February, 2022

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Freddie Mac rolls out direct deposit income verification

Housing Wire

Potential homebuyers seeking Freddie Mac -backed mortgages will no longer have to hunt for paper pay stubs to verify their income. Freddie Mac announced on Wednesday that it will roll out an automated process that allows mortgage lenders to assess a prospective homebuyer’s direct deposit income. Freddie Mac claims this would reduce the paper documentation burden on borrowers, speed loan closing and simplify the lending process.

Lending 541
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The anatomy of doom & gloom real estate articles

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

The market is going to crash. This time it’s going to be even worse. Have you been seeing more doom and gloom housing headlines? I sure have. This week I’ve had quite a few articles emailed to me. What do you think of this one? What do stats actually show? What do I say to […].

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The Digital Transformation of Appraisal Data

Appraisal Buzz

“We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short term and underestimate the effect in the long term.” This is the little-known Law of Amara that describes how we perceive the impact of new technology on our lives. Before we discuss the impact of technology on the future of appraisal data, it’s good to get a historical perspective. Forty years ago, appraisers were storing property data on Property Cards.

Appraisal 482
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How to Move and Start a Home Business – Yes, at the Same Time

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

Hello everyone! Home businesses are becoming more common these days. This week, I welcome back guest blogger June Duncan, who wrote this article for the Cleveland Appraisal Blog. I hope you enjoy her great tips on moving and starting a home business! Part of running a home business successfully depends on having a home that works well for your lifestyle and your business.

Business 243
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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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Gains for Single-Family Home Size

Eyes on Housing

An expected impact of the virus crisis is a need for more residential space, as people use homes for more purposes including work. Recent data confirms this impact on the market continues to occur. According to fourth quarter 2021 data from the Census Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design and NAHB analysis, median single-family square floor area increased.

Design 214

More Trending

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Why did existing home sales beat expectations?

Housing Wire

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales for January came in as a big beat at 6.5 million. This is well above my peak sales ranges for 2022, as the sales trend forecast was between 5.74 million and 6.16 million. So, we have started the year off on a stronger-than-expected note. I believe there might have been some spillover demand from December into January as the December number came in lighter than expected.

Inventory 501
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Housing market tears & price pressure

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Do you smell that? It’s price growth. The market is rising, which is normal for January. But this year it feels extra aggressive. Let’s talk about it. Scroll quickly or digest slowly. UPCOMING PUBLIC SPEAKING GIGS: 2/9/2022 Yolo Associaton of Realtors market update (details) 2/18/2022 WCR El Dorado County market update (details) 2/25/2022 Placer Association […].

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A View on Risk: Desktop Appraisals

Appraisal Buzz

It appears the FHFA is making good on their promise. Fannie Mae announced on January 19, 2022 that they will be accepting desktop appraisals for eligible loan transactions. The team at Fannie Mae were the first to announce requirements lockstep with their Regulator that desktop appraisals will become a normal part of the appraisal product landscape.

Appraisal 435
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What Kind of Appraisal Support Do You Want?

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

Several years ago, before the pandemic, I signed up for the Cleveland Half Marathon. Well, the pandemic struck the spring of the marathon. I was given the option to postpone my run for a couple of years. So, I did. When I signed up several years ago, I had some work to do to get back into running shape. Sadly, since that time, I consumed too many peanut M&M’s whilst binging movies for an extended period, which has not helped my running.

Appraisal 221
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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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Solid Gain for Custom Home Building in 2021

Eyes on Housing

NAHB’s analysis of Census Data from the Quarterly Starts and Completions by Purpose and Design survey indicates custom home building expanded by 10.8% in 2021 amid strong demand for move-up purchases given a rise in existing home equity. There were 49,000 total custom building starts during the final quarter of 2021. This marks a 11.4% gain from the fourth quarter of 2020.

Design 202
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A Contract is Born

The Appraiser Coach

What makes a contract a contract? Is it the legal prose, the professional typesetting, or the date across the top? I’m no lawyer, but my mentor once told me that. Read More.

Contracts 195
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Ukraine conflict could lead to lower mortgage rates in short-term

Housing Wire

Stocks fell Thursday as Russian troops launched a full-scale attack in Ukraine, and at least in the short-term, the turmoil could lower mortgage rates in the U.S. During large-scale disruptions, investors often flee to safer options, such as U.S. Treasury notes, bonds and mortgage-backed securities. All things being equal, that dynamic tends to put downward pressure on mortgage rates.

Mortgage 493
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Home prices & mortgage rates are soaring

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

There are lots of big questions in life. Are you playing Wordle? Did you like the Super Bowl halftime show? And what are rising mortgage rates going to do to the housing market? Let’s talk about this. Okay, really quick. Yes, I play Wordle almost every day. And yes, I liked the halftime show. What […].

Mortgage 406
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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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Number of Pending Sales and Newly Listed Homes Rose, Redfin Observes

Appraisal Buzz

The number of newly listed homes for sale during the four weeks ending February 20 was down just 2% year over year, according to a new report from Redfin. That’s the smallest decline since mid-November. More new listings were met with hearty demand. Pending sales rose 1%, the first increase since mid-January. The market again set new record highs for home sale prices, asking prices, buyers’ mortgage payments and the share of homes selling.

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Why Universal Standards?

George Dell

Some form of Universal Valuation Standards (UVS)© appears to be one way to resolve the multiple issues we see today. Our most recent series focused on the obsolescence of the traditional appraisal process. The primary cause of the obsolescence is the shift from subjective onesey-threesy methods of picking comps – to immediate electronic download of […].

