Sat.Apr 10, 2021 - Fri.Apr 16, 2021

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Here it is: Biden’s first-time homebuyer tax credit legislation

Housing Wire

Consumers have been closely following President Joe Biden’s proposed first-time homebuyer tax credit , but the newest form of that proposal has several significant restrictions. The latest draft of a down-payment assistance bill would provide $25,000 to first-time homebuyers, but only those who are also first-generation homebuyers and economically disadvantaged.

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Appraisers: Fraud is Not Okay

The Appraiser Coach

Some people might say a public forum isn’t the place to air this dirty laundry, but this is not really a public forum. Of my thousands of readers, very few. Read More.

Appraisal 370
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The housing market feels like chaos

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

It feels like chaos out there. The housing market is on steroids and it’s mind-blowing to see such rapid growth lately. Today I want to unpack ten things I’m watching in today’s market. For my out-of-area readers, I’m guessing you are probably seeing the same trends. But please let me know. What is similar or […].

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The Complete Guide to Virtual House Hunting During COVID-19

Cleveland Appraisal Blog

Hello everyone! I am honored to welcome back Author Jessica Brody , with a new and timely article that I think you will find helpful if you’re looking to buy a home. Enjoy! The Complete Guide to Virtual House Hunting During COVID-19. Whether you were already diving into the home buying process when COVID-19 hit the headlines, or you were just thinking about getting started, home buyers everywhere are wondering if they can go forward with their moving plans.

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Working with buyers in the nation’s hottest housing market

Housing Wire

Austin, Texas might be the hottest housing market in the country. The Lone Star State’s friendly tax policies combined with the city’s huge tech scene and its cool factor have made it a destination for Silicon Valley types for several years. In addition to the same demographic factors driving growth elsewhere — all those millennials buying homes — the number of companies relocating there is a huge draw.

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Better Faster Appraising?

George Dell

Faster we understand! But what is “better”? Faster is one of the ways we can make more money. Faster can be personally satisfying — if I can deliver a good or better product by being more efficient. Efficiency comes through good systems, and personal competency. Aha! So better can involve better systems, and more knowledge. […]. The post Better Faster Appraising?

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6 Fields & Features to Add To Your Digital Manufacturing Contracts

GoForrmz

Augment your manufacturing contracts with these powerful fields and features Digital form fields and features can significantly improve the completeness and professionalism of your manufacturing contracts and service agreements. Your manufacturing forms can be easily digitized for use on phones, tablets, and computers, making it easy to generate and dispatch forms from any location.

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2 million refi candidates eligible after mortgage rate drop

Housing Wire

Another 2 million borrowers could save an average of nearly $300 a month on a refinance thanks to last week’s 10-basis-point drop in mortgage rates. Recent data from Black Knight found the number of high-quality refi candidates moved back up to 13 million last week — potentially putting $3.6 billion back in to homeowners pockets. On March 25, the data analytics company reported 7 million high-quality candidates fell through the cracks on the market’s “forever rates” after

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How accurate is a Zestimate vs a Home Appraisal?

Chicagoland Appraisal Blog

When Zillow first came out, real estate appraisers would often hear “Zillow says my home value is…” This is usually followed by a cringed face and sigh. To put this debate to rest, o ur lead appraiser John did a sampling of recently appraised homes in Chicago to see how Zillow stacks up against a local real estate appraiser. We first started at what Zillow says about the accuracy of Zestimates.

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Appraisal Waivers Explosion

Appraiserblogs

For all the talk about how important appraisers are to risk management by the GSEs, we really aren’t. There is a compelling blog post using AEI data by Ryan Lundquist over at Sacramento Appraiser Blog. Appraisal waivers have really exploded in recent years – especially during the pandemic. But how many are there exactly? Let’s look at actual numbers to walk away with some perspective.

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ProTip: Clear Signature Fields When a Digital Form is Edited

GoForrmz

Elevate your approval workflows with Signature fields configured to ‘clear’ as soon as a form field is edited Configuring your electronic Signature fields to clear as soon as another field has been edited can help to eliminate miscommunication, avoid oversight, and minimize disputes regarding approvals and authorizations. For example, imagine you are a job site superintendent responsible for signing off on a form detailing the steps of a critical safety review.

