Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

It’s no secret that forging new connections at in-person events can help to grow your business. Nothing sets you up for success like learning the habits and best practices of more experienced agents, brokers and other housing professionals. While your online presence is crucial to your success, each real estate event or conference on our list can help you stay current with the latest market, tech and industry trends, build your skills and expertise, and expand your referral network.

Real Estate 350

Real Estate Realtors Agents Real Estate Agent 350

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

As first-time homebuyers contemplate their housing options, the financial calculus between renting and owning is essential. Against the backdrop of elevated mortgage rates and soaring home prices , discerning the evolving financial dynamics between renter-friendly and buyer-friendly markets is also paramount. A report released Tuesday by Realtor.com highlights a significant disparity in costs between buying and renting a starter home across the country’s 50 largest metropolitan areas.

Marketing 446

Marketing Buyers Mortgage Housing Market 446

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) urged the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to revise its policies that ban veterans from paying broker commissions, an issue that is gaining attention following the NAR’s landmark $418 million settlement. Earlier this month, the NAR announced the settlement of various lawsuits filed by home sellers, which allege that the real estate industry colluded to keep agent commissions artificially high at 5% to 6% of a home’s sale price.

Buyers 446

Buyers Real Estate Agent Inventory Real Estate 446

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

New York-based multichannel lender US Mortgage Corporation is expanding its efforts in the reverse mortgage space, illustrating its focus on growth. The company recently hired reverse mortgage industry veteran Ken Krajewski to serve as its managing director and head of reverse mortgage lending. US Mortgage recently surpassed 30 years in business. The expansion of its dedicated reverse lending division, which has been active for more than a decade, follows on other recent trends that have seen mo

Business 398

Business Mortgage Loan Officers Training 398

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

Clear Capital , a real estate valuation technology company, has broadened its collaboration with data management platform Cherre , the companies announced on Wednesday. Under the expanded partnership, Cherre’s customers will gain access to ClearAVM, Clear Capital’s automated valuation model (AVM), through Cherre’s advanced programming interface (API).

Valuation 403

Valuation Real Estate Investors Investing 403

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

Reverse mortgage software and calculator provider Ibis Software announced this week that it appointed Robert Sivori, a reverse mortgage industry veteran, to its board of directors. Sivori’s role became effective March 1, according to an announcement distributed to RMD by company president Jerry Wagner. “Bringing a wealth of experience from the reverse mortgage industry, Sivori joins Ibis Software as a director, poised to contribute significantly to the company’s strategic growth initiatives,” th

Development 418

Development Mortgage Investing 418

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

The Corcoran Group has expanded in recent years and this week welcomed its first franchise in Oregon, Corcoran Prime , the company announced on Tuesday. Owned and led by Becky Jackson, the new brokerage will serve clients in the Greater Portland metropolitan area, with an office located in Portland’s Pearl District. “Portland’s market holds immense opportunity, and to be entering the market with Corcoran Prime is an ideal accompaniment, not only to our strong existing west coa

Brokerage 378

Brokerage Real Estate Tools Clients 378

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

Snakes. Vultures. Con artists. Liars. These are all untrue and offensive words that come up when searching “Realtors” or “Real estate agents.” And before getting my real estate license in 2009, I had the same opinion, too. But even with all the negative nouns used to describe some real estate agents, the majority of real estate agents are professional and valuable.

Real Estate Agent 298

Real Estate Agent Real Estate Agents Sellers 298

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

The Appraisal Foundation this week named Kelly Davids, former superintendent of the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing, as its new president. Davids, who has been a foundation staff member since 2013 as a senior vice president, is also a former foundation trustee and has served various roles in Ohio politics over the past 40 years.

Appraisal 384

Appraisal Contracts Real Estate Valuation 384

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

With its supercharged growth over the past two years, it is no surprise that The Real Brokerage topped the 2024 RealTrends 500 Top Movers list for both transaction side count and sales volume. In 2023, Real recorded 48,905 sides, up 14,721 sides from 2022, and a sales volume of $21.2 billion, up $6.80 billion over the prior year. Not only were these figures good enough for the top mover spot, but Real ranked at No. 6 and No. 10 nationwide for transaction sides and sales volume, respectively.

Brokerage 454

Brokerage Agents Training Business 454

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

HomeServices of America , the remaining defendant in the Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit , suffered another blow on Tuesday. In a filing, Judge Stephen Bough, who oversaw the Sitzer/Burnett trial in Oct. 2023, denied the HomeServices defendants’ motion to decertify the class. HomeServices of America first filed its motion to decertify the class in early January 2024.

Law 380

Law Sellers Realtors Contracts 380

Housing Wire

MARCH 27, 2024

Figure Technology Solutions (FTS), the parent company of Figure Lending LLC , took another step this week to become a public company, just one week after announcing a reorganization of its enterprise structure. On Wednesday, the company said it “has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement” with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the proposed initial public offering of its equity securities.

