Housing Wire

MARCH 22, 2023

HousingWire recently spoke to Tom Kriby, vice president of client development and partnerships at Westwood Insurance Agency, about how working with an insurance agency can simplify the closing process for their customers, even in times of interest rate uncertainty. While some elements of PITI are set, others offer buyers opportunity.

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Insurance Property Taxes Buyers Clients 371

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 16, 2022

For most real estate industry professionals, title insurance needs no introduction. A trusted product , title insurance has been used to protect real estate transactions and property rights for over a century. Title insurance is different than most other insurance products. Diane Tomb, ALTA CEO Contributor.

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Insurance Government Legal Fees Real Estate 464

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

New York-based digital lender Better Home & Finance Holding Company launched Better Insurance to allow customers to shop for homeowners insurance through a fully digital platform. Better Insurance is fully autonomous. The goal for Better Insurance is to offer the service to all 50 states by 2024.

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Insurance Finance Mortgage Real Estate 358

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 26, 2022

With the housing market slowing down from its pandemic-fueled frenzy, wire fraud threats, regulatory challenges and the perennial challenge of an aging workforce, the title insurance industry will have a lot to juggle in the new year. For the title insurance industry, she feels this will result in a thinning of the herd.

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Insurance Bracketing Legal Business 474

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 20, 2021

Radian Group recently announced the launching of its title insurance and closing services platform, titlegenius, in Arizona, California, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The mortgage insurance and real estate services company first introduced titlegenius in Florida this past May. Presented by: FundingShield.

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Insurance Brokerage Real Estate Technology 307

Housing Wire

MARCH 22, 2024

Part of our value as professional real estate agents is helping guide buyers through the process, using our expertise and first-hand experience. We’ve compiled this house-hunting checklist you can review with your buyer clients to help them better understand the home-buying process. For single buyers, it’s a helpful activity.

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Real Estate Agent Real Estate Clients Agents 396

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

VA loans offer a 100% financing option for qualifying military service members and veterans, and don’t require mortgage insurance. In both instances, FHA and VA borrowers might see their up-front home-buying expenses increase if they have to shoulder agent’s commissions. “VA loans are probably the best loans on the market.

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Agents Sellers Buyers Finance 445

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

It’s a fact: Buyer-side commissions are no longer a guarantee and no longer an entitlement. Though this seems like a whole new stress-inducing worry for many real estate agents , the fact is that commissions have never been a set amount, just an expectation or a tradition in many markets. For Sale By Owners are the same.

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Clients Buyers Real Estate Agent Real Estate 381

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 29, 2023

Even with demand buoyed by a sparse housing inventory, growing financial challenges for buyers are forcing home sellers to cut prices to close deals, a new Redfin research report found. Buyers are picky and they don’t want to pay a dollar more than they need to,” the report said. According to the brokerage, 6.5% the month prior.

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Sellers Buyers Inventory Real Estate Agent 499

Housing Wire

APRIL 16, 2024

We’ve curated the ultimate guide to texting etiquette for agents. with real estate night sweats and want to alleviate your stress by banging out a text does not mean the other agent, your buyer prospect, your seller client, or the appraiser wants to share your insomnia. Wondering if you may have offended a prospect?

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Real Estate Agent Real Estate Agents Business 364

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

Over one-third (34%) of prospective buyers have yet to purchase a home because there are not enough homes for sale in their budget, according to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors. In the realtor survey, Millennials were the largest home buyer generation represented.

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Buyers Inventory Realtors Finance 409

Housing Wire

AUGUST 25, 2022

Title insurance underwriter First American has launched a new digital platform for title agents, according to an announcement on Thursday. The post First American launches digital platform for title agents appeared first on HousingWire.

