Housing Wire

AUGUST 25, 2023

Retail lender AmeriFirst Financial Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware, just two months after it got back into the forward mortgage origination business. The Mesa, Arizona-based company listed estimated assets and liabilities as much as $100 million each, according to a filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Delaware. RCP Credit Opportunities Fund is listed as the largest unsecured creditor in the AmeriFirst Chapter 11 case — with a claim of $17.9 million, court pleading

Mortgage 370

Mortgage Retail Business Lending 370

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

AUGUST 23, 2023

Rates have gone up, but have they sucked all the demand out of the market? Nope. Let’s talk about that today by looking at a few stats. Also, someone asked if the stock market is connected to the housing market, so l made a cool graph. I have a few thoughts on insurance in California […] The post Higher rates, insurance, & the stock market vs real estate first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog | Real Estate Appraiser.

Real Estate 244

Real Estate Insurance Marketing Housing Market 244

George Dell

AUGUST 23, 2023

Scope of Work is required in legacy appraisal practice. Data Science (and Evidence Based Valuation) are more based on principles of good science. Editor’s Note: This is Standards, part 3.11 of George Dell’s series on How Do I Move to EBV? Links to the earlier posts are here. To sum up, the goal of traditional […] The post Scope or Hypothesis?

Valuation 195

Valuation Appraisal 195

Real Estate News

AUGUST 23, 2023

Chris Speicher feels "numb" in the wake of devastating wildfires but is committed to helping the community rebuild — in the right way.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 25, 2023

Zillow ‘s mortgage arm launched a down payment assistance program where the company will cover 2% of the borrower’s down payment at closing, allowing buyers to pay just 1% upfront. The program is available for eligible borrowers in Arizona and will expand to additional markets, Zillow Home Loans said in a release. The 2% portion of the down payment will be paid during closing and not as a payment to the borrower. “For those who can afford higher rent payments but have been held

Mortgage 370

Mortgage Buyers Agents Business 370

The Appraiser Coach

AUGUST 22, 2023

My inbox is my to-do list. If I talk to someone and they need something done, I tell them, “Send me an email.” If.

Inspection 195

Inspection Advertising Real Estate Agent Government 195

Real Estate News

AUGUST 19, 2023

More than 4,000 eXp Realty agents in 12 markets will be helped by NorthstarMLS, which has offered to assist other major companies as well.

Agents 246

Agents Realty Marketing 246

Housing Wire

AUGUST 25, 2023

Keller Williams is going with the carrot and the stick approach. The franchisor just announced a significant adjustment to its profit sharing program, aimed at rewarding agents who stay with the company and punishing vested agents who left for competitors. Keller Williams President Marc King last week wrote in an email that the company will cut the profit share distribution for vested “former” KW agents (agents who joined the company before April 1, 2020) who jumped ship to another brokerage fro

Agents 370

Agents Brokerage Real Estate Business 370

Eyes on Housing

AUGUST 24, 2023

The residential remodeling market has grown rapidly in the past few years, mainly fueled by changes in housing and lifestyle decisions during the pandemic period. According to National Income and Product Accounts (NIPA), expenditures for residential home improvements soared 13% to $328 billion in 2021, from $289 billion in 2020. This marks the largest gain since 1993 (16% increase).

Home Improvement 148

Home Improvement Marketing Construction 148

Inman

AUGUST 24, 2023

Barbara Corcoran told "Good Morning America" viewers on Wednesday that she doesn't foresee prices dropping any time soon but could see them spiking once mortgage rates come down.

Mortgage 148

Mortgage 148

Real Estate News

AUGUST 24, 2023

The company said the new program, initially launching in Phoenix, will help ease one of the biggest barriers to entry for buying a home.

