Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

The Federal Reserve cut rates on Wednesday and mortgage rates went up! What happened? The answer lies in the bond market. The 10-year yield and 30-year mortgage rates have been in a slow dance since 1971 and trended together. The bond market isn’t old and slow like the Fed — it moves very quickly, and for months it has been sending the 10-year yield (and mortgage rates) lower in anticipation of a series of Fed rate cuts, not just one or two.

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

For the first time in four years, the Federal Reserve has slashed its benchmark interest rate, a move that will force lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses. The rate cut of a full half-point to a new range of 4.75% to 5.0% was announced by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell at the conclusion of today’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting.

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Sacramento Appraisal Blog

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

We’ve been waiting for the Fed to cut rates, and it FINALLY happened today. That’s positive news, but let’s unpack what that means. Also, let’s talk about the problem of days on market. Any thoughts? UPCOMING SPEAKING GIGS: 10/18/24 Prime Real Estate (private) 10/23/24 SAFE Credit Union (details TBA) 10/29/24 Orangevale MLS Meeting 11/19/24 Downtown […] The post Rates cuts & you might not be the problem first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.

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Real Estate News

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

The board took an aggressive approach with its 50-basis point cut, and signaled that two more cuts are coming this year.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

An often misguided premise I see on social media is that lower mortgage rates are doing nothing for housing demand. That’s ok — very few people are looking at the data without an agenda. However, the point of this tracker is to show you evidence that lower rates have already changed housing data. So, let’s review the data together. Purchase application data First, purchase apps is the fastest way to look for positive or negative data at higher or lower mortgage rates.

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

ATTOM has released its second-quarter 2024 U.S. Home Flipping Report , showing that 79,540 single-family homes and condominiums in the U.S. were flipped over the period. Those transactions represented 7.5%, or one of every 13 home sales, nationwide during the months of April through June 2024. The latest portion of flipped properties was down from 8.7% of all sales in the U.S. during Q1 of 2024.

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Real Estate News

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

A new guide explains the types of compensation allowed (not an “open-ended amount or a range”), how buyers can ask sellers to pay and when it’s OK to walk away.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Real estate agents have white-knuckled their way through more than two years of suffocatingly high mortgage rates that have stymied sales, choked off inventory and pushed home prices to new all-time highs. So what was the reaction from agents when the Federal Reserve surprised everyone by cutting rates by 50 basis points rather than the 25 that was taken as a given?

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

While supply has inched up in some parts of the country, August experienced a decline in existing-home sales, according to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR). The Midwest had no change in sales, but the other three of the four major U.S. regions reported declines. Sales decreased in three regions from the previous year, while they held steady in the Northeast.

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Inman

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Fed easing was already priced into mortgage rates, but there's room for more relief if investors who fund most home loans get less skittish about prepayment risk and quantitative tightening.

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Real Estate News

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

Using the “one-third” formula, the plaintiffs’ lawyers are asking for more than $225 million from the two commissions settlements, plus other expenses.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

In what has become a familiar fall ritual, mortgage lenders are increasing their conforming loan limits months ahead of the FHFA’s official announcement. On Friday, Rocket Pro TPO and Pennymac both announced an increase in their conforming loan limits to $802,650 — before the expected increase by the FHFA in November. Rocket’s increase was effective Friday and Pennymac’s increase will be effective for new broker locks on Monday, Sept. 16.

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

The U.S. housing market is experiencing significant variability, with some cities seeing homes fly off the market while others are witnessing prolonged delays. As of July 2024, the average home spends 35 days on the market, but this figure varies widely depending on the location. Using Redfin data on over 47,000 homes sold in the 100 largest U.S. cities, Joybird examined where homes are selling the fastest—and the slowest.

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Inman

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has partnered with Zillow for "Let's Make Home the Goal," a campaign aimed at connecting minority communities with HUD pre-housing counseling services.

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Real Estate News

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

Place/Livian deal ‘a significant step’; Lone Wolf and Seeking Agents respond to lawsuit-driven industry changes; Stellar adds access to MLS Match referral tool.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

The Federal Reserve lowered its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday by 50 basis points (bps) to a range of 4.75% to 5%, turning an important corner in the central bank’s fight against inflation. The cut is the first since March 2020 after the Fed raised interest rates to a 23-year high point to cool the economy and quell inflation. With both inflation and the labor market cooling, economists and housing professionals alike had expected the Fed to cut borrowing costs in September, with the

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

According to a new Zillow Home Loans analysis , monthly mortgage payments have grown less expensive than rent prices in 22 of the 50 largest U.S. metros. Recent dips in mortgage rates, which have fallen to the lowest level since early 2023, have significantly reduced monthly payments. According to the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) from Freddie Mac, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) dropped last week to its lowest level since February 2023, coming in at 6.20%.

