Thu.Sep 26, 2024

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Is housing affordability improving? Two new reports say yes

Housing Wire

Elevated mortgage rates have strained housing affordability for more than two years. With rates now falling — and more downward movement expected after the Federal Reserve ‘s recent interest rate cut — two new reports suggest that affordability is getting better too. The third-quarter 2024 housing affordability report from Attom says that falling mortgage rates, rising wages and slower home-price growth has made the expenses of buying and owning a home slightly more affordable.

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Five Star Conference Celebrates 2024 Women in Housing Award Recipients

Appraisal Buzz

The 21 st Five Star Conference marked its final day on Thursday with the tradition of the Women in Housing Leadership Awards, an annual presentation recognizing the remarkable accomplishments of women executives working within the mortgage and housing industries. Following brief welcome remarks from Ali Haralson, President of Auction.com (which was Lead Sponsor of the luncheon), the ceremony was emceed by Jodi Gaines, CEO of Claims Recovery Financial Services.

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Signs of housing demand surge after interest rate cut

Housing Wire

The question from the housing industry after the Federal Reserve ’s half-point interest rate cut is simple — will this bring buyers back to the stalled housing market? A new report from Redfin suggests that it is already happening. The company analyzed mortgage rate-lock data from Optimal Blue and found that locks have risen 68% this week compared to one month earlier.

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Pending Home Sales Rebound in August

Appraisal Buzz

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) , pending home sales in August 2024 rose 0.6%, with the Midwest, South, and West posting monthly gains in transactions, and the Northeast recording a loss. Year-over-year, the West registered growth, but the Northeast, Midwest, and South declined. NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) is a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings, ad increased to 70.6 in August.

Contracts 359
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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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A month after seismic industry changes, real estate agents aren’t much more optimistic

Housing Wire

In the six months since news of the National Association of Realtors ‘ (NAR) nationwide commission lawsuit settlement broke, agent attitudes toward the settlement’s required business practice changes have only slightly improved. This is according to a study published earlier this week by real estate technology firm Clever Real Estate. Clever surveyed 516 real estate agents in late August and early September, after the changes were implemented on Aug. 17.

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Opinion: Restoring the American Dream: How 40- and 50-year mortgages could reignite homeownership

Housing Wire

The American dream of homeownership is slipping away for many, as the gap between wages and home prices continues to widen. In the 1970s, home prices aligned more closely with income levels. Today, escalating real estate costs—particularly in high-cost areas—are pricing millions of Americans out of the housing market. One potential solution? Extending the traditional 30-year mortgage to 40 or even 50 years.

Mortgage 441
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Handling Distressed Assets in Today’s Marketplace

Appraisal Buzz

The 2024 Five Star Conference at the Omni Hotel in Dallas concluded Thursday, and among the networking opportunities and closing Women in Housing Leadership Awards Luncheon , education was again on the agenda. A new addition to the Five Star Conference, Thursday morning’s NPL Forum , presented by Forum Lead Sponsor Altisource , tackled topics ranging from non-performing loans (NPLs), foreclosures, bankruptcy, and the buying and selling of distressed assets.

Law 243
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Preparation can ease the process of aging in place: WSJ

Housing Wire

As a vast majority of older adults prefer to remain in their current homes as they age, a key to successfully aging in place lies in preparation and adequate understanding of the dwelling, according to a new examination by the The Wall Street Journal. The report cited 2021 data from Harvard University ’s Joint Center for Housing Studies , which showed that nearly nine in 10 people age 65 and older lived in their own homes, but an ongoing issue relates to the homes themselves.

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loanDepot Continues Its Dedication to U.S. Vets

Appraisal Buzz

loanDepot National Director of Military Growth and Strategy Bryan Bergjans loanDepot Inc. has bolstered its strength in the Veterans Administration (VA) lending department with the appointment of U.S. Navy Veteran and VA lending expert Bryan Bergjans as National Director of Military Growth and Strategy. Bergjans, a highly respected national advocate for the military community, has nearly two decades of military experience and a passion to serve the active-duty military and veteran community.

Lending 243
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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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Zillow teams with First Street to provide homebuyers with climate risk data

Housing Wire

Homebuyers will soon have access to climate risk data on Zillow , according to an announcement on Thursday. Zillow is partnering with First Street to provide users with data on a property’s risk levels for flood , wildfire , wind, heat and air quality through risk scores, interactive maps and insights into insurance requirements. “Climate risks are now a critical factor in home-buying decisions,” Zillow chief economist Skylar Olsen said in a statement. “Healthy markets are ones where

Insurance 402
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Charting a Course for the Future of Servicing

Appraisal Buzz

One of the highlights Wednesday afternoon of the Five Star Conference at the Omni Hotel in Dallas was the Mortgage Servicing Forum , an event that brought together top mortgage servicing executives and government representatives to discuss the challenges facing the industry, while determining the best paths forward. From loss mitigation to navigating compliance concerns and the potential industry impact in an uncertain election year, this year’s Mortgage Servicing Forum was presented by Forum Pa

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Simplist launches streamlined mortgage origination platform

Housing Wire

New York-based Simplist Technologies , which has developed a consumer-facing mortgage platform, introduced a new software solution on Thursday for mortgage professionals that combines a loan origination system (LOS) with a point-of-sale system (POS). The integrated platform, known as Sonar , has artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to automate rote tasks and speed up workflow processes.

Mortgage 369
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NAR to sellers: Concessions could ‘lead to better, faster offer’

Real Estate News

The new guide from the National Association of Realtors also explains how concessions (which can be used to pay an agent) differ from offers of compensation.