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Housing Wire

AUGUST 25, 2023

In a hawkish tone, Jerome Powell said that Federal Reserve (Fed) officials are prepared to raise the federal funds rate further and hold it at high levels until they are confident that inflation is moving sustainably down to the 2% target. And that’s unclear at this point. There are some sources of pressure on U.S. prices — among them is the housing market, Powell said Friday morning during an economic policy symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “So far this year, GDP [gross domestic

Transportation 370

Transportation Housing Market Mortgage Marketing 370

Eyes on Housing

AUGUST 23, 2023

The missing middle construction sector includes development of medium-density housing, such as townhouses, duplexes and other small multifamily properties. The multifamily segment of the missing middle (apartments in 2- to 4-unit properties) has disappointed since the Great Recession. For the second quarter of 2023, there were just 3,000 2- to 4-unit housing unit construction starts.

Construction 148

Construction Development 148

Inman

AUGUST 25, 2023

The most explosive damage to the National Association of Realtors and the overall industry will result if the defendants lose one or both so-called bombshell lawsuits. Author and trainer Nancy Ross breaks down the possible repercussions.

Realtors 148

Realtors Brokerage Agents Marketing 148

Real Estate News

AUGUST 22, 2023

Starting next July, former KW agents who compete against the company will see their profit share distribution reduced from 100% to 5%.

Agents 246

Agents 246

Housing Wire

AUGUST 24, 2023

Shares of Better Home & Finance Holding , the parent of digital lender Better.com, collapsed during its debut on Nasdaq Thursday. The company went public after merging with the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Aurora Acquisition Corp. the prior day. Better’s class A common stock, listed under the ticker “BETR,” declined to $1.15 at the closing on Thursday.

Insurance 370

Insurance Mortgage Realtors Business 370

Eyes on Housing

AUGUST 21, 2023

Between 2021 and 2022, the state of Georgia gained 124,827 residents. This was the fourth largest population gain in the U.S. and one of only four states to have a nominal population increase above 100,000. In percentage terms, Georgia’s population grew at 1.2% between this time. This was the state’s highest percentage increase in population since 2016.

Marketing 147

Marketing 147

Inman

AUGUST 24, 2023

Beloved Keller Williams Moorestown agent Rob Montalbano died in a Lake Travis boating accident on Aug. 13. His brokerage and community have rallied to raise more than $68,000 for funeral costs.

Agents 148

Agents Brokerage 148

Real Estate News

AUGUST 22, 2023

Researchers from Zillow, Freddie Mac, and Goldman Sachs all issued revised, rising 2023 home value and price forecasts in the past week.

Home Value 239

Home Value 239

Housing Wire

AUGUST 24, 2023

Homebuyer affordability remained unchanged in July from June, according to Mortgage Bankers Association ‘s (MBA) Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI). The index measures how new monthly mortgage payments vary across time, relative to income, drawing from data from MBA ’s weekly applications survey. The national median payment applied for by purchase applicants was $2,162 in July, up $318 from a year prior but unchanged from June.

Mortgage 370

Mortgage Inventory 370

Eyes on Housing

AUGUST 24, 2023

Data from the Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Market Absorptions of New Multifamily Units (SOMA) indicates that demand for newly completed multifamily units remains solid as mortgage rates continue to climb. Only an estimated 39% of the 82,310 unfurnished apartment units completed in the first quarter of 2023 are available for rent three months past construction completion.

Construction 143

Construction Mortgage Marketing 143

Inman

AUGUST 24, 2023

Insurance as a hot-button issue is likely not going away anytime soon. Unfortunately, as long as Mother Nature is in control, agents, buyers and sellers need to be more proactive than ever, broker Cara Ameer writes.

Insurance 148

Insurance Clients Sellers Agents 148

Real Estate News

AUGUST 20, 2023

Red Oak Realty CEO Vanessa Bergmark has clear goals for growth — and for finding and keeping great agents, no matter the market.

