Appraisal Buzz

DECEMBER 4, 2024

Average project costs also climbed, reflecting not only inflation in raw materials and labor, but also a shift toward professionally completed renovations. Holden Lewis, a mortgage expert at NerdWallet , attributed the trend to “rate lock-in,” where homeowners remain in their current homes to avoid losing favorable mortgage rates.

Home Improvement 397

Home Improvement Renovations Finance Housing Market 397

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

in the third quarter of 2024, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency , while the U.S. Buyer demand at REO auctions continued to decline in Q4 2024, which Auction.com chalked up to stubbornly high mortgage rates. This forecast also assumes national home-price appreciation of 4% and an average unemployment rate of 3.8%

Retail 415

Retail Renovations Buyers Finance 415

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 10, 2024

What do you get when you combine home renovation specialists with a lender that can provide funds in short order? The new partnership between HouseAmp and Renovation Sells. The Renovation Sells platform focuses on design and construction, while the loans come from HouseAmp.

Renovations 434

Renovations Design Sellers Finance 434

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 24, 2024

Sandoval said her approach is one that is difficult for banks and mortgage servicers to replicate, not only because of the face-to-face experience she offers but also because of the inherent – and often misguided– distrust that many distressed homeowners have for financial institutions. “There is nothing like that face to face.

Retail 448

Retail Buyers Renovations Finance 448

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

Even middle-aged couples often welcome their aging parents into their homes and must renovate their space to accommodate their changing needs. For mortgage professionals, this presents a chance to think beyond traditional lending practices and become true financial partners for these families.

Lending 348

Lending Renovations Finance Housing Market 348

Housing Wire

JUNE 8, 2021

Regions, a retail lender with a footprint of over 1,300 physical offices, has dipped into specialty finance sectors before. In 2020 it acquired equipment finance lender Ascentium Capital and a year prior picked up institutional investment firm Highland Associates. “We in 2021 to $433 billion.

Renovations 445

Renovations Home Improvement Marketing Finance 445

Appraisal Buzz

JANUARY 30, 2025

While some homeowners prioritize their mortgage payments, those who are not financially prepared may face significant challenges due to other essential and frequent expenses such as homeowners insurance, property taxes, utilities, repairs, and maintenance. However, their dollars are not the only thing at stake.

Buyers 335

Buyers Property Taxes Mortgage HOA 335

Housing Wire

JANUARY 9, 2025

This finding likely stems from an increase in renovation costs over the past three years, forcing some buyers to pursue costly financing sources to improve their homes. A study by online home improvement platform Houzz highlighted a 60% increase in renovation expenses between 2020 and 2023.

Buyers 418

Buyers Renovations Housing Market Home Improvement 418

Housing Wire

JANUARY 9, 2024

For homeowners, ADUs can generate substantial rental income that assists homeowners in covering escalating property taxes and mortgage payments. Heading into 2024, there are continuing and emerging financing options, grant programs and legislation all designed to help homeowners and builders create much-needed infill housing.

Finance 501

Finance Construction Tenants Renovations 501

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

With nearly three decades of experience in real estate and investing, Ive worked with hard money lenders to secure financing for everything from simple fix-and-flip projects to multi-million-dollar apartment building rehabs. But what really makes them stand out is the option to finance up to 85% of the property value with no down payment.

Renovations 360

Renovations Real Estate Investors Investing 360

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 6, 2025

Describing the modern-day mortgage market as challenging would be an understatement, to say the least. Mortgage interest rates have steadily ramped up throughout 2024. The average rate throughout 2024 for 30-year fixed mortgages was 6.72% higher than it was during the 2008 market crash. Finance a loan, and you may lose money.

Mortgage 301

Mortgage Training Construction Investors 301

Appraisal Buzz

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

More than 1,800 homeowners who bought a home during the last ten years with a mortgage loan and are currently homeowners participated in TD Bank’s HELOC Trend Watch nationwide poll. In addition to managing debt, many younger homeowners are using home equity instruments to finance improvements and enhance their long-term financial plans.

Renovations 370

Renovations Lending Investing Home Improvement 370

Housing Wire

APRIL 27, 2021

Finance of America intends to acquire Parkside Lending ‘s third-party origination channel operation for $40 million, the publicly traded lender and servicer announced Tuesday. It’s the latest in a string of big M&A deals in the mortgage lending space – and the growing wholesale channel in particular – over the past six months.

