Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

The United States Department of Veterans Affairs will soon release a circular that “bridges the gap” on an agency law that prohibits a VA buyer from paying their real estate agent compensation, a VA official announced on Tuesday. Michelle Corridon, deputy policy director at the VA, announced at the Mortgage Bankers Association ‘s Secondary & Capital Markets Conference in New York that the circular would be issued between now and June 12.

Buyers 523

Buyers Agents Real Estate Agent Real Estate 523

Appraisal Buzz

MAY 21, 2024

A combination of increased listings and weakening affordability continued to dampen home price appreciation in April – a trend that will likely to continue, according to First American. “After years of historically low levels of homes for sale, the pace of existing-home listings has modestly increased, bringing much-needed supply to the housing market,” says Mark Fleming, chief economist for First American, in a statement.

Inventory 370

Inventory Housing Market Marketing Appraisal 370

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

After two years of limited demand, private equity and insurance companies are increasing their allocations to single family residential mortgages. This increased flow of funds appears to be driven by strengthening macro factors that favor residential mortgages over other yield assets such as commercial real estate (CRE) and commercial (C&I) loans.

Insurance 488

Insurance Mortgage Investors Finance 488

Real Estate News

MAY 21, 2024

An appeals court ruled that the government could reopen its investigation. NAR says that decision involved “far-reaching and exceptionally important” errors.

Government 299

Government 299

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

For many, buying a home is a complex process, and navigating the real estate market’s rules and regulations can be tricky, especially in states where property sale prices remain a secret. Buying a home in a non-disclosure state, where sale prices are not available to the general public, presents a unique set of challenges and requires home buyers to be more proactive in gathering information.

Real Estate Agent 487

Real Estate Agent Real Estate Inspection Valuation 487

Real Estate News

MAY 21, 2024

A new report describes the political might of NAR, its lavish efforts to protect it, and risks to its future posed by the government — and its own actions.

Government 298

Government 298

Appraisal Buzz

MAY 21, 2024

Bill Shuler has joined Planet Home Lending , a national mortgage lender, servicer, and asset manager, as executive vice president, chief information officer. Shuler has more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and decades of mortgage leadership. Before joining Planet Home Lending, Shuler was president of WPS Advisors, LLC, providing boutique advisory and consulting services to top-tier mortgage companies and private equity firms.

Lending 195

Lending Technology Renovations Business 195

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

At a status hearing on Tuesday for the Nosalek commission lawsuit, a lawyer for the Department of Justice said the terms of the National Association of Realtors’ nationwide commission lawsuit settlement agreement represented “an improvement.” However, it remains unknown if the DOJ will file a statement of interest in the Sitzer/Burnett suit, as it did in the Nosalek suit, according to RisMedia , which first reported the news.

Agents 459

Agents Realtors Government Legal 459

Appraisal Buzz

MAY 21, 2024

Halcyon is integrating with Fannie Mae’s Desktop Underwriter (DU) validation service, with final authorization at a later date. This new integration utilizes the widely recognized IRS 8821, modernized by Halcyon to provide speed, accuracy, and flexibility. Halcyon leverages its team’s extensive 25-plus years of experience in tax preparation and financial services to offer a cutting-edge solution.

Modernization 195

Modernization Business Appraisal Mortgage 195

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

NEXA Mortgage , the largest mortgage brokerage firm in the U.S., will pay its loan officers 100% of the commission splits “without any per-file fees or other hidden fees,” according to co-founder and CEO Mike Kortas. NEXA usually pays loan officers 220 basis points (bps) out of 275 bps on most loans. However, moving forward, it will allow LOs to access the remaining funds — the 55-bps difference — through its new program, NEXA100.

Loan Officers 459

Loan Officers Brokerage Mortgage Technology 459

Appraisal Buzz

MAY 21, 2024

Zillow Home Loans is introducing a new tool that helps borrowers assess how much home they can afford. The new tool, BuyAbility, gives buyers a personalized, real-time estimate of the home price and monthly payment that fits within their budget, and then gives insight into the likelihood of qualifying for a loan, Zillow Home Loans says in a release.

Tools 195

Tools Loan Officers Buyers Finance 195

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

Tapping into home equity , particularly for people in or near retirement , can be challenging — especially for those who may have a pressing need. Traditional equity-tapping methods — such as selling the home or taking out a home equity loan — could present lifestyle challenges, which is where alternative options like reverse mortgages can come into play.

Mortgage 459

Mortgage Tools Clients Finance 459

Appraisal Buzz

MAY 21, 2024

Carrie Guarrero has been promoted to the role of president of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corp.’s coaching platform, Fairway Ignite. Guarrero has participated in various coaching and certification programs since 1998. In 2007, she launched her first coaching and training company. From that point forward, she has been a key player in the mortgage and real estate industries, consistently performing exceptionally well as a top producer, except for 2013 and 2014 when she fully committed herself to

Mortgage 195

Mortgage Training Design Real Estate 195

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

U.S. single-family rent growth strengthened overall in March despite some weaknesses in specific markets. Single-family rent increases in March 2024 registered a 3.4% year-over-year gain, unchanged from February, according to CoreLogic ’s latest Single-Family Rent Index (SFRI). The SFRI analyzes single-family rent price changes at the national and major-metro levels.

Marketing 458

Marketing Housing Market Finance 458

Appraisal Buzz

MAY 21, 2024

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: The post Protected: Lighthouse vs. Tugboat Mindset appeared first on Appraisal Buzz.

