Sat.Oct 10, 2020 - Fri.Oct 16, 2020

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Luxury home sales rise 41.5%, making biggest jump since 2013

Housing Wire

In the largest increase since 2013, luxury home sales rose 41.5% in the third quarter, according to a new report from Redfin. While sales in this segment of the housing market have skyrocketed, the sales of medium-priced homes went up only 3% and sales of affordable homes actually declined by 4.2%. “The luxury housing market normally takes a hit during recessions as wealthy Americans tighten their purse strings, but this isn’t a normal recession,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in

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Robert “Bob” Weiler Honored with the C-Suite Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 from Columbus Business First

The Robert Weiler Company

Each year, Columbus Business First recognizes industry executives who stand at the forefront of the Central Ohio business by embodying exemplary leadership qualities. This year, Columbus Business First chose Robert “Bob” Weiler as an honoree for the C-Suite Lifetime Achievement Award 2020! The 2020 awards and honorees are especially significant due to the changing landscape of business worldwide because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Business 148
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Promoting Public Trust Part 11:  Competency 

Riverfront Appraisals

Competency, as defined by the Google Dictionary, is “the ability to do something successfully or efficiently.” Competency is a tough beast to wrangle though, because who gets to say someone is competent? How is competency measured? Why does it matter? Competency is a big part of the appraisal world and is one of the keys […]. The post Promoting Public Trust Part 11: Competency appeared first on Riverfront Appraisals.

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How A Home Appraisal Works

Appraisal Hub

Lenders will typically require you to do a home appraisal when applying for a loan, whether you are refinancing your mortgage or in the market to buy a house. That’s because they want to determine how much risk is involved in the deal. You will have to work with a property appraiser who is ideally from one of the top appraisal firms in Toronto. These professionals have the tools, knowledge, and experience to provide the services you need and support you in your efforts to get the best loan that

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The Pandemic’s Impact on Consumer Shopping Behavior in Mortgage & Real Estate

Housing Wire

Our job as mortgage professionals is to help consumers when and how they need us. This is especially important in the current crisis as the behaviors of both consumers and those in the housing industry are changing. Join Jornaya ’s Head of Consumer Finance Mike Eshelman and Chief Marketing Officer Rich Smith as they discuss consumer shopping trends and the impacts on the housing industry.

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7 Common Questions Clients Have Before Selling Their Home

McKissock

Between the complexities of the real estate market and the changeable landscape of financing and property value, your clients likely have an abundance of questions regarding the sale of their home. We took a poll of some recent sellers and found the following questions to be the most frequent. We’ve also re-capped some common answers from our network of real estate experts.

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Real Haunted Places in Killeen, TX

Hood Homes Blog

Maxdale Bridge. Maxdale Bridge is well known by all locals to be the #1 haunted destination in the area. More than one high schooler has challenged one another to brave the bridge. Supposed ghost sightings have included witnessing corpses hanging from the bridge, ghosts walking about with limps, One story is that a school bus of children perished on the bridge, and if you honk your horn, you will witness your car windows fogging from their breath against the windows.

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The forbearance crash bros spoke too soon

Housing Wire

The health and economic crisis has made 2020 a horrific year for many Americans. Added to all that misery we had terrible fires in the West and hurricanes in the East. From my perspective, that ball in Times Square can’t drop fast enough hailing the end of this year. One might think that with all the bad juju circulating the planet lately, people would be extra careful not to bring more misery upon themselves.

Inventory 545
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Cosmetic vs. MPR Repairs: Guidance for FHA Appraisers

McKissock

According to HUD Handbook 4000.1, the intended users for an FHA appraisal report are FHA and the mortgagee. FHA appraisals are not a guarantee that the property is free from defects. The appraisal establishes the value of the property for mortgage insurance purposes only. If you are appraising a property that needs some cosmetic repairs but meets FHA minimum property requirements (MPR) in its current condition, you should make the appraisal “as-is.” Here is some guidance on cosmetic

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What Are 5 Ways I Can Increase Home Safety & Security?

REX Real Estate

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many homeowners found themselves with plenty of time to complete…

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Average 30-year mortgage rate falls to another all-time low

Housing Wire

The average U.S. mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan fell to 2.81% this week, the lowest in Freddie Mac’s survey history, the mortgage giant said in a report on Thursday. The rate fell six basis points from the week prior and is now five basis points lower than the original all-time low set in mid-September. The average fixed rate for a 15-year mortgage was 2.35%, falling from last week’s 2.37% — matching the record set three weeks ago.

Mortgage 541
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National Fair Housing Alliance partners with LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance

Housing Wire

The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance organization announced that it is partnering with the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) and has landed its first corporate sponsor, Engel & V?lkers. The LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance, which officially launched on Oct. 1, is an inclusive member-based organization dedicated to enhancing the professional lives of its members while providing consumers with the proper resources to assist in buying and selling their home.

