Sat.Nov 23, 2024 - Fri.Nov 29, 2024

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Did new home sales really just crash?

Housing Wire

Did today’s new home sales report really show an epic crash in sales? New home sales reports can be quite volatile from month to month. When I notice a significant increase or decrease compared to estimates, I often suspect that revisions will be made or that a one-time event may have influenced the figures. In this case, several factors contributed to the substantial decline in new home sales.

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Investor Home Purchases Begin to Plateau

Appraisal Buzz

A new study from Redfin found that real estate investors purchased 2.3% fewer homes in Q3 2024 than they did a year earlier. The small size of the change is notable because it comes after four years of huge swings driven by the wild pandemic-era housing market. For instance, investor purchases surged as much as 144% year-over-year in 2021, then dropped as much as 47% last year.

Investors 396
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DOJ’s Sunday filing raises issues with NAR deal

Real Estate News

The agency takes no position on the settlement’s approval but says it’s not an antitrust shield — and expresses concern over buyer agent agreements.

Agents 352
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Making Thanksgiving dinner awkward with housing conversations

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Turkey with a side of real estate? Yes please. Or maybe not. Here are some topics to potentially bring up at the Thanksgiving table if you need a little spice. I also have two new graphs that I’m excited to share. OVER FOUR THOUSAND BLESSINGS TO COUNT This year we’ve seen 3,346 more new listings […] The post Making Thanksgiving dinner awkward with housing conversations first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.

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Breaking Ground on Better Payment Processes: Strategies for Construction Pros

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 With construction projects becoming more complex, outdated processes are no longer sustainable.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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How are mortgage rates affecting housing demand?

Housing Wire

It has been almost two months since mortgage rates spiked again, and my initial thought was this would tank housing demand. We had a positive 18-week period with purchase applications before mortgage rates started rising in September. I figured those increases would produce the same weakness in purchase apps that we saw earlier in the year. However, surprisingly, demand has held up better than I anticipated.

Mortgage 470

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Why buyers are gravitating toward smaller homes

Real Estate News

As household composition shifts, builders look to the starter homes of yesteryear to deliver more practical, affordable single-family homes for today’s buyers.

Buyers 309
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Court grants final approval to NAR’s landmark settlement deal

Inman

Judge Stephen R. Bough approved antitrust deals reached with the National Association of Realtors and HomeServices of America Tuesday afternoon.

Realtors 187
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CoreLogic: Single-family rent growth drops to four-year low

Housing Wire

U.S. single-family rental properties posted rent-price growth of 2% during the year ending in September 2024, according to a recent CoreLogic report. That’s down from annual growth of 2.4% in August. The property data and solutions company reported that the year-over-year gain was well below the pre-pandemic single-family rental (SFR) growth rate of 3.5%.

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Housing Market Forecast: Unpredictable Mortgage Rates to Shake Up 2025

Appraisal Buzz

As 2025 draws near, mortgage rates are once again in the news. Those who want to buy, or even refinance, should prepare for a turbulent journey and be prepared to move when the time is right. Zillow anticipates a more active housing market with more buyers obtaining the upper hand in 2025. “Buying a home in 2024 was surprisingly competitive given how high the affordability hurdle became,” said Skylar Olsen, Zillow Chief Economist.

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Reffkin ‘mischaracterizes’ Clear Cooperation study

Real Estate News

Do more than a third of consumers really prefer private listings? The answer is not so simple, says the CEO of 1000watt, which produced the report.

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Buyer-broker agreement may limit how brokers compete, DOJ warns

Inman

Ahead of a final Nov. 26 approval hearing on NAR's proposed class-action settlement, DOJ lawyers narrowed in on a provision requiring written agreements between buyers and agents before tours.

Buyers 183
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DOJ comes out against NAR commission lawsuit settlement

Housing Wire

There’s nothing quite like an 11th-hour twist. On Sunday evening, less than 48 hours before the National Association of Realtors ’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement is set to head for final approval, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed its long-awaited statement of interest in the Sitzer/Burnett suit. DOJ notes in the filing that it did not participate in the litigation or in the negotiation of the proposed settlement.

Law 481
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Pending Home Sales Rise for Third Consecutive Month

Appraisal Buzz

Pending home sales rose in October, marking the third consecutive month of increases, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)–a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings–rose 2% to 77.4 in October. Year-over-year, pending transactions jumped 5.4%. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001.

Contracts 418
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Judge approves $700 million in deals with NAR, HomeServices

Real Estate News

A last-minute filing by the DOJ and a handful of objections failed to derail the settlements, which cap more than five years of litigation in Sitzer/Burnett.

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Homebuyer interest surges on slight pullback in mortgage rates

Inman

Applications for purchase loans jumped 12 percent week over week and 52 percent from a year ago, according to a weekly survey of lenders by the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Mortgage 177
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FHFA conforming loan limits increase to $806,500 in 2025

Housing Wire

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has set a new baseline conforming loan limit of $806,500 for one-unit properties in 2025, authorizing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase mortgages up to this amount. The new limit reflects a 5.2% increase over the current $766,550 cap for 2024, aligning with home price trends. The adjustment indicates a weaker housing market this year, driven by still-elevated mortgage rates.

