This year has been full of surprises, but the biggest might be how exceptional the housing market is performing, National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said on Tuesday. In a panel at the NAR 2020 Realtors Conference and
These are the top RON trends to watch for in 2021
In 2020, remote online notarization became one of the key technologies being discussed among mortgage professionals. So what does 2021 have in store for RON? There are many different thoughts on what 2021 could bring for the eClosing technology (and
Real estate tech roundup: Shaker, zavvie and Homie
Indianapolis-based High Alpha has launched Shaker, a collaborative CRM and real estate transaction management platform. Through the platform, Shaker offers a suite of tools to streamline client communication and collaboration, including transaction management, client communication, predictive insights and a built-in
Realogy Franchise Group promotes Susan Yannaccone to president and CEO
The largest owner of U.S. real estate brokerages and franchise brands, Realogy Holdings Corp., has announced the appointment of Susan Yannaccone as president and chief executive officer of Realogy Franchise Group, effective Nov. 30. Yannaccone joined Realogy in 2015 as
Builder confidence reaches 35-year high in November
The National Association of Home Builders and Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, measuring builder confidence, rose five points to 90 in November – the highest score the series has ever recorded since its inception 35 years ago and the third month in its history the score
MBA predicts record purchase mortgage volume in 2021
The Mortgage Bankers Association on Tuesday released revised estimates for the third and fourth quarter of 2020 as well as predicting record purchase volume for 2021. Although The MBA expects decreased numbers of refinancings will lower overall origination next year
eOriginal launches hub for lenders to find RON partner
eOriginal announced the release of its new ClosingCenter 2.3, which includes a hub to connect lenders to the right remote online notarization partner. This move comes after a year of change for the title industry. RON has become the go-to
Why is the El Paso housing market so hot right now?
The Texas border town of El Paso, the state’s westernmost city with a population of less than 1 million, has experienced an enormous uptick in home purchases since March – the month that COVID-19 began shutting down businesses, forcing people
The differences between FHA, VA, and USDA mortgages
When you get a mortgage, there are several options you can choose from, including FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional mortgages. And the one you pick? That will determine how big a down payment you’ll need, what credit score you should
The differences between home and mortgage insurance
If you’re using a home loan to buy a house, then you could have two types of insurance in your future, home insurance and mortgage insurance. Home insurance is also called homeowner’s insurance or hazard insurance. These policies cover damage to
A far from normal downturn: Originations versus delinquencies
COVID-19 is a historically unique event for the mortgage industry. Typically, during a crisis or catastrophic event that impacts the housing industry, you’d see a significant downtick in mortgage originations and an uptick in delinquencies, ultimately leading to foreclosures. However, the COVID-19 pandemic
Mortgage forbearance rate falls 20 basis points to 5.47%
The U.S. forbearance rate measuring the share of mortgages with suspended payments experienced a 20 basis points improvement last week after it fell to 5.47% from 5.67% the week prior, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The U.S forbearance rate has now fallen
After several disturbing incidents, NAR amends Code of Ethics to include Realtors’ personal behavior
The National Association of Realtors voted on Friday in favor of a motion that makes it a violation for Realtors to use harassing or hate speech toward any of the protected classes under Article 10 of NAR’s Code of Ethics.
Nashville Real Estate Market Trends & Investment Outlook
Nashville housing market remains one of the hottest markets in the US. Despite the pandemic led economic slowdown, there is healthy demand to purchase homes in the Nashville real estate market. Across the nation, we have seen people moving from
What the surge in COVID cases means for the housing market this winter
With COVID infection rates exploding and hospitalization rates rising as we go into the cold winter months, the risk this poses to our recovering housing market is a question that should be addressed. In a previous article, I identified infection
Affordable housing groups look to Biden to fulfill campaign promises
Though housing didn’t take center stage during the 2020 election season, those who work in affordable housing were keeping a close eye on the race, and are now looking expectantly at President-elect Joe Biden’s $640 billion housing plan originally proposed
Top five questions to ask a potential real estate agent
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
If consumers aren’t holding lenders back, then who or what is?
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,
Housing Tech Rundown: Qualia, First American Docutech and Sagent
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
Drone mapping in the real estate industry
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
NAR’s Yun says median home price rising “much too fast”
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
People movers: Opendoor, Offerpad, Waterstone Mortgage, Planet Home Lending
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
FHA Commissioner on the MMI fund capital ratio growth to 6.1%
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
Streamline the refinance process with a solution that facilitates borrower data and document collection
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
