Author: Michael Gersitz

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

Think back on all the major financial decisions you’ve made since entering adulthood. Perhaps your list starts with renting your first apartment or buying your first car. Later, you may have taken out a personal or small business loan. Eventually,

Real-estate closing platform Qualia announced the launch of its Physical Document Service on Thursday that will allow mortgage lenders to automate the management of paper trailing documents from title partners through the Qualia platform. The company announced the news during

Seth Thompson, premier land professional Year to year, the evolution of computer technology can be staggering. In most cases, the advancements cause disruption— and opportunity—in every industry. In real estate, one such disruption is caused by drones, which have become

Low mortgage rates and record-low housing inventory has driven home price increases throughout the year. The National Association of Realtors is saying that the median single-family home price grew year over year in all 181 metro areas it tracks. In

Starting off this week’s people mover announcements, Opendoor announced another executive-level hire, naming Andrew Low Ah Kee as its new president. Low Ah Kee joins the Opendoor executive team to help drive operations across the company, especially as it expands

The Federal Housing Administration’s flagship Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund is in the best condition since before the financial crisis with a combined capital ratio for FY 2020 at 6.1% – only .3% away from levels seen in 2007. Under the National Housing

In this low interest rate environment, many borrowers are jumping at the chance to refinance, and lenders are working around the clock to capture these opportunities and close as many loans as possible, as quickly as possible. However, as lenders

Just weeks before President-elect Joe Biden’s administration is sworn into office, Freddie Mac CEO David Brickman will step down as head of the government sponsored enterprise, the company disclosed in a filing on Friday. Brickman, who took over as CEO

In its most recent earnings report, Zillow revealed a significant number of its Zillow Offers users are turning to remote online notarization. In fact, the company reports that more than 60% of its Zillow Offers customers closed on their home

What is holding back potential homeowners from buying? According to the National Association of Realtors 2020 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, 47% of potential homebuyers said student loan debt was the biggest obstacle in saving for a downpayment. In

Add another lender to the IPO clown car: venture-backed Better.com. The digital lender, run by CEO Vishal Garg, selected Bank of America and Morgan Stanley to prepare an initial public offering slated for 2021, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.

Vacation areas and luxury housing markets aren’t the only ones benefitting from a wave of pandemic buyers: southeastern locales are also filling up. Metro areas with the biggest increases in net inflow in the third quarter included Little Rock, Arkansas;

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced on Thursday that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will continue to buy qualified loans in forbearance, extending the temporary policy until Dec. 31, 2020 in order to continue its support of homeowners and mortgage lenders. Originally announced

President-elect Joe Biden is creating transition teams as he prepares for Inauguration Day in January, and there is a very familiar name at the top of the transition team for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Leandra English, the hand-picked successor

If you’re thinking about buying a home, then boosting your FICO score should be at the top of your to-do list.  Not only does a prime credit score improve your chances of getting approved for a mortgage, but it also

You can understand Jay Farner’s frustration: Rocket Companies just had the most productive quarter in the history of residential mortgage lending. It thumped competitors with a record $89 billion in originations in the third quarter, and made $3 billion in

In April, with the coronavirus pandemic raging across the country, leaders at JPMorgan Chase made the call: the bank was going to significantly tighten mortgage lending standards. Borrowers weren’t going to get a new mortgage without a 700 or higher

The average U.S. mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan rose this week to 2.84%, Freddie Mac said in a report on Thursday – up 6 basis points from the previous all-time record low set last week. The average fixed rate for a 15-year mortgage also