Sat.Feb 10, 2024 - Fri.Feb 16, 2024

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NAR runs out of liability insurance coverage: Sources

Housing Wire

Three sources, who have asked to remain anonymous, have confirmed to HousingWire that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has run out of liability insurance funds. The news about NAR’s insurance predicament began circulating late Wednesday , with industry analyst Rob Hahn highlighting the news in the Thursday edition of his email newsletter NotoriousROB.

Insurance 544
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Understanding Zillow’s Square Footage is Important!

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

It’s been a while since I’ve written an article. I miss writing and I miss you! So, first of all, thank you for being here to read articles from my blog! I’ve relied heavily on guest bloggers for a while, and so I’d like to also thank all of my guest bloggers who have provided meaningful content. I know most of my readers are interested in appraisal and real estate-related topics.

Appraisal 405
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The challenge of pulling comps in 2024

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Pulling comps in 2024 is tough. Think about it this way. If we have 40% fewer sales happening, that means there are 40% fewer comps. Yikes. Let’s talk about this. I also have some market recap visuals to unpack what’s been happening in 2024 so far. UPCOMING SPEAKING GIGS: 2/19/24 Matt the Mortgage Guy YouTube […] The post The challenge of pulling comps in 2024 first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.

Appraisal 315
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DOJ to court: Buyers need to set their agents’ compensation

Real Estate News

A statement of interest filed late Thursday by the Department of Justice savages the proposed MLS PIN settlement, and calls out MLSs for limiting competition.

Buyers 345
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Why fewer homes are taking a price cut, even while inventory rises

Housing Wire

So far in 2024, fewer homes are taking price cuts than in 2023, and this trend is on the verge of breaking below the 2023 lows in price cuts percentages. While weekly inventory is still falling, we have year-over-year growth in total active listing and new listings data. This calls into question a mortgage rate lockdown, as mortgage rates are also higher year over year.

Inventory 515
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Strength in home prices helped boost Fannie, Freddie 2023 profits

Inman

With a combined net worth of $125 billion after earnings this week, the mortgage giants remain on a path that could lead to eventual release from government conservatorship if political winds shift.

More Trending

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Brokers, are you focusing on the wrong agents?

Real Estate News

Superstars and stragglers might catch your attention, but agents in the middle — the slow-and-steady crowd — can supercharge your business, with some guidance.

Agents 267
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U.S. foreclosure activity ticked up significantly in January: Attom

Housing Wire

In January, the number of properties with a foreclosure filing inched up on both a monthly and a yearly basis, according to a report released Tuesday by Attom Data. In total, 33,270 U.S. properties received a default notice, were scheduled for auction or were undergoing bank repossession last month, up 10% from December and up 5% compared to a year ago.

Legal 511
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Inman’s 2024 Global Real Estate Influencers revealed

Inman

Broker and reality television legend Ryan Serhant headlines an all-star roster of the industry's most compelling voices for the second-annual Inman Global Real Estate Influencers program.

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Inflation Remains Sticky due to Persistent Housing Costs

Eyes on Housing

Consumer prices picked up again in January while core prices remained elevated, especially housing costs. Despite a slowdown in the year-over-year increase, shelter costs continue to put upward pressure on inflation, accounting for over two-thirds of the total increase in all items excluding food and energy. This hotter-than-expected report will almost certainly delay Fed rate cuts until the second half.

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NAR called ‘arrogant’ as it makes national news again

Real Estate News

A Wall Street Journal story portrays the National Association of Realtors as inflexible in the face of legal challenges to the industry’s commission structure.

Legal 247
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Many homeowners don’t understand how their escrow account works

Housing Wire

Among homeowners who have a mortgage escrow account, only 52% fully understand how the account works, according to survey results released Thursday by property tax services provider LERETA. More than 80% of survey respondents said they know what an escrow account is and its primary purpose — to pay property taxes and other expenses, such as homeowners insurance , flood insurance and mortgage insurance premiums.

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DOJ to Nosalek judge: Broker commissions should be decoupled

Inman

The Department of Justice said a proposed settlement in the major antitrust lawsuit might itself violate federal law and said buyers should negotiate their broker's commission directly.

Law 191
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Residential Building Material Price Increase to Start 2024

Eyes on Housing

The latest Producer Price Index, reported by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, indicated that inputs to residential construction, goods less foods and energy (residential building materials, not seasonally adjusted) increased 1.28% between December 2023 and January 2024. This was the largest monthly change for the index since March of 2022, when it increased by 2.07%.

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Zillow beat revenue expectations in fourth quarter

Real Estate News

While still posting a net loss, the company reported higher-than-expected revenue from its residential and rental businesses as Premier Agent held steady.

Agents 247
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The worst for mortgages may be over, but younger borrowers still face affordability challenges

Housing Wire

The worst times for mortgage originations may be over as the market appears to be turning, but it’s still an unaffordable environment for younger borrowers in particular, according to a fourth-quarter 2023 lending report from Maxwell. Loan volume between the third and fourth quarters declined by 21%, but that was far less than the 37% drop from Q3 2022 to Q4 2022, the report showed.

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Meet the brokerage getting ahead of the post-Sitzer commission rush

Inman

DeLeon Realty in Silicon Valley began advertising commissions of 3.5 percent or less for homesellers who choose to work with the firm. The marketing push appeared in the mail and social media this week.

