Housing Wire
MAY 17, 2025
One of the lesser known storylines in housing economics is that the improvement in mortgage spreads since 2023 has contributed to a noticeable trend in purchase application data for 2025, which is now showing 15 consecutive weeks of positive year-over-year growth. Mortgage spreads recently turned negative due to market volatility, which resulted in an increase of 20 to 25 basis points in mortgage rates.
Real Estate News
MAY 15, 2025
A new report from NAR and Realtor.com found that households earning $100k or less can afford far fewer homes today compared to before the pandemic.
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Appraisal Buzz
MAY 19, 2025
This short article raises issues related to what constitutes or defines a comparable sale. While it may seem arrogant to take on a topic of this import, it is necessary, since there is not currently a formal definition. There are descriptions of what a comparable sale is. But there is no formal, universally recognized definition. However, does there need to be?
Sacramento Appraisal Blog
MAY 14, 2025
This hasn’t happened in a long time. Price stats are barely up from one year ago. Over the past few months, prices have really flattened, and we’ve started to feel all the extra listings out there. Some smaller counties are even starting to get negative price readings. Let’s talk about it. UPCOMING SPEAKING GIGS: 5/21/25 […] The post Its been a long time since weve seen housing stats like this first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.
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Housing Wire
MAY 15, 2025
Housing markets across the country are grappling with a number of issues that have resulted in historically low home sales, and chief among them is the lack of affordability. Thats largely driven by a national housing shortage thats leading to fewer listings and thus driving up home prices. According to a new paper from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the drop in affordability is present in all income brackets but its most stark among the middle class where the percentage of affordab
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Housing Wire
MAY 8, 2025
Tamir Poleg, chairman and CEO of The Real Brokerage , closed out the prepared remarks section of his firms first-quarter 2025 earnings call by addressing the transformative technological era the industry is currently operating in. The catch was, listeners thought it was Poleg, but it wasn’t. The rise of AI is not just another tool but a fundamental shift that, in our view, will reshape industries, professions and entire business models.
Housing Wire
MAY 10, 2025
If someone had told me that home sales would remain firm this year despite mortgage rates ranging from 7.25% to 6.64%, I would not have taken that bet. However, amid all the chaotic economic headlines of 2025 so far, the demand for mortgages is holding steady, even with the higher rates. Let’s dig into the latest Housing Market Tracker data to see what last week brought us.
Housing Wire
MAY 31, 2025
A firefighter and his pregnant wife were unable to buy a two-bedroom home in the neighborhood where they grew up; two teachers had dashed dreams of owning their bungalow near the school where they work. These are just two examples of the heartbreaking scenarios you hear about in the real estate business. Its no secret that were in the throes of a housing affordability crisisanybody in the real estate trenches has felt it, in the form of stalled deals, frustrated clients, and collapsed sales.
Housing Wire
MAY 22, 2025
Last year, I predicted a national home-price increase of 2.33%. While that forecast was lower than most others, it seemed achievable due to higher mortgage rates and increased inventory. I was wrong and too low for 2024. This year, my prediction is even lower at 1.77% national home-price growth. So far this year, the existing home price index has been higher than my forecast level every month.
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Housing Wire
MAY 14, 2025
Mortgage applications increased 1.1% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 9, 2025. On an unadjusted basis, the index increased 1% compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted purchase index was a bright spot this week, increasing 2% from one week earlier.
Housing Wire
MAY 8, 2025
An analysis released Thursday by MortgageResearch.com suggests that the average new college graduate likely wont be able to afford a home until April 2034 nearly 10 years after graduation due to a triple burden of surging home prices, student loan debt and modest entry-level salaries. The study, which uses average federal student loan amounts by state from EducationData.org , assumes a 6.53% interest rate for undergraduate loans over a 10-year term.
Housing Wire
MAY 21, 2025
As issues continue to persist across the country for local housing authorities, the situation in Houston has led to an investigation by prominent local media outlets and a commissioned report by outside legal counsel. The probe found that mismanagement of contractors and the submission of fraudulent paperwork likely led to millions of dollars in losses.
Housing Wire
MAY 30, 2025
Real estate agents flourish when they can generate referrals, and Jason Mitchell Group (JMG) has practically industrialized the process. The Arizona-based brokerage has organized a vast network of referral partners that include major mortgage lenders like Rocket Mortgage, Veterans United Home Loans and Mr. Cooper just to name a few. This has enabled JMG agents to close more transactions.
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Housing Wire
MAY 8, 2025
Todays best loan officers operate differently and expect more. If you believe you can originate mortgages today in the same way they were done in 2018, youve probably been on a very remote island since then. Things like AI, well-integrated technology, consumer expectations and the rise of a number of innovative new business models have turned the industry on its head, and for the better in many cases.
Housing Wire
MAY 17, 2025
Mortgage professionals are navigating one of the most challenging origination markets in recent history. Still, cutting mortgage rates would not be the end-all solution to pacify markets that many claim it to be. While lower rates might temporarily ease borrower costs or support home purchases, they would also expose the housing industry to further risk without meaningfully addressing core issues, like supply shortages or long-term affordability.
Housing Wire
MAY 15, 2025
The tight housing market of the last few years gave home sellers a substantial edge. Many buyers had to bid over a homes asking price just to have their offers considered. That led some savvy shoppers to make all-cash offers on homes, as it offered more certainty for sellers (making those bids more appealing) and gave buyers some much-needed negotiating power.
