May, 2024

article thumbnail

Warren Buffett: Real estate agent commission structure “has worked out very well”

Housing Wire

Legendary investor Warren Buffett and Greg Abel, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy , addressed the commission lawsuits and HomeServices of America’s recently announced settlement of the suits, during Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholder meeting on Saturday. “There is no question that the industry will go through some transitions because of the settlements — ours and every other major player in the industry settled, the National Association of Realtors settled for more than $400 million ,”

article thumbnail

Mortgage Rates Fall for First Time in Five Weeks

Appraisal Buzz

The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 7.09% this week, down from 7.22% the previous week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. It was the first time in five weeks that mortgage rates decreased. “After a five-week climb, mortgage rates ticked down following a weaker than expected jobs report,” says Sam Khater, chief economist for Freddie Mac, in a statement.

Mortgage 365
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

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

article thumbnail

CoStar CEO on Matterport deal: Virtual tours, real advantage

Real Estate News

Andy Florance discusses the “transformative technology” and his plans to rapidly expand the company while rolling out generative AI features later this year.

article thumbnail

Affordability Pyramid Shows 64.8 Million Households Cannot Buy a $250,000 Home

Eyes on Housing

As described in a previous post, NAHB recently released its 2024 Priced-Out Estimates showing 103.5 million households are not able to afford a median priced new home and an additional 106,031 households would be priced out if the price goes up by $1,000. This post focuses on the related U.S. housing affordability pyramid, showing how.

190
190
article thumbnail

Your essential marketing toolkit for a post-NAR settlement landscape

Inman

Ready to transform the way you communicate your value to clients? Marketing expert Marci James helps you reshape the agent-client relationship by prioritizing clear communication and exceptional results.

article thumbnail

Top Form Fields & Features For Small Businesses

GoForrmz

Originally published on 03/17/2017 Elevate your small business operations with these top form fields and features Operating a small business isn't easy; owners juggle numerous roles and duties typically assigned to a larger team. This perpetual multitasking entails striving to match established competitors and industry giants — a challenging endeavor, particularly when bogged down by manual administrative tasks.

Business 148

More Trending

article thumbnail

Strong Home Price Growth Pushes Total U.S. Homeowner Tappable Equity to Record $11 Trillion

Appraisal Buzz

Strong home price growth – propelled by lack of inventory – pushed U.S. mortgage holders’ tappable equity to a record $11 trillion in March, according to ICE Mortgage Technology’s Mortgage Monitor report. Though the inventory situation has improved slightly, a continuing deficit of homes for sale this spring is helping prices remain resilient, ICE says.

Inventory 370
article thumbnail

Judge approves commissions settlements for Anywhere, RE/MAX, KW

Real Estate News

Despite a last-minute motion to delay the hearing, the proceedings went on as scheduled, ending buyer agent commissions litigation for the three brokerages.

Brokerage 268
article thumbnail

Top Compromises Buyers Will Make to Reach Homeownership

Eyes on Housing

High mortgage rates and double-digit growth in home prices since COVID-19 have brought housing affordability to its lowest level in more than a decade. Given this reality, a recent NAHB study on housing preferences* asked home buyers about which specific compromises they would be willing to make to achieve homeownership. For 39% of buyers, accepting.

Buyers 158
article thumbnail

Inaugural class of Inman Future Leaders in Real Estate revealed

Inman

The class of 45 honorees represents the real estate industry's brightest achievers under the age of 40. Future Leaders is the latest addition to Inman’s growing industry-leading awards program.

article thumbnail

Are Adjustable Rate Mortgages a Lifeline for Lower Rates? Or the Most Dangerous Thing You Could Do?

BiggerPockets

If, like me, you check mortgage interest rates like an expectant parent checks their wife’s contractions, you doubtless will have analyzed every type of loan product in an attempt to inch the […]

article thumbnail

How housing credit is shaping housing inventory

Housing Wire

Housing credit channels directly impact housing inventory channels. What does that mean? Home prices escalated out of control after 2020 and when we look at why that happened, we can see that housing credit mattered more to inventory data than most people realize. Let’s see how this has played out in different stages of the economy. On March 18, 2020, purchase application data broke out to pre-cycle highs in demand.

Inventory 441
article thumbnail

Going to Extremes

Appraisal Buzz

Does the cost of homeowners insurance affect the price of a home? In some markets, the answer is increasingly yes. In recent years, insurance companies have pulled out of some markets altogether after sustaining massive losses due to wildfires, flooding, and other climate-related disasters. Add to this rising replacement costs and legal fees, increased government regulation, inflation, and fraud, and companies are bleeding about a billion dollars every three weeks.

HOA 370
article thumbnail

Warren Buffett: Real estate is ‘fundamental’

Real Estate News

The Berkshire Hathaway CEO, along with Vice Chair Greg Abel, spoke about the HomeServices settlement and more during the company's annual shareholder meeting.

article thumbnail

Mortgage Activity Remains Lower Midway Through Spring Buying Season

Eyes on Housing

Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending May 3rd, total mortgage activity increased 2.6% from the previous week, and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate fell 11 basis points to 7.18%. The 30-year FRM has risen 17 basis points over the past month as rates remained at around seven percent.

Mortgage 158
article thumbnail

Buyers seek surprise injunction to halt commission suit settlements

Inman

The plaintiffs in a suit known as Batton 1 have filed for a temporary restraining order preventing the final approval of the Keller Williams, Anywhere and RE/MAX settlements.