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Agents Real Estate Agent Real Estate Sellers 353

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

a Philadelphia-based title insurance company. The agreement marks Compass’s fifth title insurance company acquisition this year and third this month. Founded in 2019, CommonGround Abstract serves home buyers, and real estate brokers and agents throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

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Insurance Brokerage Real Estate Real Estate Agent 315

Housing Wire

JANUARY 5, 2024

Few things affect the real estate market more than the rise and fall of interest rates , which has a ripple effect that directly influences everything from buyer behavior to market trends. How interest rates impact your clients Let’s look at how interest rates can impact buyers, sellers or homeowners looking to refinance.

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Real Estate Agents Marketing Sellers 428

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 16, 2023

It’s true that first-time buyers make up a larger piece of a smaller pie, as housing inventory shrinks. However, this rise in first-time buyers helps explain what’s driving demand and keeping upward pressure on prices in a market with mortgage rates currently surpassing 7%. It never will be. I’ll explain later.)

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Agents Buyers Sellers Inventory 394

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

Amrock , a national provider of title insurance, property valuations and settlement services and a division of Rocket Companies , rolled out technology to electronically close mortgage transactions from a mobile device. The post Amrock’s new tech allows buyers to close loans from mobile devices appeared first on HousingWire.

Buyers 368

Buyers Insurance Valuation Clients 368

Inman

AUGUST 24, 2023

Insurance as a hot-button issue is likely not going away anytime soon. Unfortunately, as long as Mother Nature is in control, agents, buyers and sellers need to be more proactive than ever, broker Cara Ameer writes.

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Insurance Clients Sellers Agents 141

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 27, 2023

One of the most important roles we play at ALTA is strongly encouraging buyers to shop around for their title insurance company. Often the buyer asks the real estate agent or lender for a recommendation, but we always encourage buyers to explore their options. On the East Coast, the buyer typically pays.

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Insurance Real Estate Buyers Real Estate Agent 492

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

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.”

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HOA Law Insurance New Listings 469

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 8, 2021

After completing countless Veterans Administration (VA) mortgage loan transactions over the years, Chris Pascoe, a Marine veteran turned RE/MAX agent, has developed something of a system. First, he has his clients lender call the listing agent. This, however, doesn’t stop VA buyers from submitting an offer on the home. “We

Clients 386

Clients Agents Buyers Sellers 386

Housing Wire

MAY 3, 2024

As a result, PrimeMLS’s 12,000 member agents will have access to RealReports’s wealth of property data. The product is marketed toward real estate agents to help them build trust and credibility with their clients, a joint news release states. “In

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Real Estate Agent Real Estate Clients Agents 386

Housing Wire

APRIL 23, 2024

At the top of industry leaders’ minds for how the outcome of these lawsuits will potentially harm consumers is how buyers will be able to afford and pay for buyer representation. “I That means the industry may see more buyers go unrepresented, as well as a potential uptick in dual agency transactions. “I

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Brokerage Sellers Buyers Agents 306

Housing Wire

MAY 2, 2024

Leaders at Carson said in the release that they are excited to have access to William Raveis’ in-house mortgage bankers to help prequalify buyers and sellers, as well as the brokerage’s insurance experts to help their agents and clients navigate the home insurance market. “We Our business model is unique.

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Realty Insurance Brokerage Clients 312

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 4, 2023

We’re writing today to address the unintended consequences that may result from the real estate agent commission dilemma stemming from recent lawsuits. There are multiple lawsuits challenging the prevailing structure of real estate agent commissions, and, as a result, there is no shortage of industry conversation on the topic.

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Real Estate Agent Agents Real Estate Sellers 414

Housing Wire

JANUARY 25, 2023

The program includes provisions for “improved” pricing for nontraditional credit loans, a title insurance credit applicable to certain properties and will remove the requirement for area median incomes, according to a statement from Guaranteed Rate. Its total loan volume amounted to $116 billion in 2021.

