Sat.May 17, 2025 - Fri.May 23, 2025

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Better mortgage spreads boost housing demand in 2025

Housing Wire

One of the lesser known storylines in housing economics is that the improvement in mortgage spreads since 2023 has contributed to a noticeable trend in purchase application data for 2025, which is now showing 15 consecutive weeks of positive year-over-year growth. Mortgage spreads recently turned negative due to market volatility, which resulted in an increase of 20 to 25 basis points in mortgage rates.

Mortgage 499
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On Comparable Sales

Appraisal Buzz

This short article raises issues related to what constitutes or defines a comparable sale. While it may seem arrogant to take on a topic of this import, it is necessary, since there is not currently a formal definition. There are descriptions of what a comparable sale is. But there is no formal, universally recognized definition. However, does there need to be?

Appraisal 356
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Zillow to start blocking some listings in June

Real Estate News

Publicly marketed listings that are not widely available will be flagged beginning May 28 and new listings that dont comply may be barred starting June 30.

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Five things to watch in the housing market

Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Housing is on my mind. Here are five things I’m watching closely in today’s market. I suspect many locations around the country are experiencing very similar trends. I’d love to hear your take in the comments. UPCOMING SPEAKING GIGS: 5/21/25 Grounded Real Estate 6/5/25 Auburn Marketing Meeting 6/12/25 Realtist of Sacramento 7/22/25 Investor Event (TBA) […] The post Five things to watch in the housing market first appeared on Sacramento Appraisal Blog.

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Leverage Trellis Court Data To Identify More Investment Opportunities

Finance teams find Trellis to be particularly effective in conducting comprehensive due diligence on both individuals and businesses. With our court data solution, financial experts can access critical litigation insights, making it an invaluable resource for informed decision-making in the financial sector.

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With more inventory, where are home prices headed?

Housing Wire

Last year, I predicted a national home-price increase of 2.33%. While that forecast was lower than most others, it seemed achievable due to higher mortgage rates and increased inventory. I was wrong and too low for 2024. This year, my prediction is even lower at 1.77% national home-price growth. So far this year, the existing home price index has been higher than my forecast level every month.

Inventory 455

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Inventory is up — but high rates continue to drag on the market

Real Estate News

Existing home sales slid in April and the return of 7% mortgage rates isnt helping the depressed spring buying season.

Inventory 280
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From UAD to AVM?

George Dell

From UAD to AVM: How GSEs Are Undermining Appraisal Integrity and Risking Another Housing Crisis is a Guest Post from John Fariss, MNAA, CAA. All opinions expressed are those of the author, John Fariss, MNAA, CAA, and not necessarily those of George Dell, or his staff. How the GSEs Are Undermining Appraisal Integrity and Risking […] The post From UAD to AVM?

Appraisal 195
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Kamini Lane wants to change the narrative for the real estate industry

Housing Wire

Roughly two years after Kamini Lane took the helm at Coldwell Banker Realty , the real estate industry has gone through quite a bit of change and faced its fair share of challenges. From the interest rate environment and inflation to the commission lawsuits and the business practice changes stemming from the National Association of Realtors ‘ (NAR) settlement agreement , it has been quite a ride.

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Preparing for the New URAR

Appraisal Buzz

Jim Morrison and Hal Humphreys are back with fan-favorite Joel Baker from Totality (formerly CoreLogic) to dive into the upcoming UAD 3.6 changes and what they mean for appraisers. Listen in to hear whats changing, how itll impact your workflow, and why now is the time to get ahead of the curve. If you missed Joels standout demo at ACTS this past April, dont worryweve got you covered.

Appraisal 341
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The Constructor's Digital Transformation Playbook: Reducing Risk With Technology

Speaker: Dylan Secrest

Construction projects are high-stakes operations where even minor inefficiencies can lead to costly delays, safety concerns, and budget overruns. Managing risk in construction has always been a challenge, but as projects grow in complexity, traditional methods no longer cut it. Enter Digital Transformation - a game changer approach that replaces inefficiency with AI-powered analytics, real-time monitoring, and automated workflows to proactively manage risk.

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How agents should handle the private listings drama

Real Estate News

Brokerages are battling each other (and the portals). Things have gotten loud and contentious, but heres all you really need to know when talking to clients.

Agents 268
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You don’t need a hot market. You need a smarter marketing strategy

Inman

In slower markets, agents who are strategic, creative and proactive rise to the top, Coldwell Banker Warburg's Kevelyn Guzman writes. Those who wait for conditions to change get left behind.

Marketing 152
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How will Moody’s downgrade of US debt affect mortgage rates?

Housing Wire

To add to the list of dramatic events in 2025, Moodys downgraded U.S. credit by one notch on Friday from Aaa to Aa1 raising concerns about mortgage rates. Moodys pointed to increasing debt and interest payment ratios notably higher than those of comparable sovereign nations. This downgrade has sparked a range of reactions among market participants, with some suggesting that it may be politically motivated, given the timing and challenges facing the Republican budget and tax cuts.

Mortgage 468
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MBA: Mortgage Lenders Lost About $28 Per Loan Originated in Q1

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage lenders saw a pre-tax net loss of $28 on each loan they originated in the first quarter, down from a net loss of $40 per loan in the fourth quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report. Production profitability was close to break-even in the first quarter of 2025 despite a decline in volume and an increase in production expenses, says Marina Walsh, CMB, Vice President of Industry Analysis for the MBA, in a statement.

Mortgage 195
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Need Curated Pre-foreclosure Lists to Generate New Real Estate Leads? Trellis Has the Data!