Housing Wire
MAY 12, 2025
The median age of homes purchased nationwide reached a record high of 36 years in 2024, a significant jump from 27 years in 2012, according to an analysis released Monday by Redfin. The trend reflects a long-term slowdown in new home construction and growing affordability challenges. Buyers are increasingly turning to older properties, often out of necessity rather than preference.
Housing Wire
MAY 2, 2025
The reverse mortgage industrys premier trade association held its first event of 2025 this past week. While the mood was generally upbeat among the roughly 150 attendees who made the journey to Irvine, California, for the event hosted by the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA), there was also an acknowledgement of challenges faced by the industry when it comes to getting the word out about reverse mortgages.
Housing Wire
MAY 19, 2025
A new report on real estate agent and brokerage performance in the first quarter of 2025 shows that agent movement accelerated dramatically in opening months of the year. The research was conducted by Recruiting Insight in collaboration with BoldTrail Recruit and My BFF Social. It tracked thousands of agent movements across brokerage models and markets.
Housing Wire
MAY 15, 2025
In recognition of the cohorts size and contribution to the state, the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation is aiming to offer tips to older residents to make it easier for them to age in place in their own homes. According to a 2024 report from the Alaska Commission on Aging, the state is home to more than 160,000 residents at or over the age of 60 representing 21% of the states total population.
Housing Wire
MAY 9, 2025
Older homeowners living on a fixed income have a higher chance of seeing their finances destabilized by rising costs, and that can be particularly true of something like property taxes. For homeowners who have either a forward or reverse mortgage on their home, these costs also must be paid in order to keep the loan in good standing. But some states are embracing programs that allow for property tax refunds if a homeowner meets specific requirements.
Housing Wire
MAY 12, 2025
The weekly pending home sales picked up this week as expected, with 2.6% more pending home sales contracts started than a year ago. If youre following the data closely, you know that home sales are still running at or below last years pace. Year to date, through the first week of May, we count 3% fewer total sales than in 2024. But in May and June, the yearly comparisons get easier because last year at this time was really dry due to the highest mortgage rates of the year.
Housing Wire
MAY 14, 2025
After the $418 million Realtor commission lawsuit settlement terms were inked about a year ago, executives at Final Offer worked feverishly to tweak a product that promised transparency and flexibility for sellers, buyers and their agents. They fully expected the National Association of Realtors’ business practice changes to alter the way that sellers and buyers transacted.
Housing Wire
MAY 6, 2025
The real estate industry is facing another change. This isnt the first time, and it wont be the last. In 1908, agents formed the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges, a precursor to the National Association of REALTORS ( NAR ). They soon formalized a code of ethics and operating policies. Written agreements became commonplace. Today, these are known as an Exclusive Right To Sell or a Listing Agreement.
Housing Wire
MAY 22, 2025
The preferences that older adults have to remain in their homes as they age is well documented, but institutional support for aging in place can be difficult to find. In Iowa ‘s most populous county, that support has arrived. Polk County, which encompasses the states capital and largest city, Des Moines, and is home to more than 500,000 people announced this week the rollout of a dedicated program that’s designed to help older residents age in place.
Housing Wire
MAY 21, 2025
The rising cost of homeowners insurance coupled with the rising regularity of weather-related natural disasters is serving to erode the longstanding barrier between mortgage lenders and loan losses, according to a new report published by First Street. As the frequency of disasters has risen destabilizing the insurance market , limiting coverage and raising consumers costs that barrier is beginning to show signs of stress.
Housing Wire
MAY 9, 2025
A new law going into effect this summer in Washington aims to address the states housing supply woes. The legislation lifts zoning restrictions to allow for more multifamily development and comes as the median single-family home price in the Seattle area set a new record by exceeding $1 million. H.B. 1110 was passed in 2023 and seeks to increase middle housing in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family detached housing, according to the language of the bill.
Housing Wire
MAY 2, 2025
Todays jobs report showed positive growth, with 177,000 jobs added and an unemployment rate of 4.2%. Mortgage rates went up a tad today, but the spreads improved, which was a positive. As market drama calms down, we should see some improvement with the spreads, something I discussed in this recent episode of the HousingWire Daily podcast. While this is encouraging, the Federal Reserve focuses on broader indicators that have economic implications, particularly in light of potential high-velocity
Housing Wire
MAY 21, 2025
Rural areas of the U.S. that have long been viewed as a refuge for affordable homeownership are now grappling with rising prices , limited inventory and increasing competition pressures once thought unique to urban housing markets. Even the term affordable feels like a relic of the past, said Jake Vehige, president of mortgage lending at Neighbors Bank , who authored a recent report that analyzes housing conditions in rural counties with populations of less than 20,000.
Housing Wire
MAY 15, 2025
Foreclosure activity continued its upward trend in April, with a total of 36,033 properties receiving default notices, scheduled for auction or repossessed, according to the latest data from real estate analytics firm ATTOM. The figure represents a 0.4% increase from March and a 13.9% jump compared to April 2024. April’s foreclosure activity continued its gradual climb, with both starts and completions up annually, Rob Barber , CEO of ATTOM, said in a statement.
Housing Wire
MAY 15, 2025
In an era of high mortgage rates and stagnant home sales , a real estate transaction model is making waves by reintroducing and standardizing a once-popular financing method. Ryan Leahy, the founder of MORE Seller Financing , said his company has created the first nationwide platform to bring consistency, compliance and clarity to seller financing a practice that has been relatively diminished in the mainstream market.
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