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The home inspection process: Should you skip it?

Housing Wire

People often confuse the home appraisal with the home inspection. Appraisals are estimates of a home’s value — and they’re typically required before you can close on your mortgage loan. Inspections, on the other hand, are designed to assess the condition of the home, and they’re 100% optional for the buyer. Projects to avoid.

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Milestones VP of Marketing Shannon Baldwin on her mission as a marketer

Housing Wire

Nominations for HousingWire’s 2024 Marketing Leaders are open until April 30, 2024. While they have endured a rocky, rates-driven cycle, marketers in mortgage and real estate continue to play a pivotal role in lead generation, customer acquisition and retention differentiation that has helped to keep many organizations stay afloat.

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Unwrapping what to expect in your home inspection, appraisal and closing

Housing Wire

What’s the difference between a home inspection and an appraisal? Before you get overwhelmed, take comfort that critical milestones of home inspection, appraisal and closing processes are all great ways to get more acquainted with your prospective new home. Home Inspection. Have you budgeted for closing costs?

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Are borrower-assisted inspections here to stay?

Housing Wire

In most cases the in-person inspections required by GSEs, FHA and VA policies can continue per policy; however, adjustments to policy compliance are often needed to get the loan underwritten. When inspections are safe and feasible, appraisers are wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks, gloves and shoe coverings.

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The current REO market requires an expansion of services for business growth

Housing Wire

Tiffany Fletcher, senior vice president of operations support and operational risk for VRM Mortgage Services , offers strategies for doing just that, showing how VRM is growing and changing during these unique times. Tiffany Fletcher, VRM Mortgage Services HW: What does the current market and demand for REO assets look like?

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CFPB outlines issues with illegal ‘junk fees’ by mortgage servicers

Housing Wire

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Wednesday released a special edition of its Supervisory Highlights report that profiles “unlawful junk fees uncovered in deposit accounts and in multiple loan servicing markets,” including among mortgage servicers.

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Knowledge Is Power When It Comes to Appraisals and Inspections

Keeping Current Matters

Buyers in today’s market often have questions about the importance of getting a home appraisal and an inspection. That’s because high buyer demand and low housing supply are driving intense competition and leading some buyers to consider waiving those contingencies to stand out in the crowded market. Home Inspection.