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These were March’s hottest housing markets

Housing Wire

In modern history, the housing market has never seen a month like March. Record demand and the lowest levels of inventory on record pushed sales prices to record highs in March and made life very complicated for buyers, real estate agents, builders and lenders across the United States. The national median home-sale price hit a record high of $353,000 in March — up 17% from 2020 — according to a new report from Redfin.

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Why Are Appraisers So Happy With Their Jobs?

DataMaster

Who’s happy at their job? Real estate appraisers are! Appraisers have higher-than-usual job satisfaction. With an impressive job satisfaction rating of 79.4 percent , real estate appraisers in the United States are generally much happier at their jobs than other Americans are. It’s a sad truth, but only a pitiful 54 percent of American workers report that they are satisfied with their jobs!

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Why Are Appraisers Banned?

Appraiserblogs

I just got out of an interesting conversation I had with my CPA. Eventually, our conversation veered onto the topic of work. I was curious about what it takes to get into his field (not that I’m interested in getting into it at all). We talked about our respective professions and about changes occurring in the real estate appraisal field. We got into talking about what it means to be a CPA, which is different than being an accountant.

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The Untethered Worker Is the New Sunbird

Empire Appraisal Group

The Untethered Worker Is the New Sunbird. Source: The Untethered Worker Is the New Sunbird | Florida Realtors. By Jennifer Quinn. Florida Realtors economist : Turning seasons into verbs – “We wintered in Florida” – was once a trait of wealthy retirees. But a newly untethered workforce working at home because of the pandemic is now also considering weather-based migration, albeit a little differently.

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Should government help create housing market supply?

Housing Wire

If demographics are economics, and we accept that in the years 2020 to 2024 the U.S. will have the best housing demographics in history , then it follows that home prices could take off in an unhealthy way. In 2021, we already have the unhealthiest housing market — in terms of low housing market supply and multiple bids for each sale — than we have had in the last 10 years.

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Why Are Appraisers So Happy With Their Jobs?

DataMaster

Who’s happy at their job? Real estate appraisers are! Appraisers have higher-than-usual job satisfaction. With an impressive job satisfaction rating of 79.4 percent , real estate appraisers in the United States are generally much happier at their jobs than other Americans are. It’s a sad truth, but only a pitiful 54 percent of American workers report that they are satisfied with their jobs!

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Here’s What Your Mortgage Lender Wants You To Know About Buying a House Right Now

Realtor

Getty Images Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, people want—and need—to buy homes. The housing market has been red-hot for a while, but the current market conditions make buying more of a challenge than ever. “There is a shortage of houses in many markets. This is creating bidding wars, offers over asking, and appraisal gaps—houses are going quickly,” says Shanon Schinkel , branch manager and mortgage lender at HomeTown.

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Template Versioning: Publish Updates to Your Form Templates While Maintaining Historical Data

GoForrmz

Publish updates to your form Templates while protecting data collected within previous versions, with Template Versioning Template Versioning allows users to Publish updates to their form Templates. Each time a Template is Published , a new version becomes available for future forms to be created from. These published changes do not impact forms created from the original version of the Template.

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Want to boost your home’s property value? Plant a tree

Housing Wire

There’s no denying shopping for a home is time-consuming. You have to pay attention to everything – the neighborhood, floorplan, proximity to work, school district and cost. Even if you plan to live in the home for years, you want features that’ll increase your property’s value for when the time eventually comes to sell it. And while homeowners often scramble to renovate kitchens and bathrooms, remember to pay attention to your yard’s foliage. .

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Why Are Appraisers So Happy With Their Jobs?

DataMaster

Who’s happy at their job? Real estate appraisers are! Appraisers have higher-than-usual job satisfaction. With an impressive job satisfaction rating of 79.4 percent , real estate appraisers in the United States are generally much happier at their jobs than other Americans are. It’s a sad truth, but only a pitiful 54 percent of American workers report that they are satisfied with their jobs!

