Housing Wire

APRIL 22, 2024

CoStar Group is continuing to focus on expansion. The firm announced Monday that it has acquired 3D scanning company Matterport. The Andy Florance -helmed CoStar purchased all of Matterport’s outstanding shares for $5.50 each, representing a value of $2.1 billion. Through the terms of the deal, stockholders will get $2.75 per share in cash and $2.75 in shares of CoStar Group.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 22, 2024

Tracey Velt and Glenn Sanford at HousingWire’s The Gathering 2024 (Photo credit: AJ Canaria.) Real estate executives disagree on many things, but nearly everyone agrees that the terms of the National Association of Realtors’ commission lawsuit settlement agreement , if approved by the court (a big if), would generate significant change within the industry.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 19, 2024

Retirement at 65 has been a longstanding norm for U.S. workers, but older investors believe that not only is such an outcome unfeasible, but they’re likely to face more challenging retirements than their parents or grandparents. This is according to recently released survey results from Nationwide , with a respondent pool that included 518 financial advisers and professionals, as well as 2,346 investors ages 18 and older with investable assets of $10,000 or more.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 19, 2024

Luxury home prices in the U.S. surged by 8.7% year over year in the first quarter of 2024, with the median price hitting a record $1.225 million, according to data from Redfin. In comparison, prices for non-luxury homes rose by 4.6% to a median of $345,000, which is also a record high. Redfin defined luxury homes as those estimated to be in the top 5% of their metro area based on market value, while non-luxury homes are those with estimated values in the 35th to 65th percentile.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 19, 2024

Ginnie Mae has filed a point-by-point response to the initial complaint of the case brought against it by Texas Capital Bank (TCB), which alleges that the government-owned company “extinguished, in return for no consideration, TCB’s first priority lien on tens of millions of dollars in collateral” stemming from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-sponsored Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program.

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Housing Wire

APRIL 19, 2024

Ginnie Mae President Alanna McCargo is resigning from her position at the government-owned company effective May 3, according to an announcement issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Ginnie Mae principal executive vice president Sam Valverde will serve as acting president of the company upon her departure. “The past 3.5 years in public service with the Biden-Harris administration has been the most important and fulfilling work of my 25-year career in housin

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Housing Wire

APRIL 19, 2024

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) this week announced a new rule aimed at bolstering the department’s Section 184 Indian Housing Loan Guarantee program, with the goal to increasing lender participation and ensure access to potential Native American beneficiaries. The final rule, published in the Federal Register on March 20 but formally announced this week, aims to strengthen the program by “clarifying rules for stakeholders” and cites increased demand as one reason for

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Housing Wire

MARCH 13, 2024

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) signed onto an international climate declaration, described as “a foundational document for international cooperation that will enable progress towards a rapid, fair, and effective transition of the building sector to zero emissions,” according to a HUD announcement. Joining 69 other nations, the U.S. and HUD signed onto the Declaration de Chaillot during the United Nations (UN) Buildings and Climate Forum in Paris last week.

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Housing Wire

MARCH 13, 2024

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) will begin to cover the upfront cost of hard credit report pulls for its broker partners as it aims to expand market share. The new initiative will ease the impact of out-of-pocket expenses for mortgage brokers after the costs for credit reports increased this year, the company said in making the announcement on Wednesday.

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Housing Wire

MARCH 13, 2024

A decline in interest rates buoyed mortgage demand for another week. Mortgage applications increased by 7.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis during the week ending March 8, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association ’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey. It was the second increase in a row. “Mortgage rates dropped below 7% last week for most loan types because of incoming economic data showing a weaker service sector and a less robust job market, with an increase in the unemployment ra

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Housing Wire

MARCH 13, 2024

Boston-based U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris will allow the Nosalek commission lawsuit plaintiffs and MLS Property Information Network (MLS PIN) defendants to file a response to the Department of Justice’s statement of interest. In late February, MLS PIN and the plaintiffs filed a joint motion asking Saris for permission to file separate responses to the DOJ’s mid-February filing.