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Led by Lumber and Paint, Building Materials Prices Jump in January

Eyes on Housing

The prices of goods used in residential construction ex-energy climbed 3.6% in January (not seasonally adjusted), according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index was led higher by a 25.4% jump in softwood lumber prices and 9.0% price increases for indoor and outdoor paint. Building materials prices increased 20.3%, year-over-year, and have.

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Baby Steps

The Appraiser Coach

Every Sunday evening at 8 pm I get a notification on my phone that says “Don’t forget your big 3!” What are the big 3? The big 3 are weekly. Read More.

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Santander Bank to stop originating mortgages in the United States

Housing Wire

Amid higher rates, lower volumes, and fiercer competition , Santander Bank decided it will stop originating residential mortgages and home equity loans in the United States. On Wednesday, the bank announced that it will consider applications for residential mortgage or home equity line of credit (HELOC) on the portal EZApply only until Feb. 11. The Spanish bank said it will continue to service current loans and honor pending borrowers’ applications.

Mortgage 468
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Choosing comps in a lopsided market

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

How do we choose comps in such a lopsided market? I had a great question about this recently, so I wanted to share some thoughts. Anything to add? I’d love to hear your take in the comments. QUESTION: With so many listings receiving offers above list, and people having to pay the shortfall between the […].

Marketing 390
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Protected: Mark Verrett Named Chief Executive Officer of Accurity Consolidated

Appraisal Buzz

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: The post Protected: Mark Verrett Named Chief Executive Officer of Accurity Consolidated appeared first on Appraisal Buzz.

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Time for UVS (Universal Valuation Standards)?

George Dell

Appraisers have standards. AVMs have no standards. Other valuation types are “waivered” or exempt. Appraisers have licenses. AVMs have no licenses. Other valuation types are “waivered” or exempt. Appraiser’s foot the bill for much of the valuation world – reviewers, evaluators, programmers, checklist checkers, and unlicensed “valuation analysts.

Valuation 195
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Lumber Prices in 2020 and 2021 Set Record Highs Even When Adjusted for Inflation

Eyes on Housing

Most analyses of lumber price trends and levels fail to account for inflation because the price data for softwood lumber used in framing applications is generally quoted using the Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price or lumber futures prices–neither of which is inflation-adjusted.

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Opendoor loses more money than Zillow in 2021

Housing Wire

Zillow has been pilloried for diving headfirst into iBuying only to announce the money-losing enterprise’s demise in November. Meanwhile, Opendoor , the OG of an iBuying company with a national presence and patina of technological prowess, was upheld as doing things right. “If you read our SPAC filings,” Opendoor co-founder Keith Rabois, who is no longer part of company leadership, tweeted in November , “We explained how our algorithms actually work vs.

Investors 459
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Positive jobs report sends bond yields higher

Housing Wire

Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 467,000 jobs were created in January. This was a big surprise as some people, including me, thought the rise in the number of sick days being reported could impact this month’s job report. One of the factors I’ve cited over the last few months is that we should see more positive revisions occur in the future.

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Home prices skyrocketed in December

Housing Wire

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city price index posted a 18.6% year-over-year gain in December, up marginally from 18.3% the previous month. The index increased 1.5% from November 2021. The national home price index showed similar helium, with an 18.8% growth rate between December 2021 and December 2020, basically in line with price growth in November.

Inventory 448
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Mortgage rates jump to 3.92% amid high inflation

Housing Wire

The average 30-year-fixed rate mortgage climbed to 3.92% for the week ending Feb. 17, up 23 basis points from the previous week. It’s the highest level since May 2019, according to the latest Freddie Mac PMMS Mortgage Survey. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.81%. The PMMS report is focused on conventional, conforming, fully amortizing home purchase loans for borrowers who put 20% down and have excellent credit.

Mortgage 448
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Despite 3-month slump, pending home sales look just right

Housing Wire

On Friday, the National Association of Realtors released its pending home sales data showing a third month of declines. Even though the recent existing-home sales data has been outperforming my expectations , the pending home sales data to me looks more in line with my expectations for 2022. From NAR : “Pending home sales slumped in January, continuing what is now a three-month drop in transactions, the National Association of Realtors reported.

Inventory 435
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New home sales report boosted by positive revisions

Housing Wire

The new home sales report came in as a miss of estimates at 803,000, but positive revisions make the report much better than the headline. To be honest here, the new home sales market is stuck for now. While housing permits have been growing, completions have gone nowhere for years. The builders have pushed their pricing power on American consumers, and as long as new home sales can grow, they will use their pricing power to offset all the other costs in this economy of higher prices and shortag

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Opinion: The “profitless boom” in residential construction

Housing Wire

The residential construction industry is facing a crisis as builders manage the critical shortage of building materials and labor. Explosive supply and labor costs are forcing long delays and leaving builders out of pocket, as the United States’ property fervor drives insatiable demand. . Many people are referring to this time as a ‘profitless boom’ for the building industry.

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Forbearance rate decreases to 1.3%

Housing Wire

Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume continued to drop in January, but some borrowers exiting plans are still facing financial challenges. The total number of loans in forbearance decreased by 11 basis points, from 1.41% in December to 1.30% in January, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). In total, about 650,000 homeowners were in forbearance plans as of January 31.

Mortgage 435
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Despite lack of supply, existing home sales rise 6.7%

Housing Wire

Homebuyers flocked to what little inventory existed in January, with existing-home sales rising 6.7% from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.5 million. January sales fell 2.3% from a year earlier, though the median existing-home price rose 15.4% annually to $350,000, according to the Friday report from the National Association of Realtors.