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Let’s All Build the Gallows Together

Appraiserblogs

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have issued a clarion call to all appraisers to pitch in and help build the gallows from which they will hang us all in 2025. The mission is to “modernize” the appraisal profession into a skeleton crew of compliant zombies who will be rubber stamping appraisal reports for $25 each (Source: Voice of Appraisal) from the dark confines of their private offices.

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Almost 20% of Realtors pay for multiple MLSs, but for how long?

Real Estate News

Commissions lawsuits could accelerate consolidation and evolution — and save agents money, according to a new report on MLSs and Realtor associations.

Realtors 250
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Baby boomers lag other generations in savings levels

Housing Wire

On average, members of the baby boomer generation saved approximately $4,060 over the course of 2023, lagging behind the average savings levels of every other surveyed generation. This is according to the newest edition of the “Wealth Watch” survey conducted by New York Life Insurance Co. By comparison, millennials (ages 28 to 43 last year) led all age groups with an average savings of about $9,300.

Insurance 466
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Top Bay Area team boomerangs back to Compass from Side

Inman

Mollie Poe and Declan Hickey were founding members of Compass San Francisco before leaving in 2020. Now, they're bringing four additional team members back to Compass with them.

Realty 191
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Historical Properties and Their Unique Appraisal Approaches

Boston Appraisal

Introduction Appraising historical properties involves a complex interplay of factors, making it a specialized field within real estate valuation. This article provides an insight into the appraisal process of historical properties, emphasizing the role of market data, potential buyers, specialized databases, appraisal methods, and the significant impact of preservation restrictions.

Appraisal 147
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Investors buying a bigger share of affordable homes

Real Estate News

While overall activity softened last quarter, real estate investors flocked to Chicago and cities in California in the hunt for lower-priced properties.

Investors 240
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Homeowners are staying in place twice as long as they did 20 years ago: Redfin

Housing Wire

The preference that older Americans have for aging in place in their own homes is showing up in broader trend data, according to a new report from Redfin. While “homeowner tenure” has fallen slightly since its 2020 peak, the length of time that homeowners are remaining in their properties doubled to 11.9 years last year, up from 6.5 years in 2005, according to a Redfin analysis of median U.S. homeowner tenure by year using county records.

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New-home sales off to a roaring start with record January bump

Inman

Loan applications for new-home purchases were up 19 percent from a year ago in January, according to an MBA survey of builders that's been an accurate predictor of trends.

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Why I Still Love Real Estate Appraising

DW Slater Company

Love in Real Estate I’m I wrote this blog – 4 Things I Love About Being a Real Estate Appraiser- 10 years ago! So much has changed since that time! We have experienced some very large swings in the market regarding the number of appraisals needed from a very high volume where appraisers couldn’t keep up, to the now very low volume of appraisal requests.

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People on the Move at ERA, Anywhere, OAR and MetroTex

Real Estate News

Frank Malpica to lead franchise development at ERA; Joseph Lenz joins Anywhere board; Bryan Hutchinson takes on CEO role at OAR; Justin Landon to helm MetroTex.

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Master planned communities post strong new home sales numbers in 2023

Housing Wire

Despite high mortgage rates , master planned communities (MPCs) did well in 2023. According to a survey released Tuesday by John Burns Research & Consulting , the top 50 MPCs sold more than 34,600 new homes in 2023, up 24% from the nearly 28,000 sales in 2022. As a point of comparison, in the benchmark year of 2019, 31,000 new homes were purchased in the top 50 master planned communities.

Buyers 458
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Rising rates and home prices stifle January market: Redfin

Inman

The Federal Reserve's policy shift depressed homebuyer and homeseller activity in January, according to Redfin. Monthly new and active listing growth dropped to the lowest levels since last summer.

Marketing 188
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Investors Are Abandoning Their Short-Term Rentals and Converting Them Mid-Term Rentals—Here’s Why

BiggerPockets

Now that hundreds of cities and towns across the country are moving to ban or limit short-term rentals, investors who used to make bank off these properties have to readjust their strategies to stay in the game. Here's one way that they're doing it—and it's proving to be just as lucrative.

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Why Zillow is ready to ‘press down on the accelerator’ in 2024

Real Estate News

CEO Rich Barton was bullish despite the challenging housing market, predicting double-digit revenue growth this year during a Feb. 13 earnings call.

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How to talk to your borrowers about mortgage rates

Housing Wire

When are interest rates going to come down? Where should mortgage rates be before I buy or refinance my home? How much home can I afford today? These are just a few of the questions independent mortgage brokers get asked on a daily basis. The reality is, borrowers are rate sensitive because it’s what they’re exposed to. Mainstream media often emphasize fluctuations in rates , which causes uncertainty and apprehension among borrowers.

Mortgage 458
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Luxury real estate is shifting out of neutral

Inman

As we step into 2024, the luxury real estate market presents a vibrant picture of renewed hope and enthusiasm among high-net-worth consumers, setting the stage for a renaissance in the world of luxury living.

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9 House-Flipping Tips for the Risk-Averse From Two Experienced Flippers

BiggerPockets

Pittsburgh-based investor and house flipper John Walker of Turnkey Investment Properties and his business partner, Jim Auten, usually have around 10 flips on the go at any time.