Finance 370

Finance Lending Retail Renovations 370

Housing Wire

APRIL 2, 2021

Finance of America on Monday will become the latest lender to make its debut on the New York Stock Exchange. It’s the second large-scale mortgage lender to go public via a SPAC in 2021, after broker-based United Wholesale Mortgage began trading in late January. The lender increased originations by 70% to $32.63

Finance 372

Finance Renovations Investors Retail 372

Appraisal Buzz

NOVEMBER 18, 2024

New owners used their cost savings to renovate and undercut our rent rates. Ironically, renting is often now more affordable than buying due to skyrocketing mortgage rates. This is a hangover from the favorable financing conditions of 2021/2022. But the tide turned quickly. Remember, market cycles are inevitable.

Development 335

Development Finance Real Estate Housing Market 335

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

Heartland Bank , the leading reverse mortgage lender in Australia and New Zealand , will rebrand its dedicated reverse mortgage division from “Heartland Finance” to “Heartland Bank” following a recent acquisition and a repositioning of its offerings. “We billion AUD, or roughly $1.2 billion USD.

Mortgage 448

Mortgage Finance Renovations Modernization 448

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Mortgage lenders are betting on down-payment assistance programs, buy-down options and renovation products to provide brokers opportunities to win in a market with mortgage rates nearing 8%, a lack of inventory and high home prices. range, which is a normal mortgage market.” 4-7, in Las Vegas.

Mortgage 493

Mortgage Real Estate Agent Renovations Finance 493

Housing Wire

JANUARY 30, 2025

In this week’s episode of the Power House podcast, host and HousingWire President Diego Sanchez chats with Tom Davis , chief sales officer at Deephaven Mortgage. Diego: We’ve kicked off 2025 with mortgage rates that haven’t done much except go a little bit higher. A lot of folks were expecting a decline in 2025.

Construction 291

Construction Marketing Investors Renovations 291

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

added mortgage lending under its umbrella by acquiring mortgage brokerage company Be My Neighbor on Monday. Be My Neighbor will enable reAlpha to provide integrated mortgage services to consumers who utilize the reAlpha platform to purchase homes, reAlpha said. Publicly traded real estate software firm reAlpha Tech Corp.

Brokerage 453

Brokerage Mortgage Real Estate Renovations 453

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 21, 2023

Unfortunately, too many misconceptions persist among real estate and even mortgage industry professionals about the VA home loan, and those misconceptions have big (and negative) impacts. VA mortgage loans generally provide veterans and active-duty service members with more favorable terms than other loans on the market.

Mortgage 468

Mortgage Renovations Appraisal Process Finance 468

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

California-based retail lender American Pacific Mortgage (APM) has named vice chairman Bill Lowman as its chairman of the board, succeeding APM founder Kurt Reisig. The lender also brought over 45 former retail branches from Finance of America Companies Inc. FoA) months after it shut down its forward mortgage segment.

Retail 446

Retail Mortgage Lending Renovations 446

Housing Wire

JUNE 24, 2024

As home values have risen sharply, this has made the conundrum facing the area’s seniors more difficult to navigate: If they need to downsize, they may not be able to move into a home in their price range, much less be able to obtain a mortgage at a rate that can be easily absorbed on a fixed income.

Renovations 391

Renovations Property Taxes Supply Chain Law 391

Housing Wire

AUGUST 27, 2024

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced late last week that the previously detailed updates and expansions to its 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance Program will be incorporated into updates for the FHA Connection (FHAC) portal. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The 203(k) offering has two separate programs.

Renovations 447

Renovations Modernization Insurance Finance 447

Housing Wire

JUNE 20, 2024

The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) is calling on both houses of Congress to adopt a mortgage interest credit as the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is currently set to expire in 2025. Among the provisions established by the TCJA was a mortgage interest deduction for primary residences and second homes.

Mortgage 497

Mortgage Bracketing Law Property Taxes 497

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 11, 2024

This is according to an article published by Kiplinger , which took a closer look at the dynamics associated with the cost of living, and the kinds of renovations needed needed to facilitate aging in place versus another arrangement. But renovations can also be grander. Financing these improvements can be an obstacle too.