Technology 408

Technology Lending Retail Investors 408

Housing Wire

MARCH 11, 2024

Members of the reverse mortgage industry were surprised to learn that U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge announced on Monday that she would be resigning from her post effective March 22. HUD deputy secretary Adrianne Todman will serve as acting HUD secretary at that point, according to the White House. Marcia Fudge Fudge did not give a specific, overarching reason for her decision to resign, which comes roughly 10 months before the expiration of Preside

Mortgage 388

Mortgage Development Finance Insurance 388

Housing Wire

MARCH 11, 2024

Keller Williams announced major changes to its C-Suite on Monday. Marc King has stepped down as the president of Keller Williams, effective immediately. Mark Willis who was named CEO of Keller Williams in November, is now also serving as the firm’s president. According to the annoucment, King, who has been with Keller Williams since 2001, will continue as a training and coaching leader for Keller Williams’ Franchise Systems Orientation and will continue his work updating the Team Leader an

Training 338

Training Realty Legal Tools 338

Housing Wire

MARCH 11, 2024

Broker Kathy Kaye and agent Lorraine Baker joined Coldwell Banker Warburg , a New York City-based real estate brokerage, the company announced last week. Before joining Coldwell Banker , Kaye was affiliated with Compass for about five years, while Baker came from Douglas Elliman , where she worked for the past 18 years. Kaye and Baker each bring $200 million in career sales volume to the firm, according to its press release.

Real Estate 390

Real Estate Luxury Properties Development Agents 390

Housing Wire

MARCH 11, 2024

Last fall when people were still expecting mortgage rates to be falling this year, it was common to assume rates would be in the low 6s or 5s this year and people asked me if lower rates would bring a flood of inventory. The suspicion was that there were a bunch of sellers who were waiting to sell: Once rates fell these sellers would come rushing back to this real estate market and we’d finally see inventory grow.

Inventory 505

Inventory New Listings Sellers Real Estate 505

Housing Wire

MARCH 11, 2024

I have been in the mortgage industry for more than two decades and have been working with reverse mortgages for about 12 of those years. Working in this space for so long, I thought I knew the ins and outs of a reverse mortgage, but it wasn’t until I experienced one firsthand that some things really hit home for me. So many people have questions about reverse mortgages: how do they work?

Mortgage 443

Mortgage Tools Lending Finance 443

Housing Wire

MARCH 6, 2024

Moderation in mortgage rates led to a pickup in demand for residential real estate, but limited inventories across the country hindered actual home sales , the Federal Reserve reported in its Beige Book survey of regional business contacts that was published Wednesday. Several Fed districts reported that a dearth of for-sale inventory contributed to faster home price growth since January.

Mortgage 380

Mortgage Real Estate Inventory Construction 380

Housing Wire

MARCH 6, 2024

Amid an elevated mortgage rate environment, consumers are reevaluating their priorities when it comes to purchasing real estate. According to a recent nationwide survey conducted by Coldwell Banker , the price of a home carries more weight in the decision-making process than its location. Price was the most important factor when choosing a home for 56% of survey respondents, while location was cited by 50% of respondents.

Architecture 395

Architecture Real Estate Modernization Housing Market 395

Housing Wire

MARCH 6, 2024

Guaranteed Rate hired Bijoy John, former head of marketing at Newrez , as its vice president of marketing. John’s new tasks will include consumer direct marketing and the crafting of strategies for new products. His goal at Guaranteed Rate is to increase origination volume for the company while also helping consumers throughout the loan life cycle. “What led me to Guaranteed Rate’s marketing team was Victor Ciardelli’s vision for the company.

Marketing 391

Marketing Loan Officers Retail Lending 391

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Mortgage startup Tomo has thrust itself into the “portal wars” arena with the launch of Tomo Real Estate , its new home search site, the company announced this week. “We’re not just another listing portal,” Carey Armstrong, Tomo co-founder and COO, said in a statement. “Tomo Real Estate is here to give home buyers a distinctive advantage with real, actionable insights — not overwhelming them with a buffet of information and ads to decipher alone.

Tools 383

Tools Real Estate Mortgage Buyers 383

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

An affiliate of Paceline Equity Partners LLC , a private equity manager based in Texas, completed a debt investment in a subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc. The investment stems from a merger agreement between Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and Black Knight , which included the divestiture of Optimal Blue. ICE and Black Knight agreed to sell Optimal Blue to secure regulatory clearance of ICE’s proposed acquisition of Black Knight , a $13.1 billion megadeal announced in May 2022.

Investing 327

Investing Finance Mortgage Marketing 327

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 21, 2024

Earlier this month, real estate investment management firm Pretium Partners raised $1 billion to acquire build-to-rent homes, bringing its total investment in the sector to $2.5 billion. The investment was needed to chip away at a pronounced national housing shortage caused by “decades of under-building and under-investment,” according to Josh Pristaw, Pretium’s head of real estate.

Investors 451

Investors Construction Real Estate Inventory 451

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Today, housing starts fell more than anticipated , but the more important story in today’s report is that even though the apartment boom is dead, single-family permits are rising. The U.S. housing apartment boom ran into higher mortgage rates and more supply faster than anticipated, while single-family permits are still enjoying a world of sub-6% mortgage rates.