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Inman

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Clelia Warburg Peters, Era Ventures' founder, is the first woman to raise an initial fund of this size in the real estate category. The fund will distribute capital across various stages of innovation.

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Real Estate News

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Alabama Realtors wants members to have “greater flexibility” with their dues dollars. Without it, NAR faces legal risk and could “lose these members forever.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Like the traditional forward space, the reverse mortgage industry has been operating in an elevated interest rate environment for some time. While news of the Federal Reserve lowering its benchmark interest rate by 50 basis points (bps) to a range of 4.75% to 5% will have wider economic ramifications in the government’s ongoing efforts to fight inflation, there are expected benefits to the reverse mortgage business as well as the demographic it serves: seniors on a fixed income.

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

According to statistics from the August 2024 Builder Application Survey (BAS) by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), there was a 4.4% rise in mortgage applications for the purchase of new homes as compared to the previous year. There was no decline in applications when compared to July 2024. There is no adjustment made for normal seasonal variations in this alteration.

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Inman

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Central bank policymakers drop short-term rates by 1/2 percentage point and signal more cuts ahead, but much of the impact may already be priced in to mortgage rates.

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Real Estate News

SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

In an effort to curb money laundering and other crimes, a federal agency has adopted rules for brokers and others involved in non-financed transactions.

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Finance 299

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

After falling in July, housing starts were back up again in August, according to data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). In August, housing starts rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.356 million, up 2.9% month over month and up 3.9% compared to a year ago. The single-family sector was the sole source of thus increase, as multifamily starts were down 6.7% monthly and 6.2% annually to a rate of 333,000 start

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

August 2024 marks the 13th month of year-over-year rent decline in a row for 0-2 bedroom properties observed since trend data began in 2020. Asking rents dipped by $5, or -0.3%, year over year. The median asking rent in the 50 largest metros registered at $1,753, down by $2 from last month and $7 lower than its August 2022 peak. Median rent declined in all size categories with larger declines in smaller-sized units: Studio: $1,455, down $20 (-1.4%) year over year; 1-bed: $1,632, down $11 (-0.7%)

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George Dell

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Should appraisal practice go back to original historical principles? Yes! Is the appraisal “body of knowledge” now well established — and finally in place? We here have long campaigned for the profession to “get with it” and start teaching modern methods. Modern methods include artificial intelligence, data science, and critical thinking processes needed to supplement […] The post Appraisal Back to the Future?

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Real Estate News

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

A home’s layout and natural light are important, but a new survey reveals what people refuse to give up — and how many of them can stick to their budgets.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

Dawn Pfaff is a free-market evangelist, and that informs how she runs MyState MLS. The privately owned multiple listing service has taken a laissez faire approach since its launch in 2009, as it promises no fees and fewer rules than MLSs owned by Realtor associations. This manifesto has helped MyState develop a national footprint with listings for all types of properties, including single-family homes, manufactured homes, newly built homes, foreclosures and even land.

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

As we approach another installment of the annual Five Star Conference and Expo , MortgagePoint is proud to continue our tradition of recognizing and honoring the extraordinary accomplishments of our industry’s women executives. Each year, industry colleagues nominate their peers across five categories, and those nominees are then narrowed down further.

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Inman

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

In challenging the National Association of Realtors' Clear Cooperation Policy, Robert Reffkin writes, Realtors are upholding their highest moral, ethical and legal duties to serve clients.

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Real Estate News

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024

A recent survey from Century 21 found that buyers rank community higher than the home itself, and they rely on their agents to provide local insights.

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

With home sale prices continuing to rise, wire fraud prevention firm CertifID announced Thursday that it is increasing its direct, first-party insurance coverage maximum to $2 million. This means that up to $2 million of a wire transfer verified by CertifID can receive direct, first-party insurance coverage. The company said this change is the result of increasing transaction sizes being processed by both residential and commercial real estate companies, and that it “is backed by the largest ins

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Appraisal Buzz

SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

Across America, baby boomers continue to make their mark, and their decisions on homeownership are significantly affecting the housing market. Born between 1946 and 1964, this generation has shaped the nation’s economy and culture. Now, as they age, their decision to hold onto their homes is impacting housing availability. A new survey from Clever Real Estate shows that 61% of boomers currently own homes, and 54% of those homeowners intend to stay in their homes for life.

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Housing Market Property Taxes Real Estate Marketing 397

Inman

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

Falling mortgage rates should help boost home sales by nearly 10 percent next year, but in the meantime, inventory shortages and affordability challenges are keeping a lid on sales in many markets.

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