Thu.Feb 08, 2024

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Housing affordability remains historically low: NAHB

Housing Wire

Mortgages rates reached their highest level since 2000 , construction costs rose and building regulations remained burdensome, leaving U.S. housing affordability near a 10-year low point at the end of last year, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). According to the fourth-quarter 2023 iteration of the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), only 37.7% of new and existing homes sold during the final three months of last year were considered affordable to househ

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Seeing red — or blue — as politics enters homebuying decisions

Real Estate News

New reports from Redfin and Allied Van Lines shed light on the impact that local laws and political divides can have on buying and selling.

Law 218
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Mortgage rates show little movement as markets digest new economic data

Housing Wire

Mortgage rates stabilized this week despite newly released economic data. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.64% as of Feb. 8, a slight increase from last week ’s figure of 6.63%, according to Freddie Mac ’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey released on Thursday. Meanwhile, the 15-year fixed rate averaged 5.90% this week, down from 5.94% during the prior week.

Mortgage 425
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Lower mortgage rates haven’t materialized yet

Real Estate News

30-year mortgage rates have remained in the upper-6% range since December. Will predicted rate drops arrive in time for the spring buying season?

Mortgage 215
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Unlock The Blueprint: How To Construct A Better Payment Workflow

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 With construction projects becoming more complex, outdated processes are no longer sustainable.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.

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Housing credit data in Q4 looks nothing like 2008

Housing Wire

People have been screaming about a housing bubble crash on social media sites for over 12 years. The truth is, U.S. housing credit looks very different than in 2005, 2006, 2007 or 2008. Homeowners have actually never looked better and the data from the Federal Reserve ‘s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit shows why. Homeowners are not the people we need to be concerned about this time.

Legal 414

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DocuSign lays off 400 employees following stalemate in sale talks  

Housing Wire

E-signature company DocuSign laid off 6% of its workforce, or about 400 employees, following reports that the fintech company’s talks in exploring a sale have stalled. A majority of the impacted positions came from the company’s sales and marketing organizations, the company said. DocuSign had 7,336 employees at the end of 2023. DocuSign began to cut operating costs for fiscal year 2025, including areas such as program spending, professional fees and noncritical open roles, according to a messag

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Broker Spotlight: Jeff Valentino, Valentino Group

Inman

Find out why this North Carolina broker says that real estate is as much a hospitality business as a sales and marketing one.

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Agents in Illinois grapple with the state’s housing inventory shortage

Housing Wire

Last year marked the 10th consecutive year of population declines for Illinois. According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau , the state lost 32,826 residents from July 2022 to July 2023. Despite the population decline, Illinois’ housing market remains relatively strong. The state has an Altos Research Market Action Index score of 44, which is above the national score of 39.

Inventory 407
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Flagstar mortgages could help NYCB shore up its balance sheet

Inman

Troubled New York Community Bancorp is reportedly ready to pledge about $5 billion in home loans originated by Flagstar Bank as collateral for risk transfer that would bolster its capital.

Mortgage 175
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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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Home prices grew on the back of lower mortgage rates: NAR

Housing Wire

Home prices increased in the fourth quarter of 2023 as mortgage rates declined. More than 85% of U.S. metro markets analyzed registered home price increases, up from 82% in the previous quarter, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Among the 221 metro areas studied, 15% experienced double-digit price gains during the same period, up from 11% in the third quarter.

Mortgage 405
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Falling rates helped drive home price growth in Q4, NAR says

Inman

U.S. home prices shot up in 86 percent of the 221 metropolitan areas tracked by the National Association of Realtors and rose 3.5 percent in the fourth quarter, according to data released Thursday by NAR.

Realtors 175
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How to write a lead-winning, memorable real estate agent bio (+ examples)

Housing Wire

As a real estate agent, you may think clients should care more about their next home than your life story. And while that may be true, well-crafted real estate agent bios can build trust and credibility and serve as a powerful tool in an agent’s marketing arsenal — giving prospective clients. After all, prospective clients are trusting you with one of their biggest financial decisions.

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Treasury releases proposed rule for reporting all-cash luxe sales

Inman

Real estate professionals who handle closings and settlements will be required to report information to the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network when an all-cash residential sale is made to shell companies, legal entities and trusts.

Legal 172
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FAR expert urges consideration of the home when planning for retirement

Housing Wire

When creating retirement plans, people often consider their investments and other financial assets when determining the future course to take, but they rarely consider what is often their most valuable asset: their home. This is according to Steve Resch, vice president of retirement strategies at Finance of America Reverse (FAR), in a new column published by The Street.

Investing 386
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11 things I wish they taught agents in real estate school

Inman

Building a real estate business is about more than memorizing lists of terms and laws, Jimmy Burgess writes. Find out what it takes to launch smarter.

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Mortgage delinquencies increase for second straight quarter: MBA

Housing Wire

Mortgage delinquencies kept rising slightly in the fourth quarter of 2023 as Americans continued to indulge in personal spending. But delinquency rates remain well below historic averages, according to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Delinquent home loans on one- to four-unit properties rose to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.88% of all loans outstanding at the end of Q4 2023, up from 3.62% in the previous quarter but slightly below the rate of 3.96% a year earlier, accord

Mortgage 379
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Housing Affordability Remains Near Historic Low Level

Eyes on Housing

Mortgage rates that hit more than a 20-year high, coupled with elevated construction costs and excessive regulatory costs, left housing affordability in the fourth quarter of 2023 virtually unchanged from the previous quarter and holding near its lowest level in more than a decade. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), just 37.7%.

