Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Homeowners in California with an insurance policy from State Farm could see a 22% rate hike. The insurer sent a letter to the California Department of Insurance on Monday that described its dire financial situation due to the wildfires in Los Angeles County and a request for an emergency insurance rate hike. In addition to the 22% rate hike for owners of single-family homes, State Farm is also requesting an emergency rate hike of 15% for condominium owners and a 38% rate hike for rental homes.

Insurance 412

Insurance Housing Market Marketing 412

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

In this industry, some specific housing market terms bring about more worry to American consumers than others. For instance: WIRE FRAUD. While the term may sound scaryand is most definitely illegala new survey from CertifID showed how many first-time homeowners are at-risk or more likely to be victims of real estate wire fraud. The third annual State of Wire Fraud study was released by CertifID today, revealing information and data about the potential risks to American consumers during real esta

Real Estate 363

Real Estate Real Estate Agent Sellers Agents 363

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

In a new episode of the Top of Mind podcast , host Mike Simonsen sits down with Orphe Divounguy, senior economist at Zillow. They explore forecasts for the 2025 housing market, key macroeconomic trends to monitor, solutions to the housing affordability crisis and more. This conversation has been summarized and edited for length and clarity. To start the conversation, Divounguy dives into the past two years of economic developments and how they impact today’s housing market.

Housing Market 351

Housing Market New Listings Mortgage Construction 351

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

RentCafe.com has reviewed the online engagement rates for the most dynamic cities of 2024, to see which urban areas were set to become hotspots for new residents and thriving businesses. After analyzing the most popular rental markets each month during the past year , theyve released a comprehensive view of the last 12 months and a sense of what lies ahead.

Marketing 362

Marketing Business Appraisal 362

Speaker: Dylan Secrest

Construction projects are high-stakes operations where even minor inefficiencies can lead to costly delays, safety concerns, and budget overruns. Managing risk in construction has always been a challenge, but as projects grow in complexity, traditional methods no longer cut it. Enter Digital Transformation - a game changer approach that replaces inefficiency with AI-powered analytics, real-time monitoring, and automated workflows to proactively manage risk.

Technology

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

In February 2024, Sagent , a Warburg Pincus -backed fintech firm, announced the launch of its mortgage software platform, Dara. A year later, HousingWire checked in with the Dara team about what lies ahead. We previewed the Dara platform in February of 2024 at the MBA servicing conference, said Perry Hilzendeger , Sagents executive vice president of servicing.

Mortgage 406

Mortgage Clients Tools Agents 406

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

The race is on for brokerages to capture clients in an incredibly difficult housing market, and Compass believes a new technology offering will give it an advantage. The brokerage on Monday launched Compass One, a client-facing portal that provides a guide through the process of both home buying and selling. Compass One gives clients easy access to relevant documents, calendars, listings and communication with their agent.

Clients 379

Clients Brokerage Advertising Sellers 379

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

New Handbook Helps Residential Appraisers Break Into Commercial Real Estate Plymouth, 1/31/25 Residential real estate appraisers looking to expand their expertise into the commercial sector now have a valuable new resource.Multifamily and Commercial Appraisal Guide for Residential Appraisersprovides practical guidance, step-by-step strategies, and real-world insights to help appraisers confidently transition into commercial real estate.

Real Estate 341

Real Estate Appraisal Design Tools 341

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

A “blank check” special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) affiliated with asset manager Rithm Capital has filed paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise $200 million for an acquisition in the financial services and real estate sectors. We intend to target companies in the financial services and real estate sectors where our management has extensive investment and operational experience, the SEC filing reads.

Real Estate 352

Real Estate Retail Investors Technology 352

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

According to a recent Redfin analysis, the average buyers agent commission for properties sold in Q4 was 2.37%. That is down marginally from 2.45% a year ago, prior to the announcement of the new National Association of Realtors (NAR) commission standards , but it is practically unchanged from 2.36% in Q3, when the new rules went into effect. More specifically, overall commissions decreased little in the month when the new regulations took effect.

Agents 248

Agents Sellers Real Estate Agent Buyers 248

Advertiser: Trellis

Trellis is a state trial court research and analytics platform that provides Real Estate Professionals (Buyers, Foreclosure, Loan Modification, etc.) with LEADS on Pre-Foreclosures, Lis Pendes, Distressed Assets and more — to help uncover **new** opportunities and grow their business. The process is quick and easy — and all in real time. Trellis will supply you with a link to the relevant dockets, a Leads sheet and access to its UI where applicable.

Real Estate

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Cornerstone Capital Bank , a national mortgage originator and servicer, is launching a community lending division to serve underserved communities, the company announced this week. The new division will be based in Arlington, Texas. Cornerstone plans to close the homeownership gap for underserved communities in the 45 states that the company operates in.

Lending 279

Lending Real Estate Mortgage Agents 279

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Climate change has shaken up the U.S. real estate market, with buyers no longer simply seeking better quality of life or affordable housing but also considering climate risks before purchases.

Real Estate 174

Real Estate Buyers Marketing Insurance 174

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

The debate on Clear Cooperation Policies (CCPs) continues, with the real estate industry almost unanimously rallying behind these supposedly virtuous rules. Meanwhile, anyone challenging the status quo may be branded as “self-serving” or “indifferent to consumers.” But lets cut through the noise and examine whats really going on.

Agents 253

Agents Sellers Brokerage Real Estate 253

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Secondary marketing software firm Optimal Blue has introduced a new AI assistant that uses conversational generative AI to provide easy-to-understand, interactive insights and graphical representations to help lenders maximize profitability. Called Ask Obi, the new AI assistant is designed to provide mortgage lending executives with instant, actionable insights from their Optimal Blue products and data.

