Thu.Mar 11, 2021

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Biden signs American Rescue Plan. Here’s what that means

Housing Wire

President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Thursday, freeing up $1.9 trillion aimed at invigorating the economy following the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill will send $1,400 direct payments to individuals making up to $75,000 annually, and allocates $350 billion in aid to state and local governments and $14 billion for vaccine distribution. Over $50 billion will be distributed to small businesses — including $7 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program — and $25 billion for small and mid

Banks 545
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Will the Housing Market Bloom This Spring?

Keeping Current Matters

Spring is almost here, and many are wondering what it will bring for the housing market. Even though the pandemic continues on, it’s certain to be very different from the spring we experienced at this time last year. Here’s what a few industry experts have to say about the housing market and how it will bloom this season. Danielle Hale, Chief Economist , realtor.com : “Despite early weakness, we expect to see new listings grow in March and April as they traditionally do heading into spring , and

Marketing 261
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FHFA extends relaxed appraisal, lending standards

Housing Wire

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced on Thursday that it has again extended relaxed lending and appraisal standards for both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The COVID-19-related flexibilities surrounding alternative verifications of employment and appraisals were originally set to expire on March 31, 2021. However, the government agency is now pushing that back to at least April 30, 2021.

Lending 477
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Canadian Real Estate Is “Playing With Fire,” Approaching Classic Bubble: BMO

Better Dwelling

The warning is coming from inside the house, and it’s not from one of Bay Street’s bears. BMO senior economist Robert Kavcic said Canada is “playing with fire” in a note this week. Looking at the percent of income needed to carry a mortgage on homes, he doesn’t think 2017 was a bubble. The current […]. The post Canadian Real Estate Is “Playing With Fire,” Approaching Classic Bubble: BMO appeared first on Better Dwelling.

Mortgages 144
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3 Real Estate Office Hacks to Help Kickstart the Busy Season

Ready to better your Back Office? Dive into the secrets to a powerhouse back office with Brokermint expert, Jessica Souza. In this free download, she shares her 3 transformative hacks designed to clean house, get everyone on the same page, and set yourself up for success. From optimizing agent profiles to ensuring flawless transactions and boosting agent retention, these strategies are your ticket to a seamless operation.

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Who’s the customer in UWM’s wholesaler war?

Housing Wire

I’ve spent years asking top mortgage lending execs this question: who’s your primary customer, loan officers or consumers? Most answer LOs because most industry market share is still LO-driven. But let’s go deeper to see if this answer holds up for execs and LOs over full market cycles. And let’s frame it in the context of today’s top wholesaler asking LOs to limit the options they have for consumer clients.

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Finance of America unveils hybrid reverse mortgage product

Housing Wire

Finance of America Reverse will soon debut a hybrid product that combines elements of a reverse mortgage with a forward mortgage. The lender says it’s an innovative approach to servicing borrowers who are in retirement age but don’t qualify or wish to refinance into a long-term mortgage. The new product, called EquityAvail, funds at closing and requires that the borrower make payments for 10 years but at a reduced amount, Finance of America Reverse said this week. “A lot of peo

Finance 393
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How To Design Your Dream Home: Tips To Bring a Blueprint to Life

Realtor.com

andresr / Getty Images When you design your own home from the ground up, the sky’s the limit when it comes to design. You get to choose the architectural style, the floor plan, and all the flourishes that make this place uniquely, well, you. Sounds fun, right? It is, but figuring out what you want to build can also be incredibly intimidating. Before you start picking out tile and light fixtures, you need a plan.

Design 116
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Better.com to hire thousands from Google program

Housing Wire

Better.com is continuing to grow its head count in the midst of the pandemic, announcing Thursday that it will be adding at least 2,000 Google Career Certificate graduates in the next three years. The hiring initiative will be through Better.com’s partnership with Merit America , a nonprofit that helps Americans without college degrees get jobs.