Buyers 187
article thumbnail

Detroit Beat Its Post-Pandemic Downtown Doom Loop—Here’s How Investors Can Benefit

BiggerPockets

A mayor in handcuffs, a bankrupt city mired in poverty, unemployment, and soaring crime: 10 years ago that was Detroit’s legacy. Today, it is a real estate success story.

article thumbnail

NAR settlement terms slated to go into effect in mid-August

Housing Wire

The business practice changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) commission lawsuit settlement agreement ,will go into effect on Aug. 17, 2024, according to a letter sent to members on Friday by NAR chief legal officer Katie Johnson. Originally, the trade group had said the practice changes would go into effect in mid-July.

Sellers 445
article thumbnail

Redfin: Declining Home Affordability is Hitting America’s Low-Income Buyers Hardest

Appraisal Buzz

The progress that was made in providing mortgages to to a higher percentage of low-income homebuyers during the pandemic years has been reversed in the past two years due to higher mortgage rates and rising home prices, a report from Redfin shows. “There was a sweet spot in 2020 when mortgage rates were ultra low and home prices had yet to skyrocket, allowing some lower-income Americans to break into the housing market,” says Elijah de la Campa, senior economist for Redfin, in the report.

Buyers 363
article thumbnail

Down payments have doubled in the past 4 years

Real Estate News

The latest data points to some easing, but payments could hit a new peak later in the year. Regionally, payments are down in areas with rising inventory.

Inventory 246
article thumbnail

At 2022 Rates, 10 Million More Households Could Afford a New Home

Eyes on Housing

According to the latest press release from Freddie Mac, the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has now risen to approximately 7.25%. As the data posted on NAHB’s priced-out web page shows, at this rate only about 27.5 million (out of a total of 134.7 million) U.S. households could afford to buy a median-priced.

Mortgage 158
article thumbnail

Owners of Marilyn Monroe house sue LA over demolition

Inman

The lawsuit filed last week alleges that the city of LA took part in "backroom machinations" in order to landmark a house that does not meet criteria for status as a historic cultural monument to "arrange the desired outcome.

Design 190
article thumbnail

Florida Is the Perfect Rent-to-Own Market—Should You Take Advantage?

BiggerPockets

The Sunshine State offers the exact combination of factors that make this investment option attractive. Learn if rent-to-own investing is right for you.

article thumbnail

Dark Matter Technologies names new deputy chief product officer

Housing Wire

Dark Matter Technologies , formerly Black Knight Origination Technologies , named Vikas Rao as its deputy chief product officer, the company announced on Tuesday. In his new capacity, Rao will directly report to chief product officer Stephanie Durflinger. His responsibilities will include overseeing enhancements to the Empower loan origination system (LOS) and establishing Dark Matter’s developer community.

article thumbnail

Olivia O’Toole Joins Lamacchia Realty as an Office Manager

Lamacchia Realty

Olivia O’Toole has joined Lamacchia Realty as an office manager in the Worcester County region. Olivia brings with her a strong foundation in real estate, having started her career in 2010 managing tasks and administrative processes for agents. She then co-founded and became the COO of a well-respected real estate company in Worcester County, helping to drive the company’s growth from 2013 to 2022 after which she ventured into consulting with her own firm, Synergy Coaching & Consulting

Realty 73
article thumbnail

Real Brokerage revenue up 86% as agent count soars

Real Estate News

The company remains on a rapid-growth trajectory, but net losses also increased this quarter, largely due to a recent commissions lawsuit settlement.

Brokerage 261
article thumbnail

High Interest Rates, Construction Costs Are Serious Impediments for New Multifamily Development

Eyes on Housing

High interest rates and construction costs are the most serious impediments for new multifamily development according to the Q1 2024 NAHB Multifamily Market Survey (MMS).

article thumbnail

Largest minority and women-owned brokerage in US joins Real

Inman

The Atlanta-based Village Premier Collection, led by Cheri Benjamin, has joined Real under its Private Label program. The company has roughly 500 agents and closed $665 million in sales in 2023.

Brokerage 193
article thumbnail

Airbnb AirCover: What Hosts Need to Know

Mashvisor

Imagine checking in on your property to find that your couch has been ripped, your walls vandalized with graffiti, and your prized antique vase shattered on the floor.

article thumbnail

Did lower mortgage rates slow housing inventory growth?

Housing Wire

My model for inventory growth with higher mortgage rates came crashing down last week. After two weeks of significant increases , inventory growth slowed dramatically and is far from my 11,000-17,000 growth model with mortgage rates over 7.25%. Did the recent dip in mortgage rates play a role here or is this the average choppy weekly data we have seen in past years?

Inventory 429
article thumbnail

The Solar Solution

Eppraisal

As the world pivots towards sustainable living, the residential real estate market stands at the forefront of this transformative shift, with solar energy emerging as a pivotal component in shaping the homes of tomorrow. For individuals navigating the dynamic landscape of home buying, selling, financing, or investing, understanding the multifaceted implications of integrating solar power into residential properties is essential.

article thumbnail

NAR clarifies new rules for MLSs, agents — and extends deadline

Real Estate News

The organization has revised its MLS handbook and beefed up its FAQ to help explain what’s changing, while giving NAR members until Aug. 17 to comply.

Agents 267
article thumbnail

Positive Momentum in Demand, Lending Conditions: Q1 2024 SLOOS

Eyes on Housing

According to the Federal Reserve Board’s April 2024 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey (SLOOS), lending standards loosened further for all commercial real estate (CRE) loan categories and residential real estate (RRE) categories in the first quarter of 2024. While the Federal Reserve left the federal funds rate unchanged during their last meeting, demand for RRE and CRE.

Lending 147
article thumbnail

‘Godspeed’: Enforcement of NAR settlement changes shifts to MLSs

Inman

At the Realtors Legislative Meetings earlier this week, MLS executives were told they would be responsible for making sure real estate agents and brokers follow the new commission rules.