Sellers 221
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StreetWire partners with MetroList on home value insurance product

Housing Wire

Multiple listing services (MLSs) have a wealth of data, and one technology company thinks it has found an innovative way to use it. Real estate data company StreetWire has partnered with Northern California MLS MetroList to produce an insurance product called Home Value Lock. It’s designed to protect homeowners from declining home values. The coverage is good for three years after the closing date on a home purchase, and the insurance covers up to 10% of the original purchase price.

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FHFA Seeks Comment on Revised Amendments to Suspended Counterparty Program

Appraisal Buzz

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has revised its proposal to amend the Suspended Counterparty Program (SCP), which requires a regulated entity to report to FHFA if an individual or institution that it does business with has committed certain types of misconduct within the prior three years. It also authorizes FHFA to order its regulated entities to cease doing business or refrain from entering into new business with certain counterparties.

Finance 195
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Pending home sales rise slightly but continue to muddle along

Housing Wire

After hitting the second-lowest level on record in July , pending home sales rose slightly in August, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The Pending Home Sales Index rose 0.6% month over month in August to a reading of 70.6. A reading of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001. Despite the monthly increase, last month’s reading was still down 3% year over year.

Contracts 356
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NAR: Pending Homes Sales Barely Increased in August

Appraisal Buzz

Pending home sales inched up 0.6% in August compared with July but were down 3% compared with August 2023, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). “A slight upward turn reflects a modest improvement in housing affordability, primarily because mortgage rates descended to 6.5 percent in August,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR, in a statement.

Contracts 195
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Austin-area luxury team leaves The Agency for Compass

Housing Wire

The Compass team in Austin is welcoming back one of its own. Luxury agent Mike Mogavero is returning to the brokerage after a stint with The Agency. Mogavero is also bringing Christen Lowe, his partner in the MOLO Group , with him. The pair topped $38.8 million in sales volume in 2023, with Mogavero accounting for $33.2 million of the total, according to RealTrends Verified.

Brokerage 352
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Freddie Mac: 30-Year Fell to Two-Year Low This Week

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage rates decreased to the lowest levels in two years this week, as the average rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.08%, down from 6.09% 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 7.31%. “Although this week’s decline was slight, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage trended down to its lowest level in two years,” says Sam Khater, chief economist for Freddie Mac, in a statement.

Mortgage 195
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Colorado gives MV Realty the boot

Real Estate News

The Rocky Mountain State revokes troubled brokerage’s license over 40-year right-to-list agreements as Minnesota joins 10 other states in filing suit.

Realty 185
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ICE: Mortgage Delinquencies Fell in August But Remain Up Compared With Last Year

Appraisal Buzz

The U.S. mortgage delinquency rate fell to 3.34% in August, dropping 0.9% compared with July but up 5.1% compared with August 2023, according to ICE Mortgage Technology’s First Look report. As of the end of the month, there were about 1.8 million properties 30 days or more past due but not in foreclosure – down about 11,000 compared with the previous month but up about 117,000 compared with a year ago.

Mortgage 195
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Industry heavy-hitters launch app that documents agents’ workflow

Inman

Rayse, which the company has positioned as a way of "pushing back against the settlements," is backed by Realtor associations, MLSs, brokerages and leaders, including co-CEO James Dwiggins.

Agents 184
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Over Two-Thirds of New Homes in 2023 Feature Porches

Eyes on Housing

Porches continue to rank as the most common outdoor feature on new homes, according to NAHB tabulation of the latest data from the Survey of Construction (SOC, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau with partial funding from HUD). Of the roughly 950,000 single-family homes started in 2023, the SOC data show that 67.7% were built with porches. This.

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‘The fever has broken’: Action steps for agents after rate cuts

Inman

An environment where the fed funds rate is being cut instead of raised has historically been better for the real estate industry. Now is the time for agents to become the resource for information and professionalism.

Agents 184
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The Importance of Accurate Square Footage in Real Estate:

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.

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Buyer-broker commissions remain mostly steady since Aug. 17: Survey

Inman

Business has largely continued as usual with 63 percent of agents reporting that sellers are "frequently" covering buyer-broker commissions, according to a new Real Brokerage survey of 300 agents.

Buyers 184
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The Fed Finally Cuts Rates, but Will It Even Matter?

BiggerPockets

The Fed’s recent rate cut signaled something clear about the US economy, but what are they trying to say?

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Why Cord Shiflet avoids calling himself a Realtor ‘like the plague’

Inman

"NAR is about to get a wake up call," the Moreland Properties agent told Inman in an interview that touched on Austin's growing pains and NAR's future ahead of his talk at Connect Austin in October.

Realtors 167
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15 housing markets with the highest home price correction risk, according to Parcl Labs

Empire Appraisal Group

Source: [link] The 15 markets with the highest correction risk, according to Parcl Labs : Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL Gainesville, FL Homosassa Springs, FL Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC Naples-Marco Island, FL Ocala, FL Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL Port St.

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Broker Spotlight: Mary Sherer, ERA Crossroads

Inman

Learn more about this Indiana broker-owner, and find out about the "disastrous" experience that pushed her to get her real estate license and become a true residential expert.

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Building a Culture of Safety: The Role of Digital Solutions in Food Production

GoForrmz

How technology is revolutionizing safety protocols in food production and processing Ensuring safety in food production isn’t just about complying with regulations; it’s about protecting the health of consumers, maintaining brand reputation, and ensuring operational efficiency. The food production and processing industry faces unique challenges in maintaining high standards of safety, from preventing contamination to managing recalls effectively.

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This hidden barrier is blocking you from achieving real estate success 

Inman

Whether you characterize them as "reasons" or "explanations," excuses undermine your credibility and weaken your intentions, trainer Bernice Ross writes. Find out how to stop making excuses so you can maximize your professional performance.