article thumbnail

Pending legislation would end home inspection waivers in Massachusetts

Housing Wire

A housing market marked by relatively high interest rates and tight inventory β€” and punctuated by the practice of home inspection waivers to sweeten offers β€” are taking a bite out of business for home inspectors, who play a key role in the sales process by ensuring that buyers are not being sold a lemon of a house. and Canada.

article thumbnail

Owning a condo in Florida is becoming less attractive: Redfin

Housing Wire

The cost of homeowners insurance has surged in Florida as insurance companies have grappled with significant losses due to an increase in natural disasters. And homeowners insurance costs are three times higher in Florida than the national average. It’s causing buyers to rethink their plans.”

HOA 466
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

In its war on β€˜junk fees,’ CFPB targets mortgage servicing

Housing Wire

Examinations conducted by the bureau found mortgage servicers levied charges it deems β€œillegal,” including prohibited property inspection fees, the issuance of β€œdeceptive” notices to borrowers, and violations of loss-mitigation rules. The agency also asserted that deadlines to pay property taxes and homeowners insurance were impacted.

Mortgage 398
article thumbnail

CFPB outlines issues with illegal β€˜junk fees’ by mortgage servicers

Housing Wire

These include excessive late fees and fees for unnecessary property inspections. Mortgage servicers charged the top late fee amount allowed by relevant state laws, even when homeowners’ mortgage contracts capped late fee amounts below state maximums,” the CFPB said.

Mortgage 311
article thumbnail

Observe or Inspect?

Town & Country Residential Appraisals

Inspection: careful examination or scrutiny Observation: the action or process of observing something carefully in order to gain information While the definitions are close, inspection seems to indicate a more detailed way of looking at something just by the words β€œexamination” and ”scrutiny”.

article thumbnail

Beware of Bifurcated Appraisals

Appraiserblogs

Related Posts: 'Clean-Slate' Laws, Bad Policy Could Dispatch More Felons to… The idea of unlicensed individuals being hired off the streets and paid a pittance to video and photograph the interiors… AMC Hires a Convicted Felon as Property Data Collector The recent case of Paschal Uchendu, a convicted felon awaiting sentencing for orchestrating a $1.2

Appraisal 122
article thumbnail

Why it’s time for the housing industry to get serious about climate risk

Housing Wire

And yes, this certainly has had an impact on insurance companies from coast to coast, as we’ve seen insurers retreat en masse from states such as California , Florida , and Texas , which have all seen record losses in recent years from wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, severe winter storms, sinkholes, and more.

Insurance 349