Housing Wire

DECEMBER 28, 2020

Although I had pockets of joy in 2020, these moments were subsumed in a haze of stress, uncertainty and fear for our country. And, at times, I have found it difficult to keep these emotions from clouding my economic thinking. But despite all the sorrow and frustrations of this year, I have found solace in the immortal world of math, facts and data. From this stronghold I have been able to see past the chaos and view the economy and the future of the housing market through the lens of my core eco

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Lighter Side of Real Estate

AUGUST 5, 2020

Homeownership is one of the central tenets of contemporary life. Most of us dream of a familiar, comfortable place to call our own, and buying a home is a rite of passage into adulthood, and into our own piece of the American Dream. But until and unless you’ve been through the process at least once, there are plenty of mistakes many people make on their journey to property ownership.

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Keeping Current Matters

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Tomorrow, Americans will decide our President for the next four years. That decision will have a major impact on many aspects of life in this country, but the residential real estate market will not be one of them. Analysts will try to measure the impact feasible changes in regulations might have on housing, the effect of a possible first-time buyer program, and any number of other situations based on who wins.

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Better Dwelling

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

Greater Toronto real estate is on fire… just not condo apartments, which is seeing a lot of sellers. Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) data shows condo apartment prices slid for a fifth month in October. Condo sales are fairly in line with last year’s numbers, except in the city. However, inventory has more than […]. The post Toronto Condo Prices Down Over $20k From Peak, As Inventory Doubles appeared first on Better Dwelling.

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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

Keeping Current Matters

AUGUST 24, 2020

Today, Americans are moving for a variety of different reasons. The current health crisis has truly re-shaped our lifestyles and our needs. Spending extra time where we currently live is enabling many families to re-evaluate what homeownership means and what they find most important in a home. According to Zillow : “In 2020, homes went from the place people returned to after work, school, hitting the gym or vacationing, to the place where families do all of the above.

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Marco Santarelli

AUGUST 5, 2020

Here are the updated national housing market trends— home prices, inventory, sales, and forecast. If you're wondering what the state of the housing market 2020 will be like over the next twelve months, especially if you're an investor, then here is some good news for you. Given the current fundamentals, real estate sales should remain strong in most U.S. houisng markets for the foreseeable future.

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The Mortgage Report

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

Climate change is putting millions of homes at risk. Use these climate change maps and expert advice to help inform your next home buying decision.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 30, 2020

While the United States may not have been prepared to combat a deadly virus, a quick and robust response from the Federal Reserve , along with changing consumer preferences, created a perfect storm that resulted in a record year for the housing and mortgage industries. Mortgage rates would fall to record lows 16 times throughout 2020, with origination volume expected to eclipse $4 trillion.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 17, 2020

2020 has been a remarkably strong year for the housing market. Sales volume has remained elevated compared to last year since about mid-June, home values are growing more quickly than they have in 15 years and homes are typically selling a full three weeks faster than a year ago. Incredibly, next year’s housing market outlook is poised to be much stronger.

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Development

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 31, 2020

Jeff Tucker Zillow Senior Economist. This is the fourth installment of our economist Q&A series, as we work to answer the top 2021 housing market questions. Every Tuesday in December, HousingWire interviewed a top economist in the HW+ Slack channel. The 2021 housing market forecasts have focused on everything from home prices to mortgage rates. In this installment, HousingWire interviewed Jeff Tucker, senior economist at Zillow , on his forecast for next year.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 22, 2020

In recent articles, I have written that although current sales data for the U.S. housing market has outperformed expectations, I expected these upward trends to moderate. Growth in home sales in recent months, I proposed, was primarily due to the catch-up demand from the stalled sales during the worst weeks of COVID-19. Today, the National Association of Realtors reported a 2.5% decline in existing home sales compared to last month, which I guess could be considered moderation.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 25, 2020

Real estate agents across the U.S. have been busy as a result of the pent-up demand from homebuyers due to COVID-19. From facing uncertainty in March from COVID-19-related shutdowns, to seeing home sales skyrocket through the summer into fall, it looks like homebuyers won’t be slowing down anytime soon, despite the holiday season approaching. Fannie Mae Chief Economist Doug Duncan said he expects existing home sales to ultimately “be up a percent or more in 2021.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 11, 2020

2020 was a truly unprecedented year. With it behind us, let’s look ahead at several housing market trends that are likely in 2021 and beyond. First, exceptionally low mortgage rates are likely to be around for an extended period. The Federal Reserve is expected to continue an accommodative monetary policy and keep the federal funds target below 0.25% through 2022.

