Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

Are you considering purchasing a home for the first time? Then you’re probably already saving money for your down payment. But what about all the other costs needed to complete the transaction? Understanding what expenses are required at closing to buy a house will help you budget and save more effectively. In this article, we break down exactly what closing costs are so you’re prepared when you start shopping for a home: What are closing costs?

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Closing costs Closing Title search Title 530

Keeping Current Matters

JANUARY 8, 2021

Some Highlights. Choosing the right real estate professional to work with is one of the most important decisions you can make in your homebuying or selling process. The right agent can explain current market conditions and break down exactly what they mean for you. If you’re considering buying or selling a home this year, make sure to work with someone who has the experience to answer all of your questions about pricing, contracts, negotiations, and more.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

This is the fifth installment of our economist Q&A series, as we work to answer the top 2021 housing market questions for our HW+ members. Every Tuesday in December, HousingWire interviewed a top economist in the HW+ Slack channel. In each Q&A, we attempt to bring clarity to the top questions around housing supply shortages in 2021, the future of foreclosures and the future generation of homebuyers.

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Mortgages Marketing As-is 475

The Mortgage Report

JANUARY 8, 2021

Here are five ways to pay off your mortgage faster. Plus, what to consider before putting your hard-earned cash toward early mortgage payments.

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Mortgages 140

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

Technology

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

This year, eClosings surged as remote online notarization became more popular and consumers looked for alternative ways to close on a home. Moving forward, the Mortgage Industry Standards Maintenance Organization , a not-for-profit subsidiary of the Mortgage Bankers Association , will continue to focus on digital closings. Over the final months of 2020, MISMO saw the number of companies with its RON certificate double to a total of eight companies.

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Technology Development Industrial Principal 468

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

For many of us, the start of a new year is usually synonymous with a renewed sense of professional self, focusing on new goals, new prospects for the year and, of course, the excitement for the upcoming spring real estate market. As we think about coming out of this first month of the year, we’ve quickly realized this year is going to be anything but planned or what we in the mortgage lending industry are used to.

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Lending Mortgages Pre-approval Loans 460

The American Genius for Real Estate

JANUARY 8, 2021

(EDITORIAL) Keeping up productivity can be a hard goal to shoot for, so sometimes It helps to see what others are doing. Here's our list of 10 ways to stay productive. The post 10 productivity tips to get the most out of yourself and your team appeared first on The American Genius Real Estate.

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Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

Another month of rising COVID-19 cases left the unemployment situation in the U.S. virtually unchanged in December, with the rate holding for the second month at 6.7%, the U.S. Labor Department said on Friday. Due to massive losses in the servicing sector outnumbering professional and construction job gains, the raw number of nonfarm payroll employment fell by 140,000 – the first decline since April of last year.

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Construction Residential Sales Mortgages 451

Realtor.com

JANUARY 8, 2021

The Morson Collection/Houzz A new year is the perfect time for new beginnings, especially when it comes to your home decor. And what better space to refresh than the room where you start each new day? To provide you with inspiration for your decor endeavors, we turned to Instagram ( as we do every week ) and we scrolled through hundreds of bedroom posts, seeking out the cutting-edge looks that racked up the most likes.

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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.

Development

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

The Federal Reserve made another bid for economic stability on Friday after Vice Chairman Richard Clarida said he expects the central bank to maintain the pace of its bond purchases through 2021. “My economic outlook is consistent with us keeping the current pace of purchases throughout the rest of this year,” Clarida said to the Council of Foreign Relations on Friday, CNBC reported.

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Banks Lending Mortgages Loans 451

RIS Media

JANUARY 8, 2021

Inventory has been a struggle for a long time, and the problem has been compounded by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to realtor.com®’s December Housing Report , the number of homes for sale recently reached an all-time low, hitting below 700,000 for the first time after dropping 39.6 percent YoY—that’s 449.000 fewer homes for sale than last December. “The shortage of homes for sale has been an ongoing issue for the last couple of years, but in December the combinat

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Days on market Sales Marketing 122

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

Correspondent and wholesale lender Homepoint is the latest mortgage company to aim for an IPO. The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based lender filed an S-1 with the Securities and Exchanges Commission on Friday afternoon. The company indicated in the S-1 that its price offering was $100 million, generally a placeholder for a larger offering. The company is expected to go public in the first quarter, sources told HousingWire.

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The American Genius for Real Estate

JANUARY 8, 2021

(HOMEOWNERSHIP) Real estate scams continue to victimize people, but Realtors are in a position to better protect homebuyers. Here are some tips. The post How to inform clients about scams that continue to victimize homebuyers appeared first on The American Genius Real Estate.

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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.

Industrial

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

After three consecutive weeks of increases , the number of mortgage loans in active forbearance fell by 92,000 the first week of 2021, according to a Friday report from Black Knight. This was a 3% drop and the greatest week-over-week decline since early November, largely driven by quarterly forbearance plans reaching their expiration. Black Knight now estimates 5.2% of all mortgages, and 2.74 million homeowners, are in some form of forbearance – accounting for $547 billion in unpaid principle.