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Housing Wire

MARCH 13, 2024

Good news: The national economy is growing, unemployment is low and corporate revenues are up. For housing and mortgage professionals, however, these apparent boons spell trouble. They signal that economy is still running hot — or at least more than lukewarm — and that inflation may still need more cold water from the Federal Reserve to slow down. The cold water comes in the form of the Fed continuing its presently high federal funds rate, which indirectly produces higher mortgage rates.

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs is still moving forward with its servicing purchase program, despite a hearing in the U.S. House Committee on Veterans Affairs last week raising uncertainties about its future. “We’re still moving forward; we’re still working to get our program out for veterans. We do believe that it can save up to 40,000 veterans from foreclosure at this point in time.

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

Existing-home sales picked up in January as buyers took advantage of the lowest mortgage rates seen in several months. Existing-home sales rose 3.1% from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4 million in January, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Year over year, sales dipped 1.7%, down from 4.07 million in January 2023.

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

Roughly 10 months since first expanding into Florida , Ryan Serhant’s eponymous brokerage is expanding into its third market in the state. In early February, SERHANT. announced the addition of the Orlando-based team, The Home Squad , to its roster. The team’s 16 agents are SERHANT.’s first in Orlando. Previously, the brokerage only operated in the Miami and Palm Beach County markets.

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

New Jersey-based mortgage lender The Money Store named industry veteran Coleen Bogle as chief marketing officer, the company announced on Monday. The hiring follows changes in marketing leadership at other mortgage companies, including Guild Mortgage and Rocket Companies. Bogle was at Chicago-based retail shop Draper and Kramer Mortgage Corp.

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Housing Wire

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Retired couples who are Medicare beneficiaries could need as much as $413,000 saved to cover medical expenses in the latter stages of life, an increase over the previous year’s estimate of $383,000. This is according to new findings from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The figure is the “predicted savings target for Medicare beneficiaries to cover premiums, deductibles, and prescription drugs in retirement,” EBRI explained.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 24, 2024

Government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced this week the release of their “Mission Index,” updating or expanding their single-family social bond framework to better communicate the goals of the index to stakeholders and investors. The GSEs issued separate announcements and a joint statement. Freddie Mac updated its single-family social bond framework which includes refinements to its mortgage-backed securities (MBS) disclosures, “designed to further support unde

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 24, 2024

Last month, DataDigest explored market experts’ expectations for 2024, with the consensus calling for a moderately better housing market than 2023. But a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee the following week set off a market frenzy over expectations of interest rate cuts, moving mortgage rates down well ahead of experts’ forecasts and prompting a subsequent DataDigest that asked whether the picture for 2024 had changed.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 24, 2024

Mortgage demand continued to increase last week, as seen in an uptick in purchase activity. Mortgage applications rose by 3.7% in the week ending Jan. 19 compared to one week earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis, per the Mortgage Bankers Association ‘s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey. “Conventional and FHA purchase applications drove most of the increase last week as some buyers moved to act early this season,” Joel Kan , MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, said in a st

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 28, 2023

In his 20 years in mortgage banking, no year has compared to 2023 in terms of difficulty, said Ben Cohen, Guaranteed Rate ’s managing director and a top-producing loan officer. “This is a lot different than 2008 where you needed a credit score and a heartbeat to get a mortgage. Now, you need to be very qualified in order to get a mortgage,” he said.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 18, 2023

A coalition of seven housing interest groups including the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), the Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA), the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) have co-signed a letter urging the full funding of both the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Ginnie Mae.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 18, 2023

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) last week released a new order amending its “express consent” rules for the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), which closes the “lead generator loophole” used by mortgage professionals to connect with potential business leads. The loophole allowed those gathering leads to sell to many entities at once, who would then often reach out to that consumer to get their business.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 10, 2023

Are big Wall Street investors really buying 44% of homes this year? The answer is no — not even close. Housing inventory is near all-time lows, but big institutional investors like Invitation Homes or BlackRock aren’t to blame. The 44% claim was made in the headline for a Medium article last week and then spread like wildfire all over social media. Congress has even jumped on the bandwagon, with Democratic lawmakers introducing bills looking to limit or ban hedge funds from buying single-family