Business 468

Business Renovations Finance Clients 468

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 3, 2023

In 2020 and 2021, many homeowners refinanced, locking in historically low 30-year fixed rate mortgages. HELOCs have continued to set the stage as flexible, helpful products that provide quick access to financing for a multitude of uses including home renovations, debt consolidations or emergency purchases.

Supply Chain 397

Supply Chain Renovations Finance Lending 397

Housing Wire

JANUARY 12, 2024

A proprietary reverse mortgage from Finance of America Companies (FOA) now secures the home of Rhode Island ’s honorary historian laureate after the property was returned to the owner after attempts to bequeath it to a nonprofit historical society he founded. This is according to reporting from The Providence Journal.

Tools 458

Tools Mortgage Finance Lending 458

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Higher mortgage rates that are hovering near 7% have also influenced homebuyers decisions. While a larger down payment can lower monthly mortgage payments and help strengthen an offer in a bidding war, bigger isnt always better, Redfin senior economist Sheharyar Bokhari said in the report. home purchases in December, down from 33.8%

Buyers 279

Buyers Renovations Housing Market Real Estate 279

Housing Wire

MAY 17, 2023

In fact, ATTOM reports that one in 12 home sales in the nation last year, or 8.4%, involved fix and flip investors — whose strategy is to acquire, renovate (fix) and then resell (flip) the properties. A year ago for us, fix and flip [loan interest] was probably 6.5%, but today, you’re probably getting between 10% and 12%,” Lind said.

Finance 370

Finance Marketing Renovations Investors 370

Housing Wire

JULY 19, 2024

Ascent Developer Solutions , a private mortgage lending platform, announced its launch Friday in conjunction with an equity infusion from Elliott Investment Management. AscentDS product offerings will include short-term loans to acquire, renovate or build single-family and multifamily properties, as well as post-completion bridge financing.

Construction 459

Construction Development Finance Lending 459

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

Michael Gevurtz is an entrepreneur and investor in the real estate and finance industries. He is experienced in all aspects of real estate ownership, including acquisitions, financing, development, construction management, leasing, and property management. Q: How did you first get your start in the industry?

Real Estate 269

Real Estate Finance Development Investing 269

Housing Wire

JUNE 9, 2022

Renovation financing startup RenoFi now offers a fixed-rate home renovation loan, which allows homeowners to borrow as much as 90% of their home’s after-renovation value — a move to target homeowners who don’t qualify for a home equity line of credit (HELOCs).

Renovations 368

Renovations Inspection Finance Insurance 368

Housing Wire

APRIL 20, 2021

“They got their lunch handed to them — it was lose, lose, lose, lose,” said David Snover, the mortgage originator Patrick worked with. After months of slogging through a string of disappointments, Patrick turned to a renovation loan and started looking at fixer-uppers.

Renovations 468

Renovations Real Estate Agent Construction Buyers 468

Housing Wire

JUNE 1, 2023

Connecticut-based lender and servicer Planet Home Lending has acquired the assets of Illinois-based retail lender Platinum Home Mortgage Corporation. Founded in 1993 by Bill and Michael Giambrone, Platinum has 22 branches and 79 active loan officers, according to the mortgage tech platform Modex. The lender originated $6.5

Retail 418

Retail Mortgage Lending Renovations 418

Housing Wire

JUNE 5, 2024

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week announced the launch of a new program designed to allow for the purchase, refinance or renovation of manufactured housing under a loan program sponsored by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Government 529

Government Finance Renovations Design 529

Housing Wire

MAY 1, 2023

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced on Monday a proposed rule that seeks to bolster consumer protections for borrowers seeking Property Assessed Clean Energy ( PACE ) financing for home renovations. The impact of PACE financing also disproportionately impacts borrowers of color, the report said.

Property Taxes 394

Property Taxes Renovations Finance Lending 394

Housing Wire

JULY 14, 2022

Senior officials at the Department of Housing and Urban Development , which houses the FHA, said today during a press briefing that it would focus on improving financing for manufactured homes and revamp its renovation financing. Another area of focus for the administration is improving its financing for manufactured housing.

Renovations 396

Renovations Finance Insurance Transportation 396