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Buyers Contracts Insurance Mortgage 376

Housing Wire

APRIL 3, 2024

The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) this week submitted a letter to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that urges the agency to “provide comparable down payment treatment for FHA borrowers, regardless of whether or not the seller is willing to pay the home buyer broker commission,” according to an announcement by the organization.

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Sellers Buyers Agents Real Estate Agent 378

Housing Wire

JANUARY 11, 2023

Those who aren’t really familiar with the settlement services industry tend to think of a title agency as, more or less, the business that makes the closing happen and delivers a title insurance policy. But those who live and breathe title know there’s something even more fundamental with which they are charged.

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Agents Technology Insurance Business 378

Housing Wire

MAY 16, 2024

Property documents offer real estate agents and their clients crucial insights; however, they are often long, full of legalese, and poorly formatted, making them extremely tedious to review and understand,” James Rogers, co-founder and CEO of RealReports, said in a statement. “Now It pulls information from more than 30 data providers.

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Real Estate Agent Real Estate Brokerage Sellers 346

Housing Wire

APRIL 5, 2021

” Real estate agents and LOs: the great collaboration. Successful agents, brokerages and loan officers of the future are going to rely significantly on technology to find, nurture and engage with buyers and sellers while also playing an expanding role as personal advisors. “I had one client in St.

Buyers 445

Buyers Real Estate Agent Real Estate Brokerage 445

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

In recent years, the value proposition of title insurance has come under attack following Fannie Mae’s announcement that it would accept attorney opinion letters in lieu of title insurance, as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s title waiver programs , which were eventually scrapped. “If

Insurance 394

Insurance Real Estate Agents Real Estate Agent 394

Housing Wire

APRIL 26, 2024

Even though sellers are getting top dollar at the moment, they should price competitively to attract buyers from the start and avoid having to drop their price as stubbornly high mortgage rates eat into buying budgets. Rising costs for homeowners insurance are also playing a part in sagging affordability. from 2018 to 2023.

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Housing Market Marketing Insurance Sellers 361

Housing Wire

APRIL 22, 2024

To convert these leads into business, the brokerage developed teams — also called units — headed by captains who are successful agents with high lead conversion rates. Djon said these leaders are “at the top,“ with the ability to recruit other agents and override what the unit does, which is a way to retain these top-performing employees.

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Brokerage Real Estate Realtors Real Estate Agent 347

Housing Wire

MAY 3, 2024

Earlier this week, Zillow launched a new “touring agreement,” a nonexclusive contract for buyers and agents to use for home tours. This agreement must be signed prior to an agent taking a buyer to tour a home. This agreement must be signed prior to an agent taking a buyer to tour a home.

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Legal Realtors Law Real Estate 309

Housing Wire

JANUARY 13, 2023

Going from a volatile rate environment in the latter half of 2022 to a market with lower, more stabilized rates, there’s optimism spreading across the industry that buyers will come back. I really think until we see inventory move in our favor, it’s still going to be a tough market for a buyer. How does my payment look?

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Buyers Housing Market Marketing Real Estate Agent 383

Housing Wire

APRIL 16, 2024

In a down market disrupted by the commission lawsuits, agents and LOs are considering working in a dual capacity. As the engines of the housing and mortgage markets continue to sputter due to higher interest rates and fewer buyers, industry innovators are looking for ways to get their company’s wheels off the ground.

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Real Estate Agent Loan Officers Real Estate Agents 420

Inman

MAY 17, 2024

Nation's largest mortgage lender says brokers "will no longer need to work with a title company or settlement agent for title work, balancing fees, scheduling closing or any related communication."

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Insurance Agents Mortgage Tools 143

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 9, 2023

AI-generated image of two lawyers scrutinizing title insurance joint venture agreements. Regulators are bearing down The stakes are high for title insurance firms that have joint ventures operating in the gray areas of the law. Accordingly, the real-estate agents could be deemed to be ‘covered persons,’ subject to the CFPA.”

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Real Estate Insurance Brokerage Real Estate Agent 430