Sat.Mar 25, 2023 - Fri.Mar 31, 2023

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Housing Market Tracker: Mortgage rates and inventory fall together

Housing Wire

The financial and housing markets are still trying to sort out the banking crisis and whether we have seen the last Fed rate hike in this cycle. These events led to lower mortgage rates and increased purchase application data last week, but decreased housing inventory. Here’s a quick rundown of the last week: The 10-year yield had a Lord of Rings battle at a critical technical level, pushing mortgage rates lower at the end of the week with no real break in the bond market.

Inventory 446
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You’re Chasing a Dollar… What’s the Dollar Chasing?

The Appraiser Coach

I talked recently in another post about the fact that money is a tool that we use to keep track of value. Money really has no value in and of.

Tools 369
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What Size Dumpster Is Normally Needed for A Kitchen Demo and Remodel?

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

Having had our kitchen gutted and remodeled a couple of years ago, I can honestly say that I had not thought about this question before our renovation. However, if you’re thinking of a kitchen demo or remodel, you will likely need a dumpster. This week, I welcome guest blogger Ashley Rodriguez, with bins4less , who tackles the answer to this question.

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Commissions lawsuit now a class action, greatly increasing its scope

Real Estate News

A judge ruled that the Moehrl suit would now cover all sellers who paid commissions to named companies over a 5-year period, plus “current and future” sellers.

Sellers 301
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What will housing credit look like in next recession?

Housing Wire

With the banking crisis spurring more talk of a recession, the question now is: What would housing credit look like in a recession? Many people predicted that the U.S. housing market would crash during the pandemic. One of the main reasons for that fear was that housing credit was about to get tight, meaning fewer people could buy homes with mortgages.

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Sellers are hibernating & the housing market feels broken

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Sellers are hibernating. It’s been striking to see sellers sitting back so far in 2023, and it’s really starting to create more competition for buyers. Let’s talk about it. Scroll by topic or digest slowly. UPCOMING (PUBLIC) SPEAKING GIGS: 3/28/23 Downtown Regional MLS meeting 4/1/23 NAA Conference in Sacramento 4/13/23 Realtist Meeting 5/4/23 Event with UWL […] The post Sellers are hibernating & the housing market feels broken first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal B

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Only 5 of the top 20 real estate companies boosted sales in 2022

Real Estate News

In a tough year for real estate, many of the top companies and franchise brands held onto their rankings, but only a few were able to grow sales volume.

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Low inventory a challenge to housing market as rates decline 

Housing Wire

Mortgage rates declined for the third consecutive week, sparking hope for a good homebuyers’ spring season. But while rates have dropped, the housing market has continued to be challenged by low inventory levels. Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed on Thursday that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 6.32% as of March 30, down 10 basis points from the previous week, mainly due to the economic uncertainty caused by bank collapses.

Inventory 521
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Falling mortgage rates and home prices spur homebuyer interest

Inman

Demand for purchase loans picks up for the fourth straight week as mortgage rates continue to retreat from 2023 highs, according to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association survey released Wednesday.

Mortgage 217
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Dear Representative, FNMA Has Gone Rogue!

Appraiserblogs

Dear representative, waiving/eliminating property appraisal for lending purposes is wanton recklessness. Fannie Mae’s decision to waive/eliminate property appraisal for lending purposes is nothing more than wanton recklessness that could have serious repercussions in the future. The truth of the matter is that appraisals are an essential part of any mortgage transaction and should not be taken lightly or eliminated without due consideration.

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Pending sales signal modest improvement in housing market

Real Estate News

NAR reported that February pending home sales were up 0.8% from January, making it the third consecutive month of increases.

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Agile fintech firm executes first fully automated AOT transaction

Housing Wire

Agile , a Philadelphia-based fintech company focused on mortgage-backed securities (MBS), announced on Monday the execution of the mortgage industry’s first fully-automated Assignment of Trade (AOT) transaction. AOT transactions involve three counterparties — a mortgage originator, a mortgage investor, and a broker dealer — and are designed to transfer loan collateral and hedge positions to a mortgage investor.

Investors 437
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Gen Zers see ‘green homes’ in their searches, says RE/MAX study

Inman

Amid an economic landscape in flux, homebuyers and sellers continue to want expert advice from real estate agents while looking to prepare for the future, and for Gen Z that means finding "green homes," according to RE/MAX.

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Market in Focus: Texas Leading in Population Growth

Eyes on Housing

Based on the Census Bureaus’ latest estimates, the population of the State of Texas grew by 470,708 persons between 2021 and 2022. This nominal increase was the largest of any state. Texas joined California as the second state to have a total population above 30 million, with a total estimated population of 30,029,572 on July 1, 2022. This population growth.

Marketing 158
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Boomers are now biggest group of buyers

Real Estate News

Millennials dominated the market in 2021, but as affordability pushed younger buyers to the sidelines, boomers took over as the top group of buyers 2022.

Buyers 272
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Homebridge to lay off employees following deal with CMG

Housing Wire

New Jersey-based Homebridge Financial Services will lay off 139 employees in June, three months after the acquisition of its retail division by CMG Mortgage, Inc. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development shows the job cuts will affect mortgage loan officers, final “docs” associates, desktop support professionals and business solutions architects, among others.

Retail 406
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Love-hate relationship with social media? Here’s how I make it work

Inman

Although people have mixed feelings about social media, there's no denying that it's a valuable tool for marketing your business. Find out how agent Nikki Beauchamp puts it to work effectively.

