Thu.Oct 17, 2024

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Mortgage rates could reach 5.7% next year, but will sellers give up their 3% rates?

Housing Wire

The U.S. economy appears to be on firmer footing than previously thought, mortgage rates are forecast to end 2024 at 6% and home-price growth is also on the move. These are conclusions drawn by economists at Fannie Mae ‘s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group. They’re now projecting gross domestic product (GDP) growth to fall from 3.2% in 2023 to 2.3% in 2024 and 2% in 2025.

Sellers 511
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New Home Purchase Mortgage Applications Increase From Last Year

Appraisal Buzz

According to statistics from the September 2024 Builder Application Survey (BAS) by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), mortgage applications for the purchase of new homes grew by 10.8% over the previous year. The number of applications fell by 6% from August 2024. There is no adjustment made for normal seasonal variations in this alteration. “Applications for new home purchases declined in September, consistent with seasonal patterns, and continued to run ahead of last year’s pace,” said Jo

Mortgage 396
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Prices for FICO scores are predicted to rise — again — in 2025

Housing Wire

Wall Street investors and analysts forecast that mortgage credit-score costs will rise in 2025 as lower interest rates may drive an increase in home loan applications. Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), the company that retains the rights to the market’s widely adopted consumer credit-risk assessment methodology, is expected to raise the price for mortgage credit scores from $3.50 to at least $5, according to the estimates.

Investors 531
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Fannie Mae: Home Price Growth Expected to Decelerate in 2025 

Appraisal Buzz

The October 2024 commentary from the Fannie Mae Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group revealed that the economy now looks to be on firmer footing than previously thought, following annual revisions to the national accounts and an improvement in payroll employment growth in both August and September. The ESR Group still anticipates a slowdown in economic growth from the strong 3.2% pace seen in 2023, but it will be less severe than previously anticipated.

Mortgage 397
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Mauricio Umansky wants the real estate industry to ignore the ‘noise’ around the NAR settlement

Housing Wire

As an entrepreneur, Mauricio Umansky has displayed remarkable versatility. At just 26 years old, he launched the clothing brand 90265, which pioneered a number of fashion trends. In 2011, he founded the innovative brokerage The Agency RE, and he recently launched a real estate agent trade group that aims to serve as an alternative to the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

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A decade ago, real estate got a warning — did we heed it?

Real Estate News

The DANGER Report took a “frank and sometimes searing” look at the risks facing agents, brokers, associations, MLSs and the National Association of Realtors.

More Trending

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Rising rates a bummer for buyers, but builders are more bullish

Real Estate News

Mortgage rates moved up again, but for the market as a whole, “the worst may be behind us.” Plus, improving builder optimism could mean more future supply.

Buyers 279
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Brenda Hedeen joins Canopy Mortgage as CFO

Housing Wire

Former Open Mortgage executive Brenda Hedeen has been hired by Utah-based Canopy Mortgage as its new chief financial officer. “I was delighted when they reached out as I’ve had my eye on this group for years … they have it all: Techcentric, innovative, cost-effective, amazing culture, truly transparent pricing, engaged leadership and outstanding retail model.

Mortgage 458
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Be wary of industry players ‘attempting to sow chaos’

Real Estate News

In a livestream presentation, Anywhere’s Sue Yannaccone warned of misinformation around Clear Cooperation and encouraged agents to share their views.

Agents 264
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Emotional support and service pets: Fair and affordable for who?

Housing Wire

What is one of the largest fines you think a housing provider—like landlords, condo HOAs/boards, and state and local housing authority offices—has had to pay due to turning away emotional support and service animals? $2,500 $35,000 $1 Million If you guessed one million dollars, then kudos to you, yet the real winners when it comes to fair housing laws are those who uphold them.