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How to Find a Home Appraiser During a Divorce

Appraisal Hub

Selling, buying, or refinancing a home takes time, and things become even more complicated when you’re dealing with a divorce. Finding a property appraiser in Toronto should be one of the first things on your to-do list. Don’t know where to start? Don’t panic. This short guide outlines everything you need to know. Finding a divorce property appraiser in Toronto.

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4 Ways to Turn Past Real Estate Clients Into Repeat Business

McKissock

How many of your real estate clients have used you before in a home sale? A survey by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) said 91 percent of buyers would likely use the same real estate sales agent again or recommend them to a friend. Unfortunately, that number is much higher than clients who actually did use the same agent again. This incredible gap is ultimately caused by lack of follow-up, not staying in touch, and poor client tracking on the part of real estate agents.

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Mortgage rates move down to 3.04%

Housing Wire

The average U.S. mortgage rate fell for the second consecutive week, down nine basis points to 3.04%, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Despite rates mirroring mid-march levels, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, doesn’t expect them to hold. “The economy is improving on the demand side and on the supply side, a variety of goods and materials remain scarce,” said Khater. “As a result of this imbalance, pricing pressures are building and cau

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Barbara Corcoran’s Top 5 Tips for Winning During a Market Downturn

BiggerPockets

Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran has dealt with her fair share of market downturns—and she knows how to find opportunity in a struggling economy. Here, read her top five tips on becoming (or staying) successful in trying times.

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National lender hires former Wells Fargo executive

Valuation Review

Embrace Home Loans named Jason Will as the senior vice president of market growth, a newly created role at the company, according to a press release. Read on for more information about this new hire and position.

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What Does a Commercial Real Estate Appraiser Do?

Real Quantum

What Does a Commercial Real Estate Appraiser Do? W hen people think of appraisers they usually think of residential appraising. Most people’s only experience with an appraiser is when they buy a home. The role of commercial real estate appraiser may not be as well-known, but they have many similarities. What does a commercial real estate appraiser do?

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NAR schedules proxy war with Zillow

Housing Wire

SentriLock , the home lockbox company wholly owned by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), announced Tuesday that they created a computer and smart phone platform to help real estate agents juggle their home showing appointments. The development is intriguing for a few reasons. For one, SentriLock, which is a 19-year-old company located a few miles north of Cincinnati, said the product is an attempt to compete against ShowingTime , which is the industry leader in the home-showing appointm

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Here’s What $27 Trillion In Debt Looks Like

BiggerPockets

The United States is awash in debt—trillions of dollars of debt, in fact. But understanding the sheer scope of that debt is difficult. Here are some charts to help you visualize.

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Fannie: Housing sentiment jumps

Valuation Review

The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) increased in March by 5.2 points to 81.7. Four of the HPSI’s six components increased month-over-month, including the components related to homebuying and homeselling conditions, household income, and home prices. Read on to learn more.

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10 Tips on How to Study for the Real Estate Exam and Pass on Your First Try!

CA Realty Training

By Bettina Siochi | 04.12.21. 150 questions, 3 hours, at least a 70%? You got this! The real estate exam is the last step needed to get your real estate license and become an agent. If you’re putting pressure on yourself to perform, then it’s time to ease up the gas and apply these tips to help you study smarter and better. From creating a schedule to mastering your mental game, these study tips will help you feel confident and ready for the real estate state exam. .

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Redfin: Selling your home? List it midweek

Housing Wire

A new report from Redfin shows that homes listed midweek sell for an average of $1,700 more than homes listed on the weekend, based on homes sold above their list price from July 2020 through February 2021. And they sell faster, too. Putting a home on the market on a Friday or Saturday is risky, since potential buyers may have already filled their weekend with other home tours, said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.

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Build a Six-Figure Student Housing Portfolio in Just Eight Steps

BiggerPockets

Real estate doesn't have to be frightening. Investing in college rentals may seem like a good way to find trouble, but careful analysis and screening solve most potential issues.

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S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index reports home price gain in 2021

Valuation Review

S&P Dow Jones Indices released the latest results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices. Data released for January 2021 shows that home prices continue to increase across the U.S. More than 27 years of history are available for the data series. Read on to learn more.

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