Sat.Dec 16, 2023 - Fri.Dec 22, 2023

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The Federal Reserve delivers lower rates for Christmas

Housing Wire

The Federal Reserve played the good grinch for Christmas this year and delivered the best gift for homebuyers nationwide, leading to lower mortgage rates. The 10-year yield and mortgage rates fell together after the Fed meetings, which gave us mortgage rates under 7% last week. Mortgage rates and the 10-year yield What a crazy week! Not too long ago, on jobs Friday, I was on the HousingWire Daily podcast saying it’s time to declare war on the Federal Reserve for being too restrictive; you can li

Inventory 535
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MLS leaders bond over industry shifts — and Sammy Hagar?

Real Estate News

Art Carter and Brian Donnellan, CEOs of the nation’s largest MLSs, are pals as well as colleagues, walking the talk of collaboration in challenging times.

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More Appraiser Censorship??

George Dell

More appraisal censorship is here! Have you noticed this new regulation that censors California appraisers and flat out appears to prohibit accepted sound appraisal methodology and practice? Editor’s Note: A Guest Post from Bruce Hahn, CCIM, MAI, SRA Consider California Business & Professions Code Section 11424(a) which says: Licensees shall not base, either partially or […] The post More Appraiser Censorship??

Appraisal 221
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Leaders in luxury: Mayi and Daniel de la Vega

Inman

How one family turned their brokerage into a beacon of innovation and excellence. Mother-son team Mayi and Daniel de la Vega have led ONE Sotheby’s International Realty to emerge as the definitive luxury leader representing Florida’s East Coast.

Realty 199
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First American is the latest cybersecurity attack victim

Housing Wire

First American is the latest real estate firm to suffer a cybersecurity incident. Sources told HousingWire the incident occurred Wednesday afternoon, with First American confirming the incident Thursday morning. In a statement on the title company’s website it notes that First American has “taken certain systems offline” and that it is working to resume normal business operations as soon as possible.

Clients 525
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DOJ still not satisfied with proposed MLS PIN settlement

Real Estate News

The Department of Justice has inserted itself — again — in the Nosalek buyer-broker commissions case ahead of final settlement approval.

Buyers 312

More Trending

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Loan subservicer Dovenmuehle Mortgage laying off 212 workers

Inman

Illinois-based Dovenmuehle Mortgage, which collects monthly payments from homeowners in all 50 states on behalf of lenders and investors, says it's cutting HQ staff but not closing down.

Mortgage 189
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Mortgage rates continue trending down before Christmas

Housing Wire

Mortgage rates stayed below 7% for the second week in a row, a welcome relief after a 17-week streak of above-7% rates. This week’s dip is the largest weekly drop since November 2022. The 30-year, fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.67% for the week ending Dec. 21, according to Freddie Mac ‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That’s down from last week’s 6.95% and up from 6.27% the same week a year ago.

Mortgage 500
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What happens with mortgages if there’s a recession?

Real Estate News

Even if the hoped-for economic “soft landing” isn’t so soft, don’t expect to see a wave of short sales and foreclosures next year.

Mortgage 304
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When Principles Cross Over

The Appraiser Coach

I’ve started getting into investing over the last couple of years, and I had an experience related to that that I want to share with you. I started looking at getting into short-term rentals. I’m smart enough to know what I don’t know, and I started looking for someone who could teach me how to make this work. I found a group that sounded really promising.

Business 150
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Title insurer First American Financial is hackers’ latest target

Inman

The nation's second biggest title insurer issues terse statement saying it's taken some systems offline. A ransomware group known as Blackcat, ALPHV or Noberus has infiltrated the computer networks of more than 1,000 victims.

Insurance 187
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Loan officers are dramatically cutting their pay to win clients. It’s often illegal. 

Housing Wire

It was late 2022 and Mike was feeling the pressure. Mortgage rates had climbed close to the 7% range and he was determined to remain competitive on pricing with rival loan officers in North Carolina. But there was a problem: pricing exceptions, in which the lender takes the hit, were becoming scarce at his company. So he did what a lot of retail loan officers in the industry were doing — Mike would reclassify a self-generated lead as a corporate-generated lead, thus slashing his compensation fr

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3 ways commissions lawsuits will change the industry

Real Estate News

Lending changes, outside-the-box compensation options and some amount of agent attrition are likely outcomes, say T3 Sixty executives.

Lending 296
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Consumer Confidence Surged in December

Eyes on Housing

Consumer confidence jumped to a five-month high as consumers were more optimistic about inflation and the economic outlook. This optimism was primarily driven by slowing inflation, expectations of lower interest rates, and fading fears of recession. The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, rose 9.7 points from 101.0 to 110.7 in December, the highest level since August 2023.

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Nest Seekers sues Serhant in CT, adding to string of lawsuits

Inman

The $10 million lawsuit alleges two former Nest Seekers managers stole the firm's commissions, clients, intellectual and other confidential property as Ryan Serhant used "unfair and deceptive trade practices" to launch SERHANT. in Connecticut.

Clients 185
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Busting VA mortgage loan myths

Housing Wire

There’s no higher honor than serving in the United States Military , which I deeply understand as a former Army sergeant. And, like many of my fellow service members, I’ve experienced firsthand the sense of missing out on a significant benefit we’ve rightfully earned protecting our freedoms — the VA mortgage loan — which stands as one of the most powerful tools that our nation’s veterans and active-duty military personnel can use to purchase a home and build long-term financial

Mortgage 441
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The Ten: New face of NAR meets pivotal moment with confidence

Real Estate News

On stages large and small, NAR President Tracy Kasper is making a compelling push to retake the Realtor narrative and highlight efforts to expand homeownership.

