Most Fun By Rachel Tucker Four Florida cities took top marks some of the most fun in the U.S. with affordable, year-round recreational activities. TAMPA, Fla. Tampa’s events, restaurants and recreational opportunities make it one of the most fun cities in America, according to a new analysis from WalletHub.

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Slow pace of home sales points to a subdued spring season

Real Estate News

Pending sales are trending behind last year as high prices, economic uncertainty weigh on consumers but there are positive signs in the new home market.

Marketing 181