Finance 411
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FHFA Announces 2025 Conforming Loan Limits

Appraisal Buzz

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced that the conforming loan limit values (CLLs) for mortgages acquired by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) in 2025. In most of the U.S., the 2025 CLL value for one-unit properties will be $806,500, an increase of $39,950 (or 5.2%) from 2024. Click here for a list of 2025 conforming loan limits for all counties and county-equivalent areas in the U.S., and click here for a map showing the 2025 conforming loan limits across the nation.

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NAR’s next president: This industry is ‘worth fighting for’

Real Estate News

Kevin Brown, who will lead NAR in 2026, says he’s seen “the transformative power of homeownership” to move people out of poverty. “That’s why I do this.

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Fannie, Freddie loan limits upped to $806,500 in most markets

Inman

Mortgage giants will be allowed to back loans of up to $1.2 million in high-cost markets, providing ammo to critics who say goverment backing for mortgages adds to affordability woes.

Marketing 172
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Look out below! New-home sales fall off a cliff

Housing Wire

After a year of strong results, sales of newly built homes took a major step back last month. Data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shows new-home sales in October clocking in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 610,000 — a 17.3% decline compared to September and a 9.4% decline year over year.

Inventory 360
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The Week Ahead: Preparing for 2025

Appraisal Buzz

On Tuesday, December 3, Williston Financial Group (WFG) will host its fourth and final 2024 quarterly installment of the company’s “ Quarterly Economic Outlook ” webinar, featuring WFG Chairman and Founder Patrick F. Stone , and Economist and Forbes contributor Bill Conerly, Ph.D. at Noon CT. During the webinar, Stone and Conerly will provide essential insights and analysis on the current state of the economy and its impact on the housing market, delve into the latest economic data and trends, a

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Texas broker piles on to mandatory membership challenges

Real Estate News

A new complaint, like others filed in Michigan and Pennsylvania, claims that requiring association membership as a precondition for MLS access is monopolistic.

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How ‘secret’ home warranties cost 1 brokerage millions: The Download

Inman

Minnesota's AG asserts that recommending a home warranty without disclosing a financial interest is a violation of fiduciary duty.

Brokerage 173
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Texas cities lead the way for medium-density housing growth

Housing Wire

New-home construction in the U.S. has focused on single-family and multifamily inventory growth to boost supply and affordability. But StorageCafe found that in 2023, most states overlooked one key solution to the affordability crisis: more inventory of “middle housing.” That revelation comes from a company report released earlier this week.

Inventory 303
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Q3 Refi, HELOC Activity Climbs 

Appraisal Buzz

Approximately 1.67 million mortgages secured by residential property (1–4 units) were granted in the U.S. in Q3, according to ATTOM ‘s third-quarter 2024 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report. This resulted in modest 1.9% yearly and quarterly growth. The increase was the second consecutive quarterly rise, which hasn’t happened in almost three years.

Lending 397
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The DOJ has spoken. Are buyer agreements at risk?

Real Estate News

With the NAR settlement on the cusp of approval, a filing from the Department of Justice cast a shadow on a core part of the deal. Now what?

Buyers 257
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HUD raising FHA ceiling in high-cost markets to $1.2M next year

Inman

Adjustment for rising home prices increases FHA ceiling in high-cost markets like New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and raises the floor in low-cost markets to $524,225.

Marketing 169
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NAR’s commission lawsuit settlement receives final approval

Housing Wire

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the real estate industry at large have something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Judge Stephen Bough of the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Missouri, on Tuesday granted final approval to NAR’s commission lawsuit settlement agreement , as well as the settlements reached by HomeServices of America and the numerous MLSs and brokerages that chose to opt into NAR’s settlement.

Brokerage 382
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What’s Driving Relocation Trends? 

Appraisal Buzz

According to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), in 2024, Realtors indicated that their recent clients choose to move to a certain area mostly to acquire more home for the money (21%), and to be closer to family and friends (30%). While the U.S. Census Bureau ‘s data on where and how many Americans are moving is readily available, NAR’s 2024 Migration Trends report examines the factors that influence and quantify the reasons behind the relocation of Realtors’ clients ac

Realtors 369
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DOJ’s 11th-hour statement on NAR deal elicits strong reactions

Real Estate News

Industry insiders quickly weighed in on the agency’s Sunday filing, which suggested that the settlement won’t protect NAR from future antitrust action.

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How to avoid these 12 costly business traps

Inman

Building a real estate business? Bernice Ross offers the lowdown on these traps and pitfalls that can undermine your best-laid plans.

Business 165
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Case-Shiller home-price growth experiences September cooldown

Housing Wire

U.S. home-price growth continued to cool in September. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home-price index (HPI) rose 3.9% annually to a reading of 324.80 in September, according to data released Tuesday. This increase is down from a 4.3% annual gain in August and a 5% jump in July , and it marks the lowest year-over-year increase since August 2023.

Inventory 312
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Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Publish Three-Year Plans to Improve Housing Opportunities

Appraisal Buzz

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have published their three-year plans for improving housing opportunities in underserved markets and communities, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), regulator of the GSEs, has announced. This time around, the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) plan to expand their focus on rural communities, among other activities.

Finance 397