Trellis is a state trial court research and analytics platform that provides Real Estate Professionals (Buyers, Foreclosure, Loan Modification, etc.) with LEADS on Pre-Foreclosures, Lis Pendes, Distressed Assets and more — to help uncover **new** opportunities and grow their business. The process is quick and easy — and all in real time. Trellis will supply you with a link to the relevant dockets, a Leads sheet and access to its UI where applicable.

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Why buyers and sellers aren’t ready to trade agents for tech

Real Estate News

While consumers have disrupted services like travel and transportation, thats less likely to happen in the real estate industry, research suggests.

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What does it take to sell a home every 75 minutes? The Download

Inman

Legendary Texas world-record holder Ben Caballero shares the secrets that allowed him to sell 7,000 homes last year.

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NAF opens Black homeownership advocacy program to real estate agents

Housing Wire

New American Funding (NAF) announced that it’s expanding its Housing Advocate Certification (HAC) program to real estate professionals nationwide. Originally developed and launched internally through its NAF Black Impact initiative, the HAC program has trained more than 1,000 company employees, NAF said. Now the mortgage lender is inviting external real estate agents and brokerages to take advantage of the program.

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Existing-Home Sales Decreased Slightly in April

Appraisal Buzz

Existing-home sales were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of about 4.00 million in April, down 0.5% compared with March and down 2.0% compared with April 2024, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The median existing-home sales price increased 1.8% from the previous month to $414,000. Thats an all-time high for the month of April and the 22nd consecutive month of year-over-year price increases, NAR says.

Inventory 195
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HUD Secretary targets the ‘enemy’ of new housing

Real Estate News

In a speech to industry executives, Scott Turner emphasized the agencys mission-minded focus and his plans to cut out the bureaucracy that gets in the way.

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Breakfast at Tiffany’s pad goes on sale. Little black dress not included

Inman

The iconic Upper East Side townhouse where Audrey Hepburn's character Holly Golightly lived is on the market for $15 million, offering not only a prestigious address, but a piece of cinematic history.

Marketing 152
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Texas bill seeks more commercial-to-residential conversions to boost housing supply

Housing Wire

As the housing crisis manifests in different ways across various states, lawmakers in Texas recently approved a bill that would allow for more conversions of commercial buildings into residential units to bolster housing supply and reduce costs. The Texas House of Representatives gave its approval to S.B 840 , which relates to certain mixed-use and multifamily residential development projects and conversion of certain commercial buildings to mixed-use and multifamily residential occupancy, accor

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Mortgage Rates Edge Up Again But 30-Year Still Below 7 Percent

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage rates edged up for a second week, as the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage reached 6.86%, up from 6.81% last week, according to Freddie Macs Primary Mortgage Market Survey. A year ago at this time, the average rate for a 30-year was 6.94%. Mortgage rates inched up this week but continue to remain lower than one year ago, says Sam Khater, chief economist for Freddie Mac, in a statement.

Mortgage 195
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Brokerage Beat: News from C21, eXp, EXIT, Engel & Völkers, more

Real Estate News

A merger creates Century 21s largest firm in Louisiana; eXp launches UPGRADE; Coldwell Banker nabs top California team; E&V scores in Texas; more.

Brokerage 251
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Zillow provides clarity on private listings rule — and when it rolls out

Inman

Zillow will send warnings about non-compliant listings beginning May 28, but enforcement won't start until June 30. Agents will receive two warnings before their third non-compliant listing is blocked, executives said.

Agents 158
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Will cutting rates fix the housing market?

Housing Wire

Mortgage professionals are navigating one of the most challenging origination markets in recent history. Still, cutting mortgage rates would not be the end-all solution to pacify markets that many claim it to be. While lower rates might temporarily ease borrower costs or support home purchases, they would also expose the housing industry to further risk without meaningfully addressing core issues, like supply shortages or long-term affordability.

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Study Shows How Important Technology Has Become for Mortgage Lenders

Appraisal Buzz

A new joint study by HFS Research and Cognizant shows how important technology has become for mortgage lenders and predicts that Agentic AI will become the next big play, as it merges GenAIs cognitive reasoning with automations precision ushering in task-fulfilling agents that scale beyond efficiency into execution. In the rapidly evolving landscape of non-bank mortgage lending, there is a critical need for innovation and agility, says Ajay Pandita, senior vice president and financial services,

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eXp’s CEO has ambitious goals — and he’s ‘not going anywhere’

Real Estate News

Now that Leo Pareja holds the keys to the battleship, he wants to drive massive growth, and he thinks the brokerage of the future will look a lot like eXp.

Brokerage 197
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Douglas Elliman CEO on private listings: ‘You have to offer choice’

Inman

Michael Liebowitz argued at Inman On Tour Miami that real estate agents' job is to educate consumers and help them understand risks but that those consumers should still have a choice in how they market their homes.

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NAR: Americans want a tax plan that supports the American dream

Housing Wire

As Congress continues its effort to rewrite major portions of the tax code, the National Association of Realtors ( NAR ) unveiled new polling showing just what the American people are looking for in the legislation. The national survey shows overwhelming bipartisan support for tax provisions that strengthen homeownership, support small business owners and the middle class, and unlock more housing inventory.

Realtors 377
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Mortgage Applications Decreased 5.1 Percent Last Week on Higher Rates

Appraisal Buzz

Mortgage application volume fell 5.1% during the week ended May 16, as the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased to 6.92%, up from 6.86% the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Associations (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey. Applications for refinances decreased 5% compared with the previous week but were up 27% compared with the same week one year ago.

Mortgage 195
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7% mortgage rates are back following credit downgrade

Real Estate News

After weeks of relative stability, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surged as treasury yields rose on the heels of the May 16 announcement.

Mortgage 225
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5 ways to power up your marketing experience

Inman

Real estate agents are increasingly turning to advanced tech, like AI automation and data integration, to market faster, smarter and better.