Finance 400
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Global Exports of U.S.-Grade Framing Lumber

Eye on Housing

The United States consumed roughly 47 billion board feet of softwood lumber in 2019, 30.8% of which came from 48 foreign countries. All softwood lumber imports are not created equally, however. The lumber used to frame a home in the United States must meet stringent standards set by the American Lumber Standard Committee and only 16 foreign countries produce lumber.

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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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HomeSmart snares prominent Atlanta brokerage

Housing Wire

Growing real estate brokerage firm HomeSmart announced Wednesday that it bought PalmerHouse Properties , an Atlanta-headquartered brokerage that has about 2,000 agents. Reached Thursday, HomeSmart President Ashley Bowers declined to say what the company paid for PalmerHouse. PalmerHouse racked up $3.1 billion in 2020 sales volume from 9,904 transaction sides, and it ranks as a “top 10 brokerage in the Atlanta area,” according to data provided by HomeSmart.

Brokerage 380
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Rapids Water Park Opening For the Spring and Summer This Saturday

Waterfront Properties

One of Palm Beach County’s popular attraction is opening this weekend for the Spring and Summer season. Rapids Water Park is opening this Saturday and is the largest waterpark in all South Florida. The water park features more than 30 acres of splash zones, pools, waterslides, and more. The water park is spilt up into three sections, a Thrill Ride section, Family Rides, and Kid’s Zone.

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Boosting Mortgage Profits in a Remote Environment – Sponsored by Capacity

Housing Wire

Discover how mortgage companies are boosting profits by adopting a mortgage automation platform. David Karandish, CEO of Capacity , will explain how a mortgage automation platform can automate borrower education, lead routing, guideline access, loan status updates, and servicing. He will also review the benefits of intelligent document processing. Watch the full session below.

Mortgages 348
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‘Whimsical, but Elegant’: Victorian Home in Maine Belongs in a Storybook

Realtor.com

Greg Warren An adorable Victorian home with tons of history is searching for a new owner to swoon over it. Located about 45 miles north of Portland, ME, the home is on the market for $399,000. Built in 1876, the charming home on Lee Street , in the waterfront town of Wiscasset, ME, was part of a love story. The current owner and her late husband owned the home for at least 27 years and operated it as a bed-and-breakfast known as “High Note.”.

Agents 111
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Accelerating Real Estate Sales Pipelines to Streamline Buyer Journeys

Navigated 360° tours, like YourVRTours, advance pipelines by engaging clients further along the sales funnel. These immersive experiences provide comprehensive property insights, increasing buyer intent and readiness. By embracing navigated tours, agents can optimize property exposure, better qualify leads, and streamline the sales process. Stay ahead in the ever-evolving real estate landscape with innovative technology that elevates buyer journeys and progresses pipelines more effectively.

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Put the ROI in HEROIC lead management – Sponsored by CreditXpert

Housing Wire

The presenters will discuss the importance of early lead management, with the emphasis on converting these leads into your loan pipeline. Matt Hydrew of CreditXpert and Todd Worthington of Bank of England will discuss the main causes of early lead fall-out and the impact credit scores have during this phase. Learn how decreasing early lead fall-out by 30% is possible this year by making process changes now and employing credit optimization technologies that can help your teams work more effectiv

Banks 310
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Jump in Construction Job Openings in January

Eye on Housing

Job openings in construction increased in January to the highest count since the Fall of 2019 according to data from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). Hiring in construction was strong as 2021 began. However, construction employment did decline in February as material prices increased. The JOLTS data is reported with a one-month lag, so the February.

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Economic Outlook

Housing Wire

Bringing together some of the top economists in the housing finance industry, this economic outlook panel shares the trends attendees need to be paying attention to. During the session, they breakdown their economic forecasts for the rest of this year. Watch the full session below. To go back to the full HousingWire Spring Summit 2021 on-demand summit, go here.

Finance 279
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Mortgage and refinance rates today, March 11, 2021

The Mortgage Report

Today’s mortgage and refinance rates Average mortgage rates nudged higher yesterday, wiping out Tuesday’s fall. Of course, they remain at exceptionally low levels by historical standards. But they’ve moved on […].