HOA 448
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On the Mend: The Industrial Heartland’s Road to Recovery

Appraisal Buzz

For decades, America’s Rust Belt was synonymous with industrial decline, but a resurgence is now underway. While recovery varies across the region, recent data and case studies by CommercialCafe indicate meaningful improvements in population growth, unemployment, poverty reduction, and real estate expansion. Key Findings in Larger Cities In Rust Belt cities with over 200,000 residents, Madison, Wisconsin, and Buffalo, New York, led the way.

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Mark Spain Real Estate is the latest to settle the commission lawsuits

Housing Wire

The list of brokerages that have settled the commission lawsuits is getting longer. On Wednesday, Higher Tech Realty , dba Mark Spain Real Estate , filed a notice informing the U.S. District Court in Atlanta that it had reached a nationwide settlement of the commission lawsuits with the plaintiffs in the Phillips suit. Neither the terms of the settlement or the settlement amount have been disclosed.

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Home Seller Profit Margins Slide in Q3

Appraisal Buzz

ATTOM has released its Q3 2024 U.S. Home Sales Report , which shows that homeowners earned a 55.6% profit margin on typical single-family home and condo sales. That figure was down by small amounts both quarterly and annually, dipping by one percentage point from Q2 of 2024 and two points from Q3 of last year. The nationwide investment return ticked downward as home-price spikes that had buoyed the housing market during the spring of this year flattened out, leaving the U.S. median home value vi

Sellers 221
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The Agency lassos two Dallas-area luxury agents

Housing Wire

The Agency founder Mauricio Umansky doesn’t think that the game of “musical chairs” that is agent recruiting is good for the real estate industry, but this week his company can tally a win. Dallas -based luxury real estate agents Courtney Michalek and Andrea Childress have joined The Agency to bolster the brokerage’s Dallas office, which was launched by Megan and Damon Williamson in January 2023.

Agents 447
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Freddie Mac: Mortgage Rates Continue to Rise With 30-Year Averaging 6.44 Percent

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage rates continued to rise this week, with the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at 6.44%, up from 6.32% last week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. A year ago at this time, the average rate for a 30-year was 7.63%. “The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased for the third consecutive week, moving closer to 6.5 percent,” says Sam Khater, chief economist for Freddie Mac, in a statement.

Mortgage 195
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North Carolina Regional MLS is buzzing with its rebrand to Hive MLS

Housing Wire

The North Carolina Regional Multiple Listing Service (NCRMLS) is making a move to foster connectivity between real estate agents and consumers. NCRMLS — a wholesale cooperative MLS founded in 2016 — has announced its plans to rebrand to Hive MLS in conjunction with Hive Solutions. Hive MLS will charge member associations and MLSs wholesale fees to access their data.

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MBA: Applications for New Home Purchases Jumped 6 Percent in September

Appraisal Buzz

Applications for mortgages for new home purchases increased 6% in September compared with August and were up 10.8% compared with September 2023, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Builder Application Survey. “Applications for new home purchases declined in September, consistent with seasonal patterns, and continued to run ahead of last year’s pace,” says Joel Kan, vice president and deputy chief economist for the MBA, in a statement.

Buyers 195
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Better launches voice-based AI loan assistant

Housing Wire

Better Home & Finance, the parent company of digital lender Better.com , launched its voice-based artificial intelligence loan assistant on Thursday. According to the company, the assistant provides customers with “timely and accurate answers.” The AI loan assistant, dubbed Betsy, was built through Tinman, the company’s proprietary loan origination platform, where information and facts on loan applications are stored.

Tools 435
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Strong economy may prop up home prices, mortgage rates

Inman

Fannie Mae economists say surprising strength of the U.S. economy means home prices are likely to keep rising, and mortgage rates may not come down as quickly as previously expected.

Mortgage 187
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Guild hires Nora Guerra as SVP of community lending solutions

Housing Wire

Guild Mortgage announced on Thursday that it has hired Nora Guerra, who worked at Freddie Mac for more than five years, as its senior vice president of community lending solutions. A mortgage industry veteran with over 25 years of experience, Guerra has recently served as senior manager of national affordable lending at Freddie Mac, joining the government-sponsored (GSE) enterprise in 2019.

