Sat.Jan 23, 2021 - Fri.Jan 29, 2021

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Home prices surge to six-year high in November

Housing Wire

Record low inventory and strong buyer demand once again pushed up the cost of homes in the U.S., as prices in November rose 9.5% nationally over the same time last year, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index. November’s numbers mark the greatest annual growth rate since February 2014 and even blew past the 8.4% gains seen in October.

Inventory 544
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Types of house in Ontario: The basics

Midtown Appraisal Group

Do you know the differences? At first glance, ‘house types’ seems obvious: We all know the difference between a 1-storey house and a 2-storey house, right? But different terminology is used for different types of homes based not just on how many storeys they contain, but also on the way the floors are arranged. Here’s […].

Appraisal 148
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The Road Ahead for Uncertain Times

DataMaster

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we have to be comfortable with uncertainty. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t do anything to prepare. (Even if the future is anything but predictable.). Recently, we held a webinar to discuss what appraisers can do in uncertain times to thrive in the future. This is the first episode of our podcast.

Finance 148
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January Newsletter – 2020 Recap

DW Slater Company

Now that 2020 is in our rearview mirror, we can take a look back and review it. I think we can all agree that this time last year, we had no idea what we were in for. We couldn’t have predicted a pandemic that would disrupt everything in our world. In Texas, March was when the impacts of the virus began as the governor issued a disaster declaration on March 13th.

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The Fed plots a slow, stable path on mortgage rates

Housing Wire

The Federal Open Market Committee left future economic policies virtually unchanged at its Wednesday meeting, indicating that short-term mortgage rates will stay low for years to come. “The pace of the recovery in economic activity and employment has moderated in recent months, with weakness concentrated in the sectors most adversely affected by the pandemic,” the FOMC added to its updated policy statement.

Mortgage 539
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Tax Tips for Appraisers and Small Business Owners

McKissock

Tax season 2021 is just around the corner. If you own your own appraisal business, or another type of small business, you may have some questions regarding the best practices for filing taxes. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of resources containing helpful info and tax advice for this year—including a Pro-Series webinar featuring business and tax tips for appraisers.

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Appraisal Checklist

AmeriMac

An appraisal is a perfect way to determine your home’s fair market value. It is the main reason homeowners get an appraisal before putting their house on the market. As a buyer, your main objective is to ensure that the appraisal reflects your home’s value without artificial inflation. On the other hand, a seller will also want an accurate valuation when selling the house.

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Zillow to list housing discrimination protections

Housing Wire

Zillow announced an update to its mobile app Thursday that aids in the fight against rental discrimination, per a company press release. Rentals listed on Zillow will now show whether or not they lie in a jurisdiction with local laws protecting renters from discrimination based on the use of Housing Choice Vouchers. The app also lists any local laws protecting renters who use veteran’s benefits or Social Security insurance payments to pay their rent.

Landlords 466
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3 Things Top Earners in Appraisal Have in Common

McKissock

What skills are correlated with financial success in the real estate appraisal industry? In a recent survey , we asked appraisers to self-evaluate their expertise across categories as expert, growing, novice or failing. Then we took a look at their earnings across those categories. We found that top earners in appraisal excel in a few key areas. Here are three things that high-earning appraisers tend to be really good at: 1.

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Landlords Should Require Renters Insurance—Here’s Why

BiggerPockets

Renters insurance can be an added expense for tenants—and yes, landlords can require you carry a policy. Learn more about the benefits of renters insurance.

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Appraisal Checklist

AmeriMac

An appraisal is a perfect way to determine your home’s fair market value. It is the main reason homeowners get an appraisal before putting their house on the market. As a buyer, your main objective is to ensure that the appraisal reflects your home’s value without artificial inflation. On the other hand, a seller will also want an accurate valuation when selling the house.