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Homes in high-risk wildfire areas are more affordable

Housing Wire

Wildfires continue to rip through the west coast, but that doesn’t mean homebuyers won’t purchase in high-risk areas. More than 4.5 million homes are located in areas at high risk of wildfire across the states of Washington, Oregon and California, with a total estimated home value of $3.3 trillion, a new Redfin report said. Since 2012, the median sale price of homes in ZIP codes with a low wildfire risk has increased 101% compared to an 88% increase for homes in high-risk ZIP codes,

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Ahead of its big IPO, United Wholesale Mortgage reports record volume and margins

Housing Wire

Just one quarter away from its expected public debut, United Wholesale Mortgage reported record loan volume in the third quarter. The Detroit-based company, the largest wholesale lender in the U.S. , originated $54.2 billion in closed loans during the third quarter, an 81% increase from the $29.9 billion it originated in Q3 2019 (loan volume was up 31.8% from Q2 2020).

Mortgage 496
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Blackstone-owned lender and servicer Finance of America to go public

Housing Wire

End-to-end lending and services platform Finance of America Capital is the latest mortgage company to get in on the mushrooming IPO craze. The lender and servicer, owned by the Blackstone Group’s Tactical Opportunities business, is slated to go public in the first half of 2021 through a special purpose acquisition company at a $1.9 billion valuation.

Finance 491
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Protected: Now is a Great Time to Refinance Your Home! Here are 5 Reasons Why

Housing Wire

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: The post Protected: Now is a Great Time to Refinance Your Home! Here are 5 Reasons Why appeared first on HousingWire.

Mortgage 479
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Some notaries are saying no to RON

Housing Wire

California has distinguished itself as the state that may never accept remote online notarization (RON). The state has no legislation permitting RON, and has even gone so far as to write to Congress opposing proposed bills that would make RON legal in all 50 states. Earlier this year, the state once again looked at RON legislation with its bill AB 199.

Legal 473
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How did Wells Fargo and Bank of America’s mortgage businesses perform in the third quarter?

Housing Wire

Though its earnings were disappointing overall, residential lending at Wells Fargo rebounded in the third quarter, both in terms of income and origination volume. The bank originated $62 billion in home loans during the third quarter, up 5% from $59 billion in the prior quarter. In the third quarter of 2019, Wells Fargo originated $58 billion in mortgages.

Business 473
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After record fall of 18%, forbearances rose slightly last week

Housing Wire

After plummeting 18% the week prior, the number of mortgages in active forbearance rose by 19,000 last week, according to a new report by Black Knight on Friday. Though the raw number increased, the number of all mortgages in active forbearance remained at 5.6% , unchanged from the week prior. Oct. 9 marked the first week forbearances fell below 3 million since April, and despite last week’s uptick, that record held steady after a reported 2.99 million homeowners remained in COVID-19-related for

Mortgage 458
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NAR launches Spanish language version of website

Housing Wire

In time for National Hispanic Heritage Month, the National Association of Realtors has launched ‘NAR en Español,’ a Spanish language subsite to the association’s main webpage. According to NAR, its Spanish-speaking membership continues to grow at a historic pace. Since 2018, the NAR en Español initiative has helped Spanish-speaking Realtors leverage networking and additional sources, the association said.

Realtors 450
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Mortgage applications see slight decline despite 3% mortgage rate

Housing Wire

Mortgage applications held relatively steady last week, falling 0.7% from the week prior, according to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. After hitting their highest level since mid-August the week before, refinances experienced a slight 0.3% dip but remained 44% higher than the same week a year ago. Refinances also continued to inch closer to two-thirds share of mortgage activity as they increased to 65.6% of total applications.

Mortgage 441
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Lingering challenges servicers are still facing as a result of COVID-19

Housing Wire

Some sectors of the housing industry have begun adjusting to the new normal brought on by COVID-19; however, servicers continue to face a number of lingering challenges related to the CARES Act and increasing forbearance numbers. Under the CARES Act, homeowners have been able to ask for forbearance from their mortgage servicers and suspend payments for up to 12 months.

