Thu.Jun 13, 2024

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Opendoor announces partnership with My State MLS

Housing Wire

Opendoor has partnered with nationwide multiple listing service My State MLS to equip more than 60,000 agents in each of the 50-plus markets Opendoor serves with access to the iBuyer’s cash-offer solution. My State MLS is a nationwide multiple listing service that allows members to list and search properties anywhere in the U.S. According to a news release, through the partnership, My State MLS agent members will be able to receive estimated cash offers on qualifying properties within minutes to

Sellers 487
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Single Dads & Single Moms: Who Is More Likely to Be a Homeowner? 

Appraisal Buzz

Homeownership remains a common aspiration for many Americans, yet it is often difficult to obtain. This is especially true for single parents, who often have less money to purchase a home than married couples. This is according to Jacob Channel , Senior Economist for LendingTree. We’ve previously discussed single-parent problems, and discovered that the majority of single mothers do not own a home.

Appraisal 418
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When will the Fed’s moves alleviate the lock-in effect?

Housing Wire

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. housing situation is a “complicated one” and that “bringing inflation down” is the best thing officials can do to help. Cooling inflation will eventually allow the Fed to cut rates and alleviate the current lock-in effect , but this process will take longer than previously estimated. “The housing situation is complicated.

Inventory 468
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Simplifying the Digital Mortgage Payment Process

Appraisal Buzz

This piece originally appeared in the June 2024 edition of MortgagePoint magazine, online now. Mortgage delinquency rates in early 2024 are trending upward as a result of economic pressure bouncing back from unusually low levels of the past year. The trend of increasing mortgage delinquencies for all loan types can be traced back to the emergence from the pandemic economy in 2022.

Mortgage 393
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Two major reverse mortgage lenders to sponsor financial planner conference

Housing Wire

The Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP), a trade association for financial planners, will be holding its annual conference this October in Savannah, Georgia, and the event will feature two of the nation’s leading reverse mortgage lenders as key sponsors. Plano, Texas-based Finance of America (FOA), currently the industry leader in the reverse mortgage space, and Paramus, New Jersey-based reverse mortgage lender and servicer Longbridge Financial will be sponsoring the event.

Mortgage 465
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Mortgage Rates Edge Down for a Second Week

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage rates edged down for a second week, with the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage falling to 6.95%, down from 6.99% last week, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. A year ago at this time, the average rate for a 30-year was 6.69%. “Mortgage rates continued to fall back this week as incoming data suggests the economy is cooling to a more sustainable level of growth,” says Sam Khater, chief economist for Freddie Mac, in a statement.

Mortgage 369

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Fannie Mae Executes CIRT Transaction on $12.1 Billion of Single-Family Loans

Appraisal Buzz

Fannie Mae transferred $284.8 million of mortgage credit risk to private insurers and reinsurers in a recent Credit Insurance Risk Transfer (CIRT) transaction , its fourth of the year. ”We appreciate the support of the 25 insurers and reinsurers that committed to write coverage on this deal,” says Rob Schaefer, vice president, capital markets, for Fannie Mae in a release.

Insurance 366
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Real estate firms may be on the hook for wire fraud losses: CertifID

Housing Wire

With the number of instances of wire fraud continuing to rise , many victims are turning to court to seek damages after a large portion of their life savings or business liquidity was stolen by scammers. According to a report published Thursday by wire fraud prevention firm CertifID , real estate agents , brokers and title companies are increasingly being held accountable if a consumer loses money.

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ATTOM: California, New Jersey and Illinois Have the Most At-Risk Housing Markets in the Country

Appraisal Buzz

Recent housing reports suggest that inventory is increasing and, as a result, home prices are starting to drop in certain areas, resulting in improved affordability. But which areas are most at risk of seeing their housing markets go into a downturn as a result of shifting market conditions? A r eport from ATTOM reveals that California, New Jersey and Illinois have the highest concentrations of at-risk markets in the country.