Appraisal 195

Appraisal Valuation Housing Market Marketing 195

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

Mortgage rates continued on their downward path as HousingWire ’s Mortgage Rates Center showed the average 30-year fixed rate for conforming loans at 7.34% on Tuesday, below the rate of 7.43% one week ago. At the same time one year ago, the 30-year average rate was 6.66%. Meanwhile, the 15-year conforming fixed rate averaged 6.71% on Tuesday, down from 6.77% one week earlier.

Mortgage 458

Mortgage Inventory Marketing 458

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

The president and CEO of Corcoran Group spoke with moderator Jim Dalrymple II about recent changes in the market and how agents can explain their value to clients in the wake of commission lawsuit settlements.

Agents 194

Agents Clients Marketing 194

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

Zillow announced the release of an open-source tool, the Fair Housing Classifier , on Tuesday as part of the company’s efforts to “promote responsible and unbiased behavior in real estate conversations powered by large language model (LLM) technology.“ In a news release, Zillow explained that artificial intelligence (AI) tools often fail to account for the myriad requirements of fair housing laws.

Tools 454

Tools Real Estate Law Technology 454

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

With commissions up in the air, Clever's Luke Babich writes that it may be time for some agents to explore alternative compensation models that can provide more consistent and reliable income.

Agents 191

Agents Brokerage Marketing 191

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

Rocket Mortgage has entered into a settlement agreement with a group of current and former employees who have alleged the company did not provide sufficient overtime pay, according to court documents reviewed by HousingWire and reporting at Bloomberg Law. In a case filed in January 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona , the employees alleged that they “were not paid one-and-one-half times their regular rates of pay for all time worked in excess of 40 hours in a given workw

Legal 448

Legal Law Mortgage Development 448

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

James Dwiggins spoke at the inaugural Inman Connect Miami on Tuesday, arguing that clinging to the current status quo when it comes to commissions is a recipe for disaster.

Realty 190

Realty Brokerage Agents 190

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

The reverse mortgage industry is no stranger to novel marketing campaigns, and it has often made use of celebrity spokespeople to drum up conversation about its products. While consistency can count for a lot when it comes to marketing and messaging, novelty can also be a path toward greater engagement. New American Funding (NAF) is aiming to find a different path to communicate the potential benefits of a reverse mortgage.

Advertising 445

Advertising Mortgage Marketing Design 445

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

Pushing boundaries and changing the status quo, these three independent brokerages offer ideas for moving your own business forward.

Brokerage 186

Brokerage Real Estate Business Agents 186

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

Connecticut-based lender, servicer and asset manager Planet Home Lending has appointed Bill Shuler as executive vice president and chief information officer. In his new role, Shuler will focus on Planet’s technological growth and enhancements to its operational efficiency. “My focus has always been on creating pragmatic IT solutions that support dynamic business growth, and I am ready to build strategic partnerships across all areas of Planet and help solidify the foundation for that growth,” Sh

Lending 443

Lending Technology Business Finance 443

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

A new report found that 33.4 percent of single-family homes for sale in the United States during the first quarter were new builds.

Marketing 183

Marketing 183

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

New York City -based brokerage SERHANT. is promoting its new development director, Jennifer Alese, to the position of chief business officer, The Real Deal reported on Monday. Alese will be the company’s first chief business officer, and Carolyn Sebba will replace Alese as the new development director. “I’ve been working alongside Ryan Serhant for 9+ years leading New Development for the company, and this new role will allow me to focus on the future of the brand by implementing strategic initia

Business 439

Business Brokerage Development Inventory 439

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

Managing broker and new Inman contributor Cassie Walker Johnson writes that in the evolving real estate market, investing in buyer agent compensation is a wise decision that benefits everyone involved.

Buyers 183

Buyers Sellers Real Estate Agents 183

Housing Wire

MAY 21, 2024

Sandra Ho, a managing director at JPMorgan Chase , will join Wells Fargo next week as its head of home lending sales, Wells Fargo said in a statement Monday. It is a newly created role, and Ho will lead Wells Fargo’s consumer direct and distributed sales forces. She will report to Serhat Oztop, head of sales and retail transformation for Wells Fargo Home Lending.

Lending 439

Lending Retail Business Mortgage 439

Eyes on Housing

MAY 21, 2024

An expected impact of the virus crisis was a need for more residential space, as people use homes for more purposes including work. Home size correspondingly increased in 2021 as interest rates reached historic lows. However, as interest rates increased in 2022 and 2023, and housing affordability worsened, the demand for home size has trended.

183

183

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

The sale marks a new record for lakefront properties in Palm Beach. Developer Todd Michael Glaser renovated and expanded the estate, at one point marketing it for more than $200 million.

Renovations 179

Renovations Development Marketing Real Estate 179

Mortgagebroker News

MAY 21, 2024

Could a Bank of Canada rate cut be set to follow?

91

91

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

Luxury leaders Jay Parker, Liane Jamason, Thad Wong and Daniel de la Vega tackled commissions at Inman Connect Miami, saying agents must know and protect their value as regulatory changes draw near.

Agents 179

Agents Real Estate 179

Mortgagebroker News

MAY 21, 2024

Central bank willing to let loonie weaken to tame inflation

83

83

Inman

MAY 21, 2024

Don't-miss sessions at Inman Connect Las Vegas this summer include those built around value propositions, commission negotiations and the evolution of buyer agency.

Buyers 178

Buyers Agents 178