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HousingWire Lead Analyst featured on Bloomberg Radio

Housing Wire

Housing demand soared in 2020 as mortgage rates dipped to all-time lows, resulting in a banner year for mortgage originators. But strong demand and a limited housing supply also led to rising home prices, causing some to speculate about a housing bubble. However, HousingWire Lead Analyst Logan Mohtashami isn’t worried. He did a deep dive into the topic in the article Three reasons there won’t be a 2021 housing market crash , and did a follow-up interview with Bloomberg Radio , hosted by Pa

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The True Cost of Mold In Your Home

McKissock

Being able to live in a home that you have bought is one of the most rewarding achievements in one’s life. But owning a home carries with it a stream of never-ending attention, awareness, and maintenance. Your home protects you from the weather and other various elements but for it to be able to properly do this you, in turn, have to take care of it.

Law 66
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How To Choose a Financial Planner Who Gets Real Estate Investing

BiggerPockets

If you can find one of the financial planners who actually understand real estate strategy, they can give you a substantial advantage.

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Appraisal Checklist

AmeriMac

An appraisal is a perfect way to determine your home’s fair market value. It is the main reason homeowners get an appraisal before putting their house on the market. As a buyer, your main objective is to ensure that the appraisal reflects your home’s value without artificial inflation. On the other hand, a seller will also want an accurate valuation when selling the house.

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What 2020’s top forbearance exit trends mean for servicers

Housing Wire

Early COVID housing policy helped servicers care for homeowners in these first nine months of the pandemic with fast forbearances and smart deferrals. Now let’s preview how this will play out for servicers, homeowners and the housing economy in 2021. We’ll begin with the top three ways homeowners are exiting forbearance so far. Top three ways homeowners are exiting forbearance.

Mortgage 435
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Why Your Personal Real Estate Brand Is So Important

McKissock

Your real estate brand is the combination of the qualities, values, and strengths that make you who you are as a real estate agent. Your “you-ness” sets you apart from everyone else. More than that, it’s how people perceive you. That is not so easy to fake—nor should you even try. You are in the people business, and now more than ever, people crave authenticity.

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The Power of Word of Mouth in Real Estate Investing (Tell Anyone and Everyone!)

BiggerPockets

Deals brought to you can be like presents. Even one deal brought to you is worth the extra breath it takes to share your investing goals.

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Is 2021 a good time to sell your house?

Housing Wire

Last year, buyer demand increased due to record low mortgage rates. That said, because of those low mortgage rates, and fewer houses on the market, home prices went up. To put it simply, the last half of 2020 was a seller’s market. But will 2021 be the same? If you’re wondering whether it’s a good time to sell your house, keep reading. Here we break down the reasons why you should or shouldn’t sell in 2021: Should sell your house: Interest rates are low.

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Upcoming IPO could value loanDepot at $6.5B

Housing Wire

LoanDepot , one of America’s largest mortgage lenders, released pricing of its hotly anticipated independent public offering (IPO) on Wednesday. The multichannel lender said it would be selling 9.41 million shares of common stock; funds held by its private equity backer Parthenon Capital Partners would sell 5.59 million shares in the upcoming IPO.

Retail 428
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Forbearances hold steady as exits slow

Housing Wire

The U.S. forbearance rate held relatively steady last week, rising one basis point to 5.38% of servicers’ portfolio volume, according to a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association released on Monday. The virtually unchanged rate of forbearance volume can be attributed to a stalemate between steady declines in almost every investor class and a whopping 26 basis point jump in portfolio loans and private-label securities, bringing their forbearance share to 8.94%.

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MERS eNotes increase 261% in December

Housing Wire

The use of eNotes registered on the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems increased a full 261% year over year in December 2020. The MERS eNote eRegistry is managed by the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization , a subsidiary of the Mortgage Bankers Association. It is used by lenders and market participants to track the control and ownership eNotes.

Law 421
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Mortgage rates dip back down to 2.73%

Housing Wire

The average mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan fell four basis points last week to 2.73%, according to Freddie Mac ’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. This is the second week mortgage rates have ticked downwards since Jan. 14’s sudden jump , but still more closely resembles the rates seen around Thanksgiving. The 15-year fixed mortgage rate also shifted downward to 2.2 from 2.21 the week prior.

Mortgage 421
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Loan officers made insane money in Q4 2020

Housing Wire

Over $4 trillion in originations made its way through the housing market last year, and new data from mortgage software firm LBA Ware revealed that by the end of 2020, loan officers played every last card in their deck to get those deals closed by New Years. Total funded loan volume by loan officers in Q4 2020 increased 106% from the fourth quarter of 2019, a data analysis by the software firm found.