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 1, 2023

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Friday published a proposal that would require public housing agencies (PHA) to provide 30 days’ notice before filing an eviction notice in court for nonpayment of rent. PHAs with tenants in public housing and owners of properties participating in HUD multifamily project-based rental assistance programs would need to provide “written notification at least 30 days” before a court filing for an eviction due to rent nonpayment.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 1, 2023

Ready to find the best online real estate schools in Texas? Completing the required 180 hours of prelicensing coursework is your first step to getting licensed. In this article, we’ll explore the best Texas real estate schools to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in this competitive industry — and pass the Texas real estate exam.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Mortgage applications rose to their highest level in six weeks after the 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 7.44% last week. Total home loan applications increased 3% for the week ending Nov. 17 compared to the previous week , according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Mortgage rates for the 30-year fixed loan averaged 7.44%, falling 6 basis points in one week, according to Freddie Mac ‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

The housing market has not hit the bottom in existing home sales yet, Fannie Mae projected. With mortgage rates having previously soared to around 8% , existing home sales will likely decline further to bottom out in early 2024. The good news is that sales will rebound as mortgage rates are expected to decline, Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) group, said in its November commentary.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

While foreclosure completions remained relatively flat in October, foreclosure starts rose to 33,000, hitting their highest level in 18 months, according to the ICE Mortgage Monitor report. In October, there were 217,000 loans in active foreclosure , up 3,000 since September. However, this remains 25% under the pre-pandemic levels. The national delinquency rate fell three basis points to 3.26% in October.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with Scot Rose , CIO at Class Valuation , to talk about innovation in the appraisal space and how the technology being deployed for appraisal modernization can actually protect appraisers. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Sarah Wheeler: You’re the chief innovation officer at an appraisal firm, and the appraisal space has not always been known for tech innovation.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Mortgage rates dropped significantly in the last few weeks, but the cost of borrowing remains high prompting many homebuyers to wait for even lower rates. The 30-year, fixed mortgage rate averaged 7.29% for the week ending Nov. 22, according to Freddie Mac ‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That’s down significantly from last week ’s 7.44% and up from 6.58% the same week a year ago.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Tuesday published a final rule that amends several provisions of the Enterprise Regulatory Capital Framework (ERCF) for government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The final rule is primarily related to guarantees on commingled securities, multifamily mortgage exposures secured by properties with government subsidies and derivatives and cleared transactions.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

Let’s not sugarcoat it: 2023 was a bad year for the housing market. Mortgage rates eclipsed 8% at one point, inventory hit all-time lows, and home prices continued to climb. Next year, however, is shaping up to be better, according to Morgan Stanley. Analysts at the firm say that in 2024 the U.S. will avoid a recession, mortgage rates will fall, incomes will continue to rise and an uptick in listings will spur more housing activity.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

California-based mortgage lender CMG Financial announced the integration of Shamrock Home Loans’ origination team, which will boost its presence in New England. That’s not the first addition to CMG this year. In March, the company struck a deal to acquire Homebridge Financial Services ‘s retail division to grow its retail lending business footprint.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Mortgage applications fell for the third week in a row as mortgage rates surged toward 8%. For the week ending Oct. 27, total home loan applications fell 2.1% compared to the week prior , according to weekly mortgage application data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). “The impact of higher rates continued to be felt across both purchase and refinance markets,” Joel Kan, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist, said in a statement.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2023

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) just made IRAR Trust Company (IRAR) its preferred provider for self-directed retirement plans, the trade organization announced on Tuesday. IRAR will provide “self-directed individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and solo 401(k) accounts to NAR members, their families, and association staff at the national, state and local levels,” according to a NAR press release. “Partnering with IRAR Trust Company underscores NAR’s dedication to delivering

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2023

The No. 1 reason a mortgage loan applicant is denied for a loan is a problem with their credit score. In good times when qualified mortgage borrowers are plentiful, most originators don’t give a suboptimal credit score a second glance. But when every loan matters, like the market we find themselves in today, it makes a lot of sense to take a closer look at the borrower’s credit score.

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