Lending 435
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Secret Service agent sold homes to subordinates — they got promoted

Inman

Alfonso M. Dyson moonlighted as a real estate agent in Annapolis, Maryland, while he was second-in-command of the Secret Service's uniformed division. After he was promoted to chief, his subordinates who had done real estate business with him were also promoted.

Agents 183
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Preapprovals fell 15% in Q3 as home prices spiked: LenderLogix

Housing Wire

LenderLogix , a provider of mortgage point-of-sale and automation software for lenders, said that borrowers generated 49,392 preapproval letters through its QuickQual preapproval program in third-quarter 2024, a 15% decrease from the second quarter. The average number of preapproved borrowers per loan officer decreased slightly to 28.5 in the third quarter, down from 29 in Q2 2024, the company said in its quarterly Homebuyer Intelligence report.

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Builders shift to townhomes and condos to tackle housing shortage

Inman

This shift in strategy reflects a growing need for more affordable and space-efficient housing options amid rising costs and limited land availability, according to a new analysis from Zillow released Thursday.

Marketing 183
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Builder Confidence Edges Higher Despite Affordability Headwinds

Eyes on Housing

With inflation gradually easing and builders anticipating mortgage rates will moderate in coming months, builder sentiment moved higher for a second consecutive month despite challenging affordability conditions. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 43 in October, up two points from a reading of 41 in September, according to the National.

Mortgage 158
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Floyd Mayweather Jr. to acquire $402M Black Spruce portfolio

Inman

The deal, one of the city’s largest this year, involves 1,000 units and more than 60 buildings across Upper Manhattan in New York City. Part of the portfolio closed Wednesday, according to reports.

Investing 182
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NAR Settlement, Realtor Commissions & The Appraiser!

Advanced Appraisal

Single Family home appraisals, house appraisals, 2-4 Units, Condos, Located in the Tinley Park, Mokena and Frankfort Area. We are also experts in Multi Family Apartment Buildings, Mixed Use, Small Commercial properties and Vacant land for all purposes. We offer private listing, Assessment Appeal, Bankruptcy, Divorce, Estate, Trust, partnership dispersion, Probate, and Indemnity Cases.

Realtors 115
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Numbers to know: Is the Fed having second thoughts about rate cuts?

Inman

Inflation, combined with September’s strong jobs report, suggests that the Fed might be rethinking how quickly to cut the Federal Funds Rate, says Windermere’s Principal Economist Jeff Tucker.

Agents 182
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This Could Be Like Getting into Airbnb in 2012

BiggerPockets

While short-term rentals are seeing slowing demand, mid-term rentals are taking off (and fast).

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With $184M, Backflip to offer residential transition loans

Inman

The mobile-forward fintech company that marries real estate investment search and analysis with streamlined financing has raised a $184 million through two private credit funds, one a $30M of equity, the other is asset-backed financing of $154 million.

Finance 181
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Two-thirds of Canadians aren't ready to buy or refinance their homes

Mortgagebroker News

Majority are waiting for deeper rate reductions or better conditions

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Broker Spotlight: Gretchen Coley, Compass North Carolina

Inman

Find out how this Raleigh, North Carolina, broker leans on relationships and mentoring to differentiate her service and create genuine connections.

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Rakhee Dhingra: Revolutionizing mortgages through financial life planning

Mortgagebroker News

Executive talks pioneering approach

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Ben Kinney’s 10 keys for being an amazing partner

Inman

While we often focus on individual accomplishment, Carl Medford writes, don't sleep on the power and potential of an effective partnership for achieving your goals.

Business 177
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Revealed: 2024's Women of Influence in the Canadian mortgage industry

Mortgagebroker News

CMP names the industry’s top 50 female trailblazers