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NAF rebrands initiative designed to boost Black homeownership

Housing Wire

Multichannel mortgage lender New American Funding (NAF) announced this week the relaunch of its initiative designed to recruit, educate and expand loan officer understanding around issues faced by borrowers of color as “ NAF Black Impact.” This replaces the previous branding, “NAF Dream,” to emphasize a corporate commitment to “taking direct, action-oriented steps to address credit accessibility and promote sustainable and equitable homeownership for Black individuals and communities,” the compa

Design 455
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Mortgage rates decline for a second week, boosting applications

Real Estate News

Buyers have more inventory to choose from, but the uptick in demand could be short-lived as the lock-in effect and price growth continue to stymie sales.

Inventory 318
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Mortgage underwriting algorithm at heart of Wells Fargo’s racial disparity lawsuit

Housing Wire

Wells Fargo ‘s internal credit-scoring algorithm is at the center of a lawsuit that plaintiffs say resulted in more than 100,000 disparately impacted minority applicants. The lawsuit stems from a 2022 Bloomberg investigation that found Wells Fargo was the only large bank to deny more Black applicants than it accepted in 2020 during the refinancing boom.

Mortgage 452
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Nick Bailey: 5 lessons for leaders of public real estate companies

Real Estate News

Bailey, the former CEO of RE/MAX, discussed the keys to success when leading a business that is accountable to both customers and shareholders.

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New homes remain in demand as mortgage applications rise in May

Housing Wire

New-home purchase mortgage applications rose 1% month over month and 13.8% year over year in May, according to data released Thursday by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The data is derived from the trade group’s survey of homebuilders. The MBA also estimated that sales of new single-family homes reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 702,000 in May, up from 699,000 in April for the strongest pace since October 2023.

Mortgage 448
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Lowering Mortgage Rates Offer Homebuyers Relief as Inflation Moderates

Appraisal Buzz

A new report from Redfin revealed the median U.S. home-sale price reached an all-time high of $394,000 in the four weeks ending June 9, up 4.4% year-over-year—the largest gain in roughly three months. There are indications that home-price increases may slow soon. Asking prices have leveled down, with 6.5% of house sellers lowering asking price on average, the largest percentage since November 2022.

Mortgage 259
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Amazon commits additional $1.4B to affordable housing fund

Housing Wire

Online retail giant Amazon announced this week that it is committing an additional $1.4 billion to its Housing Equity Fund that will go toward the creation and preservation of roughly 14,000 affordable housing units across three major metropolitan areas in which it maintains a corporate presence. The funds — to be invested in the metro areas of Seattle , Nashville and Arlington, Virginia — will bring the total investment fund to $3.6 billion and 35,000 housing units since its inception in 2021,

Investing 447
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'Unfiltered' podcast: What clients want, and how to deliver it

Real Estate News

Watch the conversation with strategist Jay Baer as he explains how to create better client outcomes by avoiding common pitfalls and “yesterday’s thinking.

Clients 246
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NAHREP recognizes top 250 Latino mortgage originators

Housing Wire

The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) this week released the 10th edition of its annual Top 250 Latino Mortgage Originators rankings, honoring the top-performing Latino mortgage originators across the country. For the second year running, DHI Mortgage earned the top position in the report among all companies, followed by Guaranteed Rate and CrossCountry Mortgage , respectively.

Mortgage 447
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ServiceLink Brings Aboard New National Sales Exec

Appraisal Buzz

ServiceLink VP, National Sales Executive Nate Johnson ServiceLink has named Nate Johnson as its new VP, National Sales Executive, in its Origination Division, responsible for driving client growth strategy for origination products. Johnson brings decades of experience within the industry to his new role, and has been a catalyst in generating more than $1 billion in closings as a business leader.

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Judge approves Rocket’s $3.5M settlement over unpaid employee overtime

Housing Wire

A judge in Arizona has approved a $3.5 million settlement agreement between Rocket Mortgage and current and former employees who alleged in a class-action-seeking lawsuit that the company did not provide sufficient overtime pay, according to court documents reviewed by HousingWire. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas L. Rayes mentioned in the decision that the agreement “was reached through arms-length negotiations with the assistance of a retired federal judge who served as a mediator.̶

Legal 431
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Once-Hot Metros Feeling Housing Slowdowns

Appraisal Buzz

According to the Special Housing Risk Report published by ATTOM Data, which spotlights county-level housing markets around the U.S. that are more or less vulnerable to declines based on home affordability, underwater mortgages, and other metrics during the first quarter of 2024 found that areas of California, New Jersey, and Illinois had the highest concentrations of at-risk markets in the country.

