Thu.Feb 25, 2021

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FHFA extends forbearance period to 18 months

Housing Wire

Borrowers with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be eligible for an additional forbearance extension of up to six months, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Thursday. On Feb. 9, the FHFA extended forbearance plans an additional three months past beyond their initial 12 month expiration. With the latest edict, the agency is now allowing borrowers up to 18 months of coverage.

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RBC Adds Two “Severe” Risk Scenarios, Including Canadian Real Estate

Better Dwelling

Risk models from Canada’s largest bank shows a wider range of uncertainty for real estate. RBC’s latest models, shared with analysts this week, shows a general forecasted improvement. The downside hasn’t changed much, indicating a little more uncertainty. They also shared they are considering two new and “more severe” scenarios for energy and real estate. […].

Banks 145
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Mortgage rates climb higher to 2.97%

Housing Wire

The average mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan is now just 3 basis points away from 3%, after a 16 basis point jump last week pushed mortgage rates to 2.97%, according to Freddie Mac ’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The average mortgage rate hasn’t risen this high since the end of July 2020, but Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist, noted higher rates signals an economy slowly regaining its footing.

Mortgages 477
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Want To Build Your Own House? The Pros, Cons, and Costs

Realtor.com

ArtistGNDphotography / Getty Images Building a brand-new home may sound like a dream come true. You get to choose the ideal layout for your family’s needs, and have a say in each and every design element. However, the process may also be daunting if you’ve never done it before. To help you through it, we’ve created this Guide To Building Your Own Home.

Land 131
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Welcome to the Future of Hospitality: Smart Rooms Start Here

Speaker: Jady West, VP of Hospitality & Chris Bennett, Head of Sales & Engineering

The modern hotel room is no longer just a place to stay—it’s an experience to remember. Today’s guests expect seamless 5G connectivity, personalized comfort, and high-tech convenience. From AI-powered smart room controls to in-room entertainment and app-based services, technology is redefining hospitality from the inside out. In this new session featuring industry pros Jady West and Chris Bennett, we’ll explore how high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity powers the innovations that are enabling

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Rocket Mortgage made $9.5B in profits in 2020

Housing Wire

Rocket Companies , the parent company of Rocket Mortgage , cleared another $2.48 billion in profits during the fourth quarter, giving the nation’s biggest mortgage lender a total of $9.5 billion in profits for 2020. Rocket originated $107.2 billion in mortgages, with net rate lock volume of $96 billion in the fourth quarter, the company disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Mortgages 436

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Zestimate to double as Zillow’s iBuying offer

Housing Wire

Zillow is putting their money where their Zestimate is, at least to a point. The “Zestimate,” Zillow’s catchy ( and soapy ) name for estimated home values, will sometimes be used as the initial offer Zillow plans to pay to purchase a home, the company said on Thursday. Zillow’s own estimated home value is to guide the company on a “limited subset of homes” in 20 markets.

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Lender credits: How a mortgage lender can pay your closing costs

The Mortgage Report

Lender credits let the mortgage lender pay closing costs, while the borrower pays a higher interest rate. Find out if lender credits are worth it here.

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Finicity launches verification service approved by GSEs

Housing Wire

Finicity , an open-banking solutions provider that was acquired by Mastercard in October, announced that it is dipping further into the mortgage space. Finicity’s latest product, dubbed its “mortgage verification service,” will allow prospective borrowers to provide certain permissions that allow mortgage lenders to verify assets, income and employment on one platform.

Banks 373
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Sotheby’s International Realty Sees 32% Sales Growth, Achieving $150 Billion in Global Sales Volume in 2020

Sotheby's International Real Estate

Sotheby’s International Realty is pleased to announce that its affiliated brokers and independent sales professionals achieved a record US$150 billion in 2020 global sales volume, a nearly 32% increase in sales growth year over year, as the definition of home changed for consumers around the world. Due to a longstanding commitment to innovation, Sotheby’s International Realty® agents were able to seamlessly help clients navigate the changing market dynamics brought on by the global pandemic with

Sales 124
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The 2025 Real Estate Roadmap to Success

Don’t just react to changes, plan for them, so you can approach the new year with confidence, direction, and a competitive edge for your business. Having a well-defined business plan helps you chart a clear course, navigate challenges, and set a foundation for growth. This workbook gives you the key steps to outline what matters and will ensure you’re moving ahead.