Legal 432
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StreamLoan expands into insurtech with Progressive deal

Housing Wire

This article was written for FinLedger, HW Media’s new fintech focused news brand designed specifically for financial services professionals in banking, payments, insurance and proptech. Register for the FinLedger Daily Newsletter. Fintech startup StreamLoan is dipping its toe in the insurtech pool. San Francisco-based StreamLoan has forged a partnership with insurance giant Progressive enabling home buyers and homeowners who use StreamLoan’s digital mortgage platform to obtain quotes for homeow

Insurance 420
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This techie mortgage broker has cleared $1 billion in originations this year. And now Thuan Nguyen is scaling up

Housing Wire

In 2013, Thuan Nguyen was working out of his chaotic office in the heart of Silicon Valley. You’d find him there from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. At that point, Loan Factory had about 200 loans and just 13 employees. They hustled, too. “The office was like a market,” Nguyen recalled. “It was so noisy, stuff was everywhere. We couldn’t keep track of things.

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Protected: How much house can I afford to buy?

Housing Wire

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password: The post Protected: How much house can I afford to buy? appeared first on HousingWire.

Mortgage 397
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People movers: Amherst, Notarize, Zillow Group

Housing Wire

The Amherst Group , a real estate investment, development and operating firm, announced another executive-level appointment, hiring Gillian Sutton Cho as chief operating officer of investment management. In her new position, she is responsible for all investor-facing services and operations, and for growing assets under management for all Amherst strategies.

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JPMorgan Chase’s mortgage business getting back to normal

Housing Wire

JPMorgan Chase doesn’t see mortgage defaults worsening in the second half of 2020. In its earnings presentation on Tuesday , the nation’s largest bank by assets said it had actually pared back its $15 billion in loan-loss reserves by $569 million in the third quarter. The bank cited runoff from its mortgage portfolio – driven by a wave of refinancings – as a reason for reducing its reserves. .

Business 397
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How not to fear change — at least when it comes to subservicing

Housing Wire

In June 2007, Apple shook the world to its cellular core when it released the first-generation iPhone. Over the course of the last decade-plus, the seminal smartphone would wipe out its competitors — but not without some resistance. Many of us clung to our Blackberries for dear life, unable to imagine a world without Brick-Breaker and — the toughest pill to swallow — physical keyboards.

Clients 397
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Guild Mortgage is going public – Let’s look at the numbers

Housing Wire

Add lender-servicer Guild Mortgage to the ranks of the nonbank mortgage lenders going public. According to an amended S-1 submitted to the Securities and Exchanges Commission on Thursday, Guild, through parent firm Guild Holdings, is expected to price its initial public offering between $17 and $19 per share as early as next week. The retail and correspondent lender plans to issue 8.5 million Class A shares (plus an option for the underwriters, Wells Fargo, BofA Securities and JPMorgan Chase, to

Mortgage 370
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StreetEasy launches New York City home valuation tool

Housing Wire

StreetEasy , a real estate platform for buying, selling, and renting homes across New York City and New Jersey, has launched StreetEasy Valuation, an AI-powered home valuation tool. Homeowners can now get a StreetEasy estimate of their homes’ current market value based on features that are unique to New York City, the company said. Homeowners start by claiming their home, then requesting an AI-powered estimate of their home’s current market value, an estimated price per square foot a

Valuation 370
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HousingWire Annual Virtual Demo Day: Wipro Gallagher Solutions

Housing Wire

NetOxygen Launchpad (POS) and NetOxygen Loan Origination Solution (LOS). NetOxygen Launchpad is a borrower/banker portal. Using NetOxygen Launchpad, borrowers are actively engaged in the origination process, while lenders can achieve significant productivity gains. NetOxygen LOS enables lenders to streamline the end-to-end lending processes, delivering a truly digital mortgage experience.

Lending 370
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HousingWire Annual Virtual Demo Day: focusIT

Housing Wire

Pulse CRM. We supercharge your loan origination system and provide lead management tools, automated email marketing, loan status alerts and intelligent task management — so you don’t have to. Product Fast Facts: #1. We have automated status alert emails and text messages — take your choice of one or both! #2. Our setup process is turnkey. Have your holiday, birthday and loan status emails running on their own by next week. #3.

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HousingWire Annual Virtual Demo Day: Xome

Housing Wire

Inspex TM by Xome. Inspex is a new, DIY home inspection and valuations app that empowers lenders to provide their customers with a simple, contactless option. Not just a photo-collection tool, Inspex significantly reduces inspection wait times by as much as 50 percent – improving the experience for everyone. Product Fast Facts: #1. Inspex is a safe and secure way to complete property valuations at lower costs than previously possible, without the inconvenience of scheduling appointments. #2.

Valuation 370
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Plaza Home Mortgage reinstates support of AIME after Anthony Casa steps down

Housing Wire

Plaza Home Mortgage announced it will reinstate its support of the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts after the announcement last week that former AIME chairman Anthony Casa, would be permanently stepping down as head of the association. Over the July 4 holiday this year, Casa sent a video to Quicken Loans Vice President Austin Niemiec, where he made comments of a sexual nature about Niemiec’s wife.

Mortgage 397