Realtors 260
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Capturing Real-Time Data with GoFormz Mobile Forms

GoForrmz

Originally published on 11/17/2015 Become more efficient with streamlined, real-time data with GoFormz mobile forms The conventional way of dealing with paper forms can be quite time-consuming, taking days or even weeks to process, organize, and analyze data. It's not the most efficient method and is prone to human errors and unpredictable delays. For example, if a field technician visits the office twice a week to submit paper reports, the office then has to go through the tedious process of so

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First American Financial warns clients to watch out for fake emails

Inman

Two days after being hit by a cyberattack, the title insurance giant says it's still trying to restore operations and warns clients that it's taken its email system offline.

Clients 185
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‘Mortgage winter’ is expected to thaw a bit

Housing Wire

The year ahead promises to offer the housing industry some relief, compared with a grueling 2023, but it is likely to be only a small bounce forward toward a healthier market. The housing industry, including the secondary market it feeds, is still likely to be sluggish in 2024, with marginal improvements in some sectors as others tread water or retreat slightly, industry players who spoke with HousingWire predict.

Mortgage 436
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Brokerage Beat: News from Real, C21, The Agency, more

Real Estate News

Matt Lionetti leaves The Agency for Real; Century 21 firms merge in S. Carolina; The Agency expands in Long Island; eXp Luxury and eXp Canada grow; more.

Brokerage 269
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New Jersey Draconian Penalties on Appraisers

Appraiserblogs

“Well, I guess no one will be doing appraisals in New Jersey… or maybe the standard fee is going to be $10,000?” said one appraiser. The bill proposed by New Jersey Senate lawmakers to create steep penalties for real estate appraisers who undervalue homes because of the owner or buyer’s protected characteristics has been met with both praise and criticism.

Appraisal 133
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Fannie Mae, MBA economists still expect mild 2024 recession

Inman

The good news for real estate pros is that closely watched forecasts agree home sales will bottom in Q4 2023, and mortgage rates are looking ready to come down significantly next year.

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November sees the lowest level of new home sales in a year

Housing Wire

New home sales fell month-over-month in November to their lowest level since last November. But despite this dip, 2023 is poised to be one of homebuilders’ busiest years. Total new home sales are expected to reach about 5% higher than last year, while sales of existing homes are down by nearly 20% year-over-year. In November, new home sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 590,000, according to data published on Friday by the U.S.

Inventory 433
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Judge reopens pocket listings case against NAR

Real Estate News

Following a review, Top Agent Network's lawsuit challenging NAR's Clear Cooperation policy — which had been dismissed in 2021 — will be able to proceed.

Agents 263
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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

DW Slater Company

As we’re getting ready to say goodbye to 2023 and welcome 2024, we wanted to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 2023 recap: This year, we saw many changes in the real estate market. The rising mortgage rates slowed down the real estate market considerably. This year marks the first year in over a decade that we show a decline in YoY median pricing.

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If I wanted to make $342,987 in 2024, this is what I’d do

Inman

If you truly want to have your best year ever in 2024, writes Jimmy Burgess, develop your plan of action and execute on your plan. Here's his blueprint for the new year.

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DataDigest: Did a Fed meeting change everything for 2024?

Housing Wire

Last week’s DataDigest offered readers a host of housing forecasts from industry experts at banks, trade associations and more, the thrust of which was housing professionals should expect a modestly better year of sales thanks to retreating mortgage rates in the year to come. A day after publication, Federal Reserve officials made several of their own forecasts – most importantly that the “appropriate policy path” for the Federal funds rate next year will be for it to dec

Mortgage 433
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Optimism growing among builders, mortgage industry

Real Estate News

The latest NAHB survey shows improving builder confidence, and even Fannie Mae’s more bearish economists see a recovery ahead.

Mortgage 285
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Fraudster Steals Fla. Mansion, Threatens Actual Owners

Empire Appraisal Group

Fraudster Steals Fla. Mansion, Threatens Actual Owners By Kerry Smith A Tampa court sentenced a man to 17 years for faking a charity that faked a Fla. mansion purchase – and then threatening to kill the real owners to keep them quiet. TAMPA, Fla. – According to court documents, Alexander Leszczynski, created a fake charity and then used that charity to create a fake warranty deed for a transfer of property in Redington Shores, Florida, in October 2020.

Legal 78
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NAR, franchisors ask for summary judgment in Moehrl suit

Inman

The National Association of Realtors, Keller Williams and HomeServices of America have all asked a federal judge in Illinois to rule in their favor before the Moehrl case goes to trial.

Realtors 177
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What makes Gen Z homebuyers different?

Housing Wire

Entering the real estate finance world in the summer of 2022 as a 23-year-old, I immediately felt like a fish out of water. Attending industry-related conferences and visiting clients, I was typically the only person in the room under the age of 30. Our industry is full of professionals with decades of experience, but with that much experience often comes difficulty with connecting and understanding the next-generation consumer.

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Jason Gesing steps away from eXp board, sells stock

Real Estate News

The former eXp CEO is resigning from the company’s board and reported selling 60,000 shares of company stock last week.

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Real Estate Appraiser: The Key to Accurate Property Valuation

Appraisal Hub

In the bustling city of Toronto, the real estate market is as dynamic as it is diverse. Whether you’re a homeowner, a prospective buyer, or a real estate professional, understanding the true value of a property is crucial. This is where the expertise of a real estate appraiser becomes invaluable. As a subject expert in property valuation and appraisal services in Toronto, I want to guide you through the importance of professional real estate appraisal and how it can benefit you.