Agents 242

Agents Business Realty Marketing 242

Housing Wire

AUGUST 24, 2023

Soaring mortgage rates are taking a major chunk out of homebuyers’ budgets, according to a new report from Redfin. A homebuyer on a $3,000 monthly budget, for example, could afford a $429,000 home with a 7.4% mortgage rate, using rate data from August 23. That buyer lost $71,000 in purchasing power compared to one year ago when a $500,000 home would have been accessible to them with an average rate of about 5.5%.

Buyers 370

Buyers Agents Inventory Mortgage 370

Realtor

AUGUST 24, 2023

Photo-Illustration by Realtor.com; Source: Getty Images We all get a thrill when a home near ours sells for a nice juicy price, and we think maybe that’s what our property is worth, too. But the truth is, what determines property value isn’t always a one-size-fits-all number. Instead, property value is determined by everything from the year your home was built to its proximity to transportation to the number of bedrooms.

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Sellers Appraisal Buyers Transportation 123

Inman

AUGUST 25, 2023

Pending home sales rose 0.7 percent from June to July, reversing seven months of declines. However, rising rates and home prices are poised to stifle sales growth into the fall, Redfin said.

Sellers 147

Sellers Inventory Buyers Marketing 147

Real Estate News

AUGUST 23, 2023

New construction got another boost in July, with sales up 31.5% year-over-year. Rising mortgage rates may reverse that trend.

Construction 229

Construction Mortgage 229

Housing Wire

AUGUST 23, 2023

New York-based digital lender Better.com announced Wednesday the closing of its business combination with the special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Aurora Acquisition Corp , , ending a two-year journey to make the business public. Better HoldCo, Inc. and Aurora are creating Better Home & Finance Holding Company , which will have Class A common stock listed on the Nasdaq under the ticker “BETR” starting Thursday.

Finance 370

Finance Insurance Mortgage Realtors 370

GoForrmz

AUGUST 25, 2023

A strategic discussion around the barriers to digital data capture in global healthcare The global healthcare industry has seen more than its fair share of concerns and upsets over the last few years, and from those unprecedented moments, we’ve learned a lot about the future of healthcare data. While we may not have all the answers or the best solutions implemented, we do know a lot more about what challenges we may face in the future, and some of the ways we can work together as a global commun

Investing 78

Investing Business 78

Inman

AUGUST 23, 2023

The franchisor will drastically slash profit share for "vested KW agents who actively compete with our brokerages" unless they return within six months, Keller Williams President Marc King said Tuesday.

Agents 148

Agents Brokerage Realty 148

Real Estate News

AUGUST 19, 2023

Century 21 gains Arkansas firm, names new CEO in Chicagoland; Realty ONE enters Belize; Texas mega-team joins Pinnacle; Ansley Christie's nabs top E&V agent.

Realty 199

Realty Brokerage Agents 199

Housing Wire

AUGUST 23, 2023

New York-based digital lender Better.com has shifted its strategy ahead of its initial public offering (IPO). Following a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Aurora Acquisition Corp , Better Home & Financing Co. is expected to begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange on Thursday under the ticker symbol “BETR.” Better is partnering with other businesses to offer services such as homeowner’s insurance and to provide access to a network of real estate agen

Realtors 370

Realtors Technology Insurance Mortgage 370

Eyes on Housing

AUGUST 25, 2023

Interest rates on loans for Acquisition, Development & Construction (AD&C) continued to climb in the second quarter of 2023, according to NAHB’s quarterly Survey on AD&C Financing. Quarter-over-quarter, the contract interest rate increased on all four categories of loans tracked in the AD&C Survey: from 8.50% to 8.62% on loans for land acquisition, from 8.19% to 8.70% on loans for.

Construction 78

Construction Contracts Finance Development 78

Inman

AUGUST 23, 2023

As mortgage rates hit new post-pandemic highs on inflation worries, an MBA survey finds applications for purchase loans fell for the sixth consecutive week last week and are down 30 percent from a year ago.

Mortgage 148

Mortgage Marketing 148