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Loans Title Staging Mortgages 403

Realtor.com

JANUARY 8, 2021

realtor.com We first introduced readers to a wacky house in Vermont with its own seven-cell jail in early November. But last week, writer Lauren Hough ‘s tweet featuring the listing to her nearly 61,000 followers created a social media tsunami. The resulting clicks easily catapulted the residence with a private pokey to the top of this week’s most popular homes on realtor.com®.

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Renovation As-is Agents 116

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

Months after taking over management of broker LOS platform ARIVE , mortgage software startup LendWize has finalized a deal to take complete ownership of the origination platform. LendWize took over management of the platform in early 2020 and integrated ARIVE’s software into its own technology stack. It launched a revised version of the ARIVE platform in June, featuring electronic lender integrations and improved tools.

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Eye on Housing

JANUARY 8, 2021

After seven consecutive months’ job gains, nonfarm payroll employment fell by 140,000 in December as virus cases surged. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7% in December. Total construction industry (both residential and non-residential) employment totaled 7.4 million in December. Residential construction employment rose by 22,700 in December to 3.0 million.

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Residential Construction Industrial 115

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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.

Brokerage

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

It seems simple enough on its face: when a lender makes a home loan, the lender must determine, document, and verify that the prospective borrower has the ability to repay their full loan. Over a decade after passage of the so-called “Ability-to-Repay” (ATR) rule – which required oversight of just this by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – many now see that effectively regulating how to determine, document, and verify a borrower’s ability to repay while also not restricting credit availa

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Industrial Mortgages Finance Investor 285

Better Dwelling

JANUARY 8, 2021

Canadian real estate markets may be on fire, but don’t let that fool you into thinking everyone’s made money. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) warned first-time homebuyers in April to be careful about jumping in. Despite a lot of real estate agents mocking the organization, the agency was mostly right. Typical condo buyers in […].

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Mortgages Agents Marketing 114

Housing Wire

JANUARY 8, 2021

To start off this week’s people movers, Mid America Mortgage promoted Jemma Pachiano to chief operating officer. Pachiano joined the company in 2011 as national support and training director where she led communication between the company’s executive team, operations team and branches. In her new position, she is responsible for implementing more efficient processes, products and systems in order to fuel Mid America’s growth.

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Residential Mortgages As-is Sales 283

The Mortgage Report

JANUARY 8, 2021

Today’s mortgage and refinance rates Average mortgage rates just inched higher yesterday. They’ve strayed some way from their all-time low, which was visited again on Monday. But they remain in […].

Mortgages 111

Mortgages 111

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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.

Agents

Realty Biz

JANUARY 8, 2021

The way people design their homes is being influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced them to spend more time indoors, and those new trends could stay with us for years to come. Examples include garage spaces getting more attention, while cleanliness is also a major factor, according to the America At Home Study that’s based on responses from more than 4,000 Americans.

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Design Technology As-is 110

Realtor.com

JANUARY 8, 2021

realtor.com, Joe Robbins/Getty Images The former Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig has cut another tie to Southern California. His five-bedroom home in Encino, CA, sold for $2,746,000 in early November. It originally went on the market in February 2020, with a list price of $3.2 million. Puig wound up taking a 14% discount off his initial asking price and basically broke even on the $2.65 million he paid in 2017.

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Branding Closing Agents As-is 108

The Mortgage Report

JANUARY 8, 2021

In the mortgage process, 'escrow' is when funds are held by a neutral third party until the mortgage closes. Learn how escrow works here.

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Mortgages Closing 105

Realtor.com

JANUARY 8, 2021

realtor.com; Getty Images It doesn’t matter how perfect your home is—if your listing photos don’t stand out, potential buyers won’t come by to take a look. In our series “ Lessons From Listing Photos ,” we dissect the smart updates sellers have made to their homes, and how their listing pictures highlight the home’s best assets. All over the country, housing markets go through boom and bust, even in normal times.

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Staging Renovation Design Brokerage 106

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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.

Agents

Point2Homes

JANUARY 8, 2021

Image: Africa Studio / Shutterstock.com. When it comes to picking new window treatments, you might think you have a choice between blinds or curtains. But there’s actually so much more to the world of window coverings than meets the eye. There are different types of window treatments for different windows and varying light intensities and privacy levels.

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Design As-is Closing 105

Realtor.com

JANUARY 8, 2021

GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO A measure of Americans’ sentiment toward the housing market worsened for the second consecutive month in December, reflecting rising concerns related to the pandemic. The survey was taken before Wednesday’s events in Washington, D.C. when a mob broke into the Capitol building. The Home Purchase Sentiment Index from Fannie Mae dropped six points between November and December, as consumers became far more pessimistic about buying and selling homes, the mortgage giant repo

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Marketing Sales Mortgages As-is 106

BubbleInfo

JANUARY 8, 2021

Our new listing hit the MLS about 5:30pm yesterday. By 9:15pm, I received six requests to show it, and another three requests before 8am this morning! [link] The zestimates and Redfin estimates are really a joke now. If they are willing to derive their number off the list price and try to make you think […].

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MLS 104