Tools 169
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Property Tax Revenues See Largest Increase Since 2009

Eyes on Housing

NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly state and local tax data shows that $286 billion in taxes were paid by property owners in the fourth quarter of 2022 (not seasonally adjusted).[1] State and local governments collected $714 billion in property taxes in 2022, $46 billion more than 2021. The 6.9% annual increase is the largest since property tax receipts climbed 9.3% in.

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Agents Decoded: How to get clients to contact you

Real Estate News

When Jay Thompson needed to find a great local agent, he went looking for someone with a solid online presence and good reviews — who also responded to calls.

Agents 260
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Mortgage demand gets a boost as rates decline for three straight weeks

Housing Wire

When the 30-year fixed rate dropped for the third straight week in late March, homebuyers responded, giving a boost to mortgage applications. And, following investors’ rush into bonds after the recent bank failures earlier this month, yields moved even lower last week — and mortgage rates followed. Mortgage applications increased 2.9% week over week on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending March 24, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

Mortgage 407
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ChatGPT for real estate data? It may be here sooner than you think.

Inman

Timely exploration, adoption and smart use of this technology will help real estate professionals do more with less and focus even more on creating an impeccable customer experience.

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Consumer Confidence Increased Slightly in March

Eyes on Housing

Consumer confidence rose slightly following two months of declines thanks to the optimism in the short-term outlook. Even though confidence rose in March, consumers are planning to spend less on highly discretionary categories such as concerts and dining. As a result, consumers are planning to spend more on less discretionary categories such as home maintenance and repair.

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Agents, get your sellers ready for the selling 'sweet spot'

Real Estate News

A Realtor.com analysis identified the best time to sell in 2023, and it's just around the corner. The report also said to expect a more typical spring season.

Sellers 248
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Rocket launches its first credit card to attract buyers, homeowners

Housing Wire

Rocket Companies has rolled out its first credit card in order to attract potential homebuyers and existing homeowners into its ecosystem amid one of the most challenging mortgage markets in decades. Those looking to buy a home can earn 5% back by using the Rocket Visa Signature Card for up to $8,000 that can be used toward closing costs and down payments.

Buyers 407
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Get creative with ChatGPT and level up your marketing game

Inman

Watch the new Inman Access classes with Jeff Lobb and Philip Hordijk to learn how and when you should be using ChatGPT and the importance of marketing and finding a niche for your business.

Marketing 157
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Construction Self-Employment Rises Post Pandemic

Eyes on Housing

According to the 2021 American Community Survey (ACS), 23% (or close to 2.5 million) of workers employed in construction are self-employed. This is a whole percentage point higher than the share of self employed in construction in 2019, before the pandemic rattled the labor market. Even though the Covid-19 pandemic boosted self-employment across all industries, construction self-employment rates remain significantly.

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MLS-owned Nestfully wants to make home shopping more pleasant

Real Estate News

The new home search platform, a joint venture between Bright MLS and CRMLS, aims to inspire a sense of calm and simplify the process for consumers and agents.

Agents 249
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Ex-Wyndham Capital Mortgage exec launches Cornerstone Home Loans 

Housing Wire

Donny Kirby, former vice president of national direct-to-consumer sales at Wyndham Capital Mortgage , spent more than 12 years at Charlotte, North Carolina-based company before leaving to start a mortgage broker shop, Cornerstone Home Loans. At Wyndham, Kirby led the expansion of the lender’s branches from Charlotte, North Carolina into Arizona, Texas, Utah and Missouri.

Mortgage 395
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Sherry Chris and Amory Wooden on how tech and culture ‘fuel’ ERA

Inman

As ERA Real Estate's Fuel conference unfolds this week, Chris and Wooden, the brokerage's CEO and CMO, revealed how they navigate a slow market and the technology they routinely deploy.

Brokerage 157
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2022 State-Level GDP Data

Eyes on Housing

Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in 42 states and the District of Columbia in 2022 according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Six states recorded declines while Maryland and New Hampshire reported no change. The percent change in real GDP ranged from 4.9 percent increase in Idaho to 2.4 percent decline in Alaska.

Marketing 146
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People On the Move at Real, Endpoint, Epique and Howard Hanna

Real Estate News

Alexandra Lumpkin first general counsel at Real, Shawna Hernandez lands COO role at Endpoint, Sam Rodriguez joins Epique board, Kris Burdick promoted at Hanna.

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Big Purple Dot integrates with ChatGPT for AI-powered customer support

Housing Wire

The use-cases for AI-powered chatbots just keep growing. Big Purple Dot (BPD), a mortgage and real estate customer relationship management (CRM) and recruiting solutions company in Irvine, California, announced this week the integration of ChatGPT into its CRM ecosystem. According to Big Purple Dot , it is one of the first CRM companies in the mortgage industry to integrate the ChatGPT API into its marketing platform. “We are excited to be one of the first CRM’s in the mortgage and r

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Will an inventory shortage stymie spring? Look to 1994 for clues

Inman

This spring won't be easy for homebuyers and their agents, but history is full of examples in which the supply of homes went down, but sales kept chugging along, according to an Inman analysis.

Inventory 157
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Eroding Consumer Protection

Appraiserblogs

Waiving appraisal requirements on residential homes could erode consumer protection, stall attempts to create diversity in the profession… The recent announcement from Fannie Mae that they will waive the requirement for residential home appraisals has caused quite a stir in the industry. Fannie Mae’s decision to waive appraisals during this time of soon to come recession and bank liquidity issues is both surprising and concerning, and could have serious implications for both consumers and finan