Mortgages 106
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Maximizing Your Online Presence: Tips for Real Estate Agents on Social Media

Speaker: Sarah Santa Ana, Real Estate Coach, Move4Free Realty

Networking is one of the crucial elements in every real estate organization's success. Both agents and real estate companies need to maintain robust networking links. This is why social media is essential for any real estate professional! Social media enables you to stay in touch with your present clients, maintain connections with your past clients, and engage potential customers and investors.

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Headliner: One on One with Mat Ishbia

Housing Wire

During this Spring Summit session, UWM CEO Mat Ishbia sits down for a one-on-one interview with HousingWire CEO Clayton Collins to discuss UWM’s strategy for this purchase market. However, as Ishbia had just announced that UWM would no longer partner with mortgage brokers who also work with Rocket Mortgage or Fairway , this discussion became a broader conversation about the lenders’ overall strategy to grow broker share.

Mortgages 231
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Take Your Real Estate Marketing to the Next Level With SEO

RIS Media

Most people who don’t know your website’s direct URL will search for your name, real estate agents or homes for sale in your area in order to find the information they seek. If you want to show up in the search results for these people, you have to optimize your website for search engines. This is known as search engine optimization, or SEO.

Marketing 112
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What Mortgage Tech is Solving Now

Housing Wire

Pandemic conditions have provided fertile ground for mortgage tech innovation. Find out which technology is now considered table stakes to keep your business efficient and growing, and what’s coming next. Watch full session below. To go back to the full HousingWire Spring Summit 2021 on-demand summit, go here. Panelists: Lisa Kimball, SVP, Product & Strategic Programs, Finicity Nikolas Pavlou, Product Marketing Manager, Blend Jamie Kump, Director of High Growth Accounts, Qualia Sarah Wheeler

Mortgages 290
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Low-down-payment mortgage options: 3% down mortgages for first-time home buyers

The Mortgage Report

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac offer three mortgage options for first-time buyers with 3% down: The conventional 97, HomeReady and Home Possible.

Mortgages 119
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Rise of The Apps: Building Your Dream Tech Stack For Real Estate Success

Speaker: Trey Willard, Realtor/Team Leader at Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

In order to create continued success in today’s real estate market, realtors need to utilize an arsenal of technology that will increase their efficiency and presence on social media. Using technology to manage your prospects and tap into their needs through websites, social media, and other channels is critical for real estate success in 2022 and beyond.

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What is the end goal of tech disruption?

Housing Wire

Innovators have made self-driving cars a reality, and yet finding a tech solution that prioritizes anyone beyond the perfect borrower is hard to find? This striking contrast between what is possible with tech disruption and innovation and what is actually happening is something Catalina Kaiyoorawongs, co-founder and CEO of LoanSense, brings up several times, as she describes the state of tech disruption in the housing industry. .

Lending 215
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What to Post on Your Facebook Business Page to Build Your Brand

RIS Media

As VP of Marketing at Lamacchia Realty and Crush It in Real Estate, the biggest question I get asked is: “What do I post on my Facebook business page?” Some would hope the answer would be, “Here’s a list of posts that should be posted every two days at 4:00 p.m. to get the most engagement.” Unfortunately, this question is more complex, and so is the answer.

Branding 106
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Operational Strategies in the Current Market

Housing Wire

The roller-coaster of 2020 required lenders to be extremely adaptable to changing conditions, and this year is proving no different. This panel features strategy leaders who share what they’re doing to proactively set their business up for success in a rapidly changing environment. Watch the full session below. To go back to the full HousingWire Spring Summit 2021 on-demand summit, go here.

Marketing 199
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A New Podcast Collaboration: The Blueprint Sessions

GeekEstate

Avid readers Rob Hahn already know that we’ve been working on a new collaboration: The Blueprint Sessions, a podcast for exceptional founders of exceptional startups that are disrupting the real estate industry. This initiative stems from our desire to answer two key questions: Who are the people disrupting the real estate industry? How can we help them?

Land 102
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5 Data Proven Ways Agents Can Do 18% More Business

Curious as to how you could do 18% more business? How about 14 more transaction sides per year? Check out this infographic with data from a RealTrends study to learn more.