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Blend’s Nikolaos Pavlou to speak at Spring Summit

Housing Wire

Nikolaos Pavlou, product marketing manager at Blend , will sit down with other housing luminaries to discuss what mortgage tech is solving now at HousingWire’s Spring Summit on March 4. Pavlou will be joined by Finicity’ s Senior Vice President of Product and Strategic Programs Lisa Kimball, and Qualia ‘s Director of High Growth Accounts Jamie Kump.

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Why you shouldn’t waive the home inspection

Realty Biz

The vast majority of existing homes sold in the U.S. need one or two things to be patched up, with 86% of all home inspections turning up some kind of problem, according to a study by the home improvement website Porch.com. The average home inspection can cost from $300 to $500 depending on where the home is and how big it is, but Porch.com’s study indicates that this is an investment that will save the average buyer around $14,000 in renovation costs.

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2021 Rising Stars Nominations are closing soon!

Housing Wire

Today is the last day to nominate a 2021 Rising Star – don’t forget to submit your nominations by the end of the day! The past year has presented an opportunity for young leaders to step up and prove their value under unique circumstances in the housing world. And while last year’s class of award recipients were an inspiring bunch, this year is turning out to be even more impressive than we could have imagined.

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Pending Home Sales Dip Again in January

Eye on Housing

After reaching a record high in August, pending home sales slid for the fifth consecutive month, as surging home prices and low inventory constrain buyers. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), is a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts. The PHSI fell 2.8% from 126.4 in December to 122.8 in January, a.

Sales 122
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Avoiding Lease Accounting Pitfalls in 2025: Lessons Learned from Spreadsheet Errors

Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant

Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.

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Underground Compound of 4 Fallout Shelters in Montana Awaits Buyer To Burrow In

Realtor.com

Theresa Lunn When spectacular mountain views are available, nearby homes almost always feature an abundance of windows to soak in the vistas. However, this property in Montana heads in a completely opposite direction. These four homes have no windows at all—they’re completely underground. The quartet of below-ground homes sit beneath 10.6 acres in Paradise Valley near Emigrant, MT, just north of Yellowstone National Park.

Land 116
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Multifamily Construction Sentiment Declines in Fourth Quarter

Eye on Housing

Builder and developer confidence in multifamily markets fell in the last quarter of 2020, according to the results of the National Association of Home Builders’ Multifamily Market Survey (MMS). The MMS produces two separate indices: The Multifamily Production Index (MPI), which fell 5 points to 43; and the Multifamily Vacancy Index (MVI), which edged down two points to 42, with.

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Wells Fargo Mortgage Review for 2021

The Mortgage Report

Wells Fargo Home Mortgage review showing how Wells Fargo compares to other top lenders for mortgage rates, customer service, and loan options.

Mortgages 116
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5 Clues You May Have a Wi-Fi Squatter Causing Your Slow Internet

Realtor.com

Getty Images, AntonioGuillem/Ankudi Strong Wi-Fi is not just a perk; it’s an essential service these days, now that remote work and school are the norm. Unfortunately, many of us have learned there’s nothing more frustrating than experiencing internet problems just as it’s your turn to speak on a Zoom call. Those glitches in your service, however, could mean that someone is piggybacking on your Wi-Fi.

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Driving Profit: 4 Pillars for Growing Your Real Estate Brokerage

In the rapidly changing real estate landscape, achieving profitability requires a strategic approach beyond traditional methods. Our guide, "The 4 Pillars to Brokerage Profitability," outlines four essential pillars for scaling your real estate business: a seamless lead-to-close technology ecosystem, tailored integrated solutions for teams and agents, value-added success services and community support, and consumer-centric operations throughout the full homeownership lifecycle.

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Britney Spears Calls This $7.4 Million Thousand Oaks Mansion Home

Fancy Pants Homes

Britney Spears ruled the late 90s and early 2000s pop scene with hits like Baby One More Time , Oops!… I Did it Again , and Toxic. In fact, she has sold over 100 million records worldwide, including over 70 million solely in the United States, making her one of the world’s best-selling music artists — which rightfully earned her the title of Princess of Pop.