Construction 455

Construction Mortgage Marketing Housing Market 455

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California has ordered that the operators of Home Matters USA — described as a “mortgage relief scam” by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) — be banned from the telemarketing and debt relief businesses, and ordered them to pay $19 million in consumer refunds and civil penalties.

Mortgage 393

Mortgage Law Government Business 393

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Three sources, who have asked to remain anonymous, have confirmed to HousingWire that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has run out of liability insurance funds. The news about NAR’s insurance predicament began circulating late Wednesday , with industry analyst Rob Hahn highlighting the news in the Thursday edition of his email newsletter NotoriousROB.

Insurance 544

Insurance Realtors Legal Design 544

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Finance of America Companies (FOA), parent company of reverse mortgage industry-leading lender Finance of America Reverse (FAR), was notified for the second time on Feb. 12 by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that it was not in compliance with the exchange’s continued listing standard. This is according to an announcement from FOA issued on Friday, Feb. 16.

Finance 352

Finance Business Mortgage 352

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

A bill introduced in the New Jersey Senate would require face-to-face counseling for the state’s reverse mortgage transactions and would nullify any loans originated without proof of such counseling having taken place. The bill is currently awaiting deliberation in the state Senate’s commerce committee. The bill, S2520 , would also offer a seven-day right of rescission on any reverse mortgage transaction, allowing a borrower to cancel the loan within that window without a penalty.

Mortgage 416

Mortgage Law Logistics Transportation 416

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

A second home seller in Nevada has filed a lawsuit alleging that real estate industry players in the state have colluded to artificially inflate real estate agent commissions. The copycat commission lawsuit was filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas by Nevada home seller Angela Boykin. The complaint claims that the National Association of Realtors is the creator of this alleged conspiracy through its creation and enforcement of its Participation Rule.

Real Estate 414

Real Estate Realtors Realty Brokerage 414

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

California Regional MLS (CRMLS), the largest MLS in the country, has teamed up with technology provider Immobel to roll out two new products, MLS Match and Xomio, the company announced on Wednesday. MLS Match is an agent referral network program, while Xomio is internet data exchange (IDX) software that helps agents create websites in 19 different languages.

Agents 361

Agents Legal Tools Technology 361

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is asking the real estate industry to consider a world without the practice of cooperative compensation. In its statement of interest relating to MLS Property Information Network ’s (MLS PIN) settlement agreement with the Nosalek commission lawsuit plaintiffs, filed Thursday evening, the DOJ recommended that Judge Patti D.

Sellers 427

Sellers Buyers Real Estate Contracts 427

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

For most of its history, New American Funding (NAF) has focused on organic growth, but earlier this month, the company acquired Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp. to enhance its presence in the Midwest and along the East Coast. HousingWire Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with New American Funding CEO and Co-founder Rick Arvielo to talk about the acquisition, the company’s strategy for the rest of 2024, and what differentiates NAF in this market.

Loan Officers 399

Loan Officers Retail Clients Real Estate Agent 399

Housing Wire

JANUARY 28, 2024

Housing demand is up and it’s time to track the spring housing data and see what the selling season will bring. As I always stress, we are working from the lowest bar ever with demand, so let’s add historical context to the data. But, even with mortgage rates higher this year than last year, demand is rising. Purchase application data As we get closer to the end of the first month of 2024, forward-looking purchase application data looks good.

Inventory 518

Inventory New Listings Mortgage Marketing 518

Housing Wire

JANUARY 19, 2024

In the ever-changing American housing landscapes, agents are well advised to stay attuned to shifts in affordability and flexibility trends, as these factors drive the growth and evolution of rental demand and can have a substantial impact on those servicing the real estate segment. For agents, staying informed about these developments is essential for strategic decision-making and client guidance in the coming year and beyond.

Marketing 460

Marketing Real Estate Construction Agents 460

Housing Wire

JANUARY 9, 2024

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Tuesday announced that it is making $40.25 million available to support housing counseling services for homeowners, homebuyers and renters. Such funding will also directly support the work of housing counseling offering required Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) sessions. The new funding “Through the 2023 Office of Housing Counseling Comprehensive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), HUD plans to award grants to more than 150 ho

Design 379

Design Mortgage Home Improvement Training 379

Housing Wire

JANUARY 9, 2024

Three top agents from Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty moved to The Agency ’s outpost in Seattle, Seattle Agent Magazine reported on Friday. Sandra Hines and Blake Waggoner from The Hines Group will join as senior broker and broker, respectively, and Dave Janssens will join as managing broker at the California -based brokerage led by Mauricio Umansky.

Realty 367

Realty Brokerage Agents Real Estate 367

Housing Wire

JANUARY 9, 2024

Rocket Pro TPO , the wholesale arm of Rocket Mortgage , hopes to woo brokers with a slew of product enhancements and services. Rocket Pro TPO ‘s executive vice president Mike Fawaz shared major changes and commitments for the broker community at its IGNITE Live event on Monday afternoon. Rocket Pro TPO affirmed that it will continue to provide credit reports at no cost for brokers when closing loans through Rocket recognizing that credit report fees are going to get more expensive this year.

Loan Officers 271

Loan Officers Real Estate Agent Tools Business 271