Design 195

Design Lending Mortgage Clients 195

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Nationwide private lender RCN Capital on Tuesday announced the acquisition of BLN Software , which offers a loan origination system and loan management system for the private mortgage lending industry. The announcement from Connecticut-based RCN said that “the lender is looking to provide even more robust tools for its wholesale clients by investing in a state-of-the-art software platform that they can leverage to grow their businesses.” BLN, which is also headquartered in Connecticu

Tools 275

Tools Clients Lending Investing 275

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

The wildfires in Southern California are likely to have some impact on loan performance but the full brunt will not be known until later this month when February payments come due, according to a report from ICE Mortgage Technology. In the firms latest Mortgage Monitor report, Andy Walden, head of mortgage and housing market research for ICE, says nearly 5 percent fewer homeowners inside Californias Palisades and Eaton fire zones had made their January mortgage payment by mid-[January], when co

Mortgage 195

Mortgage Technology Housing Market Appraisal 195

Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

DigitalTax Onboarding Decisions DigitalTax Onboarding Decisions automates tax line setups during loan onboarding, leveraging closing data and customizable rules to reduce errors and streamline exception management. With clear audit trails and dashboard tools, it simplifies reporting, reduces manual work, and ensures accuracy, helping servicers ensure accurate tax line setup from day one.

Tools 211

Tools Business 211

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Schneiderman & Sherman PC (SSPC) , a provider of mortgage and creditors rights legal services, has announced their expansion into Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, bringing the total state operations to five, including Michigan and Minnesota. The latest expansion allows the firm to provide default legal services in both non-judicial and judicial states and also supports its expanding collections practice.

Legal 221

Legal Law Insurance Real Estate 221

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Nominations are now open in four awards categories for 2025, including a slate of new honors meant to spotlight achievements in artificial intelligence and recognize real estate's emerging leaders.

Real Estate 161

Real Estate Agents 161

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Dark Matter Technologies is breaking into the mortgage servicing market with the launch of its Dark Matter servicing platform. This strategic move positions Dark Matter as a comprehensive provider of mortgage solutions by aligning the scalable, easy-to-configure servicing platform alongside the companys loan origination systems (LOSs) and artificial intelligence productivity assistants.

Technology 195

Technology Marketing Clients Investors 195

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

In his first act as interim Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent froze action on all rules and litigation. Here's what that potentially means for the recent slate of rules and lawsuits targeting the mortgage industry.

Mortgage 133

Mortgage Law Lending Real Estate 133

Real Estate News

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Signed agreements can be changed but only under certain circumstances. NARs general counsel provides scenarios and addresses other common questions.

Buyers 235

Buyers 235

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

The Austin Board of Realtors' Unlock MLS will offer non-Realtor subscriptions starting on June 1.

Realtors 167

Realtors Brokerage 167

Real Estate News

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

The brokerages latest tech offering, Compass One, is an end-to-end platform focused on consumers and private listings.

Sellers 222

Sellers Buyers Agents Brokerage 222

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Wendy DiVecchio points to disagreement with the board over LVR's ownership of its MLS as a potential reason she was suspended, investigated and subsequently fired last week.

Realtors 164

Realtors Brokerage Agents 164

GoForrmz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Digitize maintenance reporting for faster, more accurate workflows Here at GoFormz, we know that efficient maintenance reporting is crucial for safety, compliance, and operational success. However, paper-based processes often slow things down, leading to lost reports, errors, and delayed maintenance tasks. With our completely customizable online form builder, businesses can digitize maintenance reports, enabling teams to complete and submit forms from anywhere using mobile forms.

Logistics 78

Logistics Inspection Construction Transportation 78

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

The letter, to be published in the "LA Times" and other prominent news outlets, provides information for California residents impacted by the fires about price gouging, fraudulent activities and unsolicited offers.

Insurance 150

Insurance Realtors 150

Appraisal Buzz

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Kirk Gerling recently joined Planet Home Lending , a national mortgage lender, servicer, and asset manager, as executive vice president of non-agency subservicing. Gerling is a seasoned industry professional with more than two decades of mortgage servicing experience. Before joining Planet Home Lending, he served as senior vice president at Carrington Mortgage Services, Mortgage Lending Division, and previously held the role of executive vice president of servicing operations.

Lending 150

Lending Clients Mortgage Business 150

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Buyers may cancel a purchase at the last minute due to anxiety about the market, trepidation about taking on financial obligations or a nagging feeling that a more perfect home might be out there, Luke Babich writes.

Buyers 145

Buyers Marketing Real Estate Agents 145

Clear Capital

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

With interest rates still high and loan volume growth stunted, there has been heightened focus on the quality of appraisals by both agency and non-agency investors. As this focus on quality has grown, so has the risk of loan repurchases. With fewer loans coming through the door,investors can spend more time identifying loans and appraisals with deficiencies.

Appraisal 36

Appraisal Tools Valuation Investors 36

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

After growing by 22 percent last year, inventory is "a bright spot for a market thats been dealing with deep deficits in recent years," according to ICE Mortgage Monitor report for February.

Inventory 143

Inventory Marketing Mortgage Real Estate 143

Eyes on Housing

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

After a period of slowing associated with declines for some elements of the residential construction industry, the count of open construction sector jobs remained lower than a year ago, per the December Bureau of Labor StatisticsJob Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). The number of open jobs for the overall economy decreased from 8.16 million.

Construction 88

Construction Marketing 88

Inman

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

Getting out from under $1.95 trillion cap would allow the bank to grow its deposit base, providing more room on the balance sheet to originate jumbo mortgages too big for Fannie and Freddie.

Mortgage 143

Mortgage Lending 143