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Industry mourns death of PennyMac’s Stanford Kurland

Housing Wire

PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust announced that company founder and Non-Executive Chairman Stanford Kurland died at age 68 due to complications from COVID-19. Kurland had also been battling brain cancer. The company and industry leaders alike mourned his passing, calling him an “esteemed industry leader, visionary and friend.”. “I am deeply saddened to share the news of Stan’s passing,” PMT President and CEO David Spector said.

Mortgage 362
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The home inspection process: Should you skip it?

Housing Wire

People often confuse the home appraisal with the home inspection. Appraisals are estimates of a home’s value — and they’re typically required before you can close on your mortgage loan. Inspections, on the other hand, are designed to assess the condition of the home, and they’re 100% optional for the buyer. Does that mean you should skip one and save the $300 to $700 one will cost you?

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Mortgage servicers take steps to support borrowers amid COVID-19

Housing Wire

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, borrowers are facing new financial risks. According to Black Knight, as of late November, 2.73 million homeowners were still in a forbearance plan, down from the May 2020 peak of 4.7 million. Even though the forbearance numbers continue to fall, homeowners are showing signs of distress. As a result, call volume to servicers spiked to a level not seen since last April.

Mortgage 373
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Homepoint’s Maria Fregosi talks IPO

Housing Wire

Home Point Financial, the parent company of wholesale lender Homepoint , joined the growing ranks of nonbank mortgage lenders listed on the public markets. As HousingWire first reported Thursday night , the company plans to raise $94.25 million on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in its debut. The IPO is a secondary offering, meaning the company itself isn’t selling shares and will not receive proceeds.

Investors 353
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Roostify snags $32 million in its first Series C funding round

Housing Wire

Digital mortgage platform Roostify announced on Tuesday it has raised another $32 million in a Series C funding round amid a booming real estate market, bringing the tech startup’s total capital to $65 million. Roostify, which powers the digital mortgage platforms of JPMorgan Chase , TD Bank , Guild Mortgage , HSBC Bank USA and more, allows different lending parties to bring in data and information from online sources that then tailors the homebuying process.

Lending 346
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How this real estate brokerage’s unique model generates more profit for agents

Housing Wire

Technology has rapidly changed the process for listing and buying homes, and the general public is taking note and adjusting their expectations of what a real estate broker should be. The public is demanding a broker that offers the same cost savings and efficiencies in the real estate market that they receive everywhere else. Other areas of commerce have rushed to provide that demand, but real estate brokers have been reluctant to innovate and rock the boat that has been steady for so long.

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SitusAMC acquires Assimilate Solutions

Housing Wire

Real estate services and technology firm SitusAMC on Monday announced its acquisition of mortgage and title outsourcer Assimilate Solutions – the second acquisition by the New York-based firm in January, and its fourth overall in less than a year. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In a statement, SitusAMC said its latest acquisition will help to expand its residential mortgage offerings.

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HousingWire launches Spring Summit on March 4

Housing Wire

The volume of homes sold or refinanced in 2020 was incredible, with total origination volume expected to top $4 trillion for the year once all the numbers are in. Wanting to take advantage of record low mortgage rates to gain more space in a pandemic, consumers didn’t follow traditional seasonal buying patterns , fueling a non-stop race to find and buy a house.

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Rising mortgage rates push applications lower

Housing Wire

For the second week in a row , mortgage applications decreased – this time, down 4.1% for the week ending Jan. 22, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The 30-year-fixed rate rose to 2.95%, its highest level since November 2020, according to Joel Kan, MBA associate vice president of economic and industry forecasting. All other mortgage rates in the survey posted a decline. “In a sign that borrowers are increasingly more sensitive to higher rates, large declines in

Mortgage 304
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Finance leader at Guaranteed Rate says “don’t fade the fed”

Housing Wire

Over the past six months, mergers and acquisitions, huge financing rounds and public offerings have dominated headlines across the real estate and housing finance sector. This level of action is keeping finance executives like Jeremy Collett , Executive Director, Capital Markets at Guaranteed Rate busier than ever. “This is such an interesting topic right now,” said Collett.

Finance 261