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Corcoran rolls out new AI software to help agents market listings

Inman

The new platform, Corcoran Copilot, is integrated with Corcoran's listing databases and will initially help agents with developing materials like listing descriptions and video scripts.

Agents 181
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AgentHome Acquires Corinthian Title Co.

Appraisal Buzz

AgentHome , a national network of independent title agents, has acquired Corinthian Title Company , Inc., a California-based provider of title insurance and escrow services for residential and commercial real estate transactions. Terms of the deal were not divulged. Corinthian, headquartered in San Diego, is a locally owned and operated title agency currently licensed to issue title insurance policies in 28 counties within the state of California.

Insurance 195
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Quiana Watson almost got burned by the tea — but knows better now

Inman

The luxury broker has come a long way from her start in a small town in North Carolina. From property manager to agent to broker-owner and reality TV star, the journey has blessed her with knowledge.

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Optimal Blue: Rate-and-Term Refinance Activity Spiked 25.6 Percent in May

Appraisal Buzz

Rate-and-term refinance activity spiked 25.6% in May compared with April, as borrowers reacted to a dip in rates, according to Optimal Blue’s Market Advantage mortgage data report. The report shows that the 30-year conforming rate finished the month at 7.02% – but it bottomed out on May 15 at 6.875%. “The sharp increase in demand for rate-and-term refinances following a dip in rates indicates that homeowners with rates above 7 percent feel pinched and are sensitive to even modest interest rate m

Buyers 195
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The key to fixing the world’s home affordability mess is in front of us

Inman

The one-two punch of government action and private sector innovation is the right formula for fixing the affordable housing mess, which has grown into a global epidemic, writes Brad Inman.

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MBA: Applications for New Home Purchases Increased Slightly in May

Appraisal Buzz

Applications for mortgages for new home purchases increased 1% in May compared with April and were up 13.8% compared with May 2023, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS). “There continues to be strength in the new home purchase market, as purchase applications increased in May compared to both the prior month and from a year ago,” says Joel Kan, vice president and deputy chief economist for the MBA, in a statement.

Inventory 195
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Broker Spotlight: Robert Rahmanian, REAL New York

Inman

Find out how this real estate broker's son carved out his own place in the New York real estate landscape "through bootstrapping and dedication.

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Residential Building Material Prices Remain Relatively Unchanged in May

Eyes on Housing

Inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, fell 0.09% over the month according to the most recent producer price index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The index for inputs to residential construction, goods less food and energy, represents building materials used in residential construction. This was the first.

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Tom Ferry: ‘The NAR settlement is a once in a lifetime opportunity!’

Inman

Jimmy Burgess and Tom Ferry talk industry changes and offer a selection of scripts that are really working right now.

Brokerage 173
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The Illogical Reality of Mortgage Appraisal Reviews 

Appraiserblogs

Reforming the appraisal review process is essential to maintaining the integrity of the real estate market and protecting consumers and homeowners. In mortgage financing, the appraisal process is often seen as the foundation of accurate property valuation and market stability. However, beneath this façade of reliability lies a troubling rift: while real estate appraisers must navigate stringent licensing protocols and scrutiny, the individuals reviewing the appraisals often operate with minimal

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Low splits or high 1099s: Why agents should join a team

Inman

Verl Workman explains how the leverage a team provides can result in higher overall earnings for team members vs. those who go it alone.

Agents 173
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How to Collect Rent from Tenants: The Landlord’s Ultimate Guide to Rent Collection

BiggerPockets

Learning the art of rent collection is crucial for running a successful rental business. Implementing efficient, effective rent collection strategies can minimize stress, improve cash flow, and help maintain a positive relationship with your tenants.

Tenants 95
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Mortgage rates have more room to fall on 2 new economic reports

Inman

Key Fed inflation metric expected to drop June 28 following unexpected decline in May wholesale prices and jump in jobless claims to highest level since August 2023.

Mortgage 171