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CSBS general counsel John Gorman dies after battle with cancer

Housing Wire

John “Buz” Gorman, a key figure in financial regulation for nearly 30 years, passed away on Monday following an eight-month battle with glioblastoma, a form of cancer. Throughout his tenure as general counsel for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), Gorman contributed to significant legislative milestones and nurtured the next generation of regulators.

Law 376
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Collaboration isn’t a buzzword. It’s a strategic imperative

Inman

Is the path to prosperity in real estate paved by fierce competition, or does the real power lie in collaborative endeavors? Coaches Emily Bossert and Melanie Klein share how teamwork can create optimal outcomes.

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Q&A: George Morales on new role with Mortgage Cadence and why a big bank could enter reverse

Housing Wire

This week, Mortgage Cadence announced that it had appointed longtime reverse mortgage industry professional George Morales to serve on its sales team. The company is aiming to bring more reverse mortgage technology solutions to potential partners already in the industry and those that have yet to enter it. To understand the dynamics of his new role, RMD sat down with Morales to learn more about his individual and company goals, including the potential for a large national bank to become involved

Mortgage 369
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Mortgage rates lead to biggest pending sales drop since October

Inman

Rising interest rates and harsh winter weather have dampened homebuyer activity, leading to the biggest drop in pending sales since October. However, there's optimism for a rebound as spring approaches, fueled by increasing home tours and new listings.

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A customer experience playbook for the $14T servicing industry

Housing Wire

For the past three decades, I have been a fierce advocate for mortgage servicing innovation, that supports the industry’s forward momentum while increasing operational efficiency and exceeding customer expectations along the way. And what fuels my excitement is our customers’ reactions when that innovation comes to fruition. A precise focus on the customer experience should be a core tenet for all in servicing — one of the main reasons I joined Sagent was because of their innate focus on the cus

Design 359
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Low inventory and high rates: Where do we go from here?

Inman

Industry experts share their thoughts on the state of the market and tactical solutions to implement in your business.

Inventory 163
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ACES CEO on compliance: “95% might as well be zero”

Housing Wire

Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with Trevor Gauthier , CEO at ACES Quality Management , to talk about the benefits of tech partnerships and how the company is building a moat around their regulatory and compliance business. Sarah Wheeler: How do you think about build versus buy? Trevor Gauthier: For us, it’s actually four-fold. We look at building, purchasing or licensing, partnering and potential acquisition.

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Teams Spotlight: Ed Kaminsky, Kaminsky Real Estate Group

Inman

Troy Palmquist profiles luxury team leader Ed Kaminsky, a member of the council of eXp Luxury and founder of SportStar Relocation.

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Real estate farming: Become the go-to agent in your area using these tips, tools & strategies

Housing Wire

Real estate farming, otherwise known as geo-farming, is a dependable lead generation method that can help to create a steady pipeline of real estate leads and clients in your area. Real estate farming is a slow-burn strategy where consistency and intentionality matter, but when it’s done right, your efforts can yield long-ranging results when guided by a community-first approach.

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Nir Meir charged with larceny alongside HFZ, Omnibuild execs

Inman

HFZ, Meir and executives from both HFZ and Omnibuild allegedly defrauded subcontractors, investors and the City of New York.

Investors 149
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Two Harbors CEO speaks on strategic origination business 

Housing Wire

New York-based real estate investment trust Two Harbors has hired industry veteran Kyle Kilpatrick to lead its newly created mortgage originations division, which is part of the company’s strategy to retain borrowers from its servicing portfolio when interest rates drop. “He has experience building direct-to-consumer channel products and businesses from scratch,” Bill Greenberg, president and CEO of Two Harbors, said in an interview.

Business 339
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NYC real estate news site Brick Underground to close unless sold

Inman

The site started as an objective resource for renters and buyers moving to or living in New York City. Staff holds out hope for a sale this month.

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ICE withstands headwinds via record Q4 sales of Encompass loan origination system

Housing Wire

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) Mortgage Technology reported an improved adjusted operating income of $193 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, up 98% from one year earlier and fueled by record sales of its loan origination system (LOS) Encompass. For full year 2023, ICE Mortgage Technology posted an adjusted operating income of $508 million, down slightly from the previous year’s figure of $511 million.

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A softer rental market isn’t enough to help hopeful homebuyers

Inman

The rental market is stabilizing with fewer landlords planning rent increases, according to Realtor.com's latest survey. But the rent slowdown won't significantly ease financial burdens for renters who are struggling to save for a down payment or qualify for a mortgage.

Landlords 146
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New CBO Population Estimates: Additional 8.9 Million People in 2053

Eyes on Housing

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new 30-year population growth projections that include substantial upward revisions to the net immigration rates and slightly lower projected rates of mortality from COVID-19. As a result, the revised population estimates now include an additional 8.9 million people in 2053, a 2.4% increase from its previous forecast.

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