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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

DECEMBER 7, 2020

The U.S. housing market was the single best outperforming economic sector globally during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The reasons for that are solid demographics and low mortgage rates , which will not change much in 2021. Due to the solid demand for homes, housing supply for both new and existing homes are at all-time lows. New Home Supply. The monthly supply for new homes is currently at 3.3 months.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 3, 2020

Even prior to the pandemic , housing inventory had hit record lows, and the problem has only gotten worse as demand continues to rise. Total home sales are outpacing new listings by a wide margin every month, and real estate tech company Homesnap foresees the shortage continuing in 2021 unless more sellers enter the market. The divide between supply and demand is striking: compared to last year, total new listings increased.22%, while total sales increased 19.29%.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

The average U.S. mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan remained unchanged at 2.72% this week, Freddie Mac said in a report on Thursday – the second week in a row rates have sat at the lowest recorded level in the survey’s near 50-year history. The average fixed rate for a 15-year mortgage also remained unchanged from last week at 2.28%. After another week at the record low, there have now been 18 consecutive weeks when average mortgage rates have been below 3%.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 24, 2020

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced new conforming loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for 2021: $548,250. This is a 7.5% increase from 2020’s limit of $510,400 and marks the fifth consecutive year of increases from the FHFA. In 2016, the FHFA increased the Fannie and Freddie conforming loan limit for the first time in 10 years, and since then, the loan limit has gone up by $131,250.

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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

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

The pandemic has shifted the pecking order of the real estate industry’s location-location-location axiom for many homebuyers — high-cost and high-density urban is out, while suburban is back in vogue and rural is experiencing a bit of a revival. Many real estate investors were serendipitously ahead of this shift even before the pandemic started, driven by both affordability and an affinity for overlooked markets.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

The average U.S. mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan fell this week to 2.72%, Freddie Mac said in a report on Thursday – the lowest rate in the survey’s near 50-year history. This week’s rate broke the previous record set on Nov. 5 by 6 basis points. The average fixed rate for a 15-year mortgage also fell by 6 basis points to 2.28%. After this week’s record drop, there have now been 17 consecutive weeks when average mortgage rates have been below 3%.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on Thursday, alleging a series of violations of antitrust law, including commission arrangements and consumer disclosure requirements. NAR has adopted a “series of rules, policies, and practices governing, among other things, the publication and marketing of real estate, real estate broker commissions, as well as real estate broker access to lockboxes, that have been widely adopted by NAR’s m

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 13, 2020

In today’s red-hot market, you need a real estate agent who can get creative, play hardball in negotiations, and help you stand out from the pack in a bidding war. And not everyone — even an agent recommended to you by a friend or loved one — is up to the task. Want to make sure you’re getting the best real estate agent possible for your home purchase?

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Sales

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Existing home sales came in at a whopping 6,850,000 , beating estimates with the highest print since 2006. Days on market fell from 36 days to 21 days on a year-over-year basis. Cash buyers remain at a historically high level of 19%, the same as last year, while sales grew 26.6% year over year. The housing market is hot. While we celebrate these strong numbers, keep in mind these three points: First, expect the data to moderate, so don’t freak out when we see the rate of growth cool down.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 14, 2020

The total number of loans in forbearance decreased from 5.54% to 5.48% as of Dec. 6, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in forbearance decreased to 3.26% – an 8-point improvement. Ginnie Mae loans in forbearance decreased 21 points to 7.68%. Despite a dramatic point improvement, borrowers are still seeking relief, according to Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s senior vice president and chief economist. “New forbearance requests reached their highest level

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 2, 2020

With Halloween now in the rearview mirror, we still have one more spook to survive in 2020 – and no, I’m not talking about the upcoming election. I’m talking about housing market crash headlines. The housing data has been wild this year. We’ve seen waterfall declines and parabolic rebounds. These dramatic peaks and valleys in the data have fed the demons of greed and fear that infest the minds our extreme housing bulls and the fierce housing market bears – leading to equally wild spe

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 13, 2020

In the largest increase since 2013, luxury home sales rose 41.5% in the third quarter, according to a new report from Redfin. While sales in this segment of the housing market have skyrocketed, the sales of medium-priced homes went up only 3% and sales of affordable homes actually declined by 4.2%. “The luxury housing market normally takes a hit during recessions as wealthy Americans tighten their purse strings, but this isn’t a normal recession,” Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather said in

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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.

Agents

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 19, 2020

The U.S. forbearance rate measuring the share of mortgages with suspended payments fell to 5.92% last week, the lowest since mid-April, according to the Mortgage Banker Association. The rate dropped from 6.32% in the prior week, MBA said in a report on Monday. The decline was largely led by portfolio loans and private-label securities as their share of mortgages in forbearance fell to 8.86% from 10.06% the week prior.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 21, 2020

The housing market faced a lot of uncertainty when COVID-19 caused the real estate industry to pause under shut-downs, but low interest rates and the desire for more space has turned this year into a boom time for real estate agents. “It’s been a circus, really,” said Anthony Lamacchia, Realtor and owner of Lamacchia Realty in the Boston suburbs. “Anything right outside of Boston is going like wildfire, but especially the single-family homes.” Even though the averag

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Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

Realtors can usually count on their biggest season being spring, followed by summer, but nothing about 2020 has been normal, including home-buying patterns. With shut-down orders in the spring, summer became the new home-buying season, but homebuyers were still incredibly active in August. Now, believe it or not, fall home-buying season is in full swing.

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