Finance 116
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Zillow to Start Cashing in on Zestimates, Industry Responds

RIS Media

There’s been no shortage of news when it comes to Zillow, a company that kicked things off in the early 2000s with a home-search portal that consumers now recognize as the place to go for market inventory. Now, the Zestimate, introduced by the company in 2006, is the latest cog in a machine that has taken on an entirely new model: brokerage , iBuyer , lender, title and escrow service, and, most recently, showing service.

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Security of client information is important, so change the process

The American Genius for Real Estate

(OPINION / EDITORIAL) Too many companies have had security breaches, which is bad enough, but is the process for insuring client information safety too old to secure? The post Security of client information is important, so change the process appeared first on The American Genius Real Estate.

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Crown Heights Manse Demolished to Make Way for Passive House Condos

Brownstoner

Demolition is complete on a picturesque Queen Anne-slash-Romanesque Revival townhouse in Crown Heights, a photo from a Brownstoner reader shows. The fanciful 1890s house at 669 St. Marks Avenue sat just outside the historic district on an oversize lot with plenty of excess FAR. An application for a demolition permit was… Read More > The post Crown Heights Manse Demolished to Make Way for Passive House Condos appeared first on Brownstoner.

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Tech-Forward Strategies for Scaling Agent Efficiency & Accelerating Growth

As the real estate market evolves, technology has become essential for success. According to NAR, only 26% of agents feel their brokerage provides the necessary tech tools and, as a result, agents seek teams and brokerages who prioritize technology investments! Whether you manage an established team or are forming a new one, this guide outlines key considerations and necessary applications to thrive.

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Bank of America Mortgage Review for 2021

The Mortgage Report

Bank of America mortgage review showing how the company compares to other top lenders for mortgage rates, customer service, and loan options.

Banks 105
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Pending Home Sales Kick Off 2021 With a 2.8% Dip in January

RIS Media

Inventory constraints appear to have played a part in pending home sales dwindling in January, according to the latest report from the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings, showed a decline of 2.8% last month, coming in at 122.8—an all-time high for January.

Sales 105
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Black History Month at AppFolio: Recognizing Black Experiences and Voices

App Folio

At AppFolio, we know that great people make a great company, and we not only value diversity in backgrounds and perspectives, but count on it to make our culture thrive and drive deeper customer connections. . Each February, Black History Month gives us an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the efforts and achievements of African Americans throughout U.S. history.

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How to Convert More Buyers to Sold in a Fast Market

RIS Media

Panicked due to lack of inventory? Frustrated by losing sales to the competition? There’s a good chance you’ve been deflated by fast property turnover, losing in multiple-offer situations or buyers that go radio silent. Cleve Gaddis recently shared 12 tips to help buyer’s agents create more sales by providing greater value. As a master coach for Workman Success Systems, and a top team leader in the Atlanta area, Gaddis brainstormed new ways to convert more buyers to sold.

Marketing 105
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The Broker Action Plan for the Post-NAR Lawsuit Landscape

Now more than ever, brokers need to provide agents with the right tools, strategies, and training to effectively demonstrate their expertise, negotiate successfully, and foster strong client relationships. So – what should brokers do to ensure this? Invest in the right technology, continuous education, and innovative marketing strategies that empower agents to stand out in a crowded marketplace.

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Mortgage and refinance rates today, February 25, 2021

The Mortgage Report

Today’s mortgage and refinance rates Average mortgage rates nudged higher yet again yesterday. Of course, these rates remain exceptionally low by historical standards and are at dream levels for most. […].

Mortgages 103
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Live Interview: NAR President Charlie Oppler on What Your NAR Dues Cover

RIS Media

Most real estate agents are members of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). However, even as members, many agents are unaware of all of the benefits that come with membership. This week, during our Secrets of Top Selling Agents webinar , REALTOR® and President of NAR, Charlie Oppler, and CEO of Luxury Living, Michael Hern, made themselves available for a live interview where Hern asked questions about what exactly your dues as a member of NAR covers.

Agents 104
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4 Home Projects to Invest in This Year

American Lifestyle

The post 4 Home Projects to Invest in This Year appeared first on American Lifestyle Magazine.