Here are the updated housing market trends & predictions for 2020 & 2021. Home buying and selling prospects drastically improved in August as economic concerns continued to ease for both buyers and sellers. Significant uncertainty remains for the housing market
Opendoor announces merger with Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. in bid to go public
iBuying platform Opendoor said it will merge with Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. II. to become a public company using the special purchase acquisition company in a deal that values Opendoor at $4.8 billion and provides it with up to
EasyKnock launches solution that lets homeowners lease back their home after selling
Residential sell and lease-back company EasyKnock has added another product to its portfolio. ReLEASE provides homeowners with the option to sell their home and rent it back from EasyKnock as long as they would like, the company said. “We’re launching
Turn your record year into a record career by creating client-for-life relationships
In this low interest rate environment, lenders are staying busy with high volumes and new clients. HousingWire spoke with Homebot CEO Ernie Graham about the best strategies for staying in touch with borrowers post-transaction and creating opportunities for success in
Compliments to the Chef
As more Americans turn to home cooking and entertaining, the functionality of a kitchen is more important than ever when choosing a home. Over the past half-century, kitchens have become somewhat fetishized; a place to display high-tech appliances and high
RedfinNow Expands to Palm Springs
RedfinNow buys homes directly, giving homeowners liquidity, certainty and safety Homeowners in the Palm Springs area can now get a cash offer for their home from RedfinNow. By selling to RedfinNow, homeowners get the certainty of an all-cash offer direct
SitusAMC acquires ComplianceEase in latest mortgage tech M&A deal
Real estate services and technology firm SitusAMC just acquired the parent company of compliance technology provider ComplianceEase, the latest in a series of mergers and acquisitions that are shaking up the mortgage tech space in the last year. ComplianceEase will
If Biden wins, what happens to Fannie and Freddie?
If former Vice President Joe Biden wins the White House, it will derail the Trump Administration’s plans to release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship. What, then, would happen to the world’s two largest mortgage financiers? Most likely, it
Part 1: A third-party opinion on how to build your broker tech stack
HousingStack is a real estate technology landscape that provides a dynamic visual that reflects the rapid changes in the sector. The HousingStack is exclusively for HW+ members. To join the HW+ community, go here. I’ve been asked to put together some recommendations on what
Mortgage modifications are on the rise, MBA says
Forbearance exits measuring how many borrowers cancelled agreements to suspend mortgage payments rose to a one-month high in September’s first week, led by a surge in loan modifications, according to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association on Monday. Total
This missile silo-turned luxury bunker might be just what 2020 needs
About a year ago, RE/MAX agent Ken Flaspohler took on what he said is the most exciting luxury listing he’s ever had. Hidden somewhere in rural Kansas and nestled 15 stories below the ground, the listing consists of condos constructed
Is mortgage credit really too tight since COVID-19?
Since the onset of COVID-19, the Twittersphere has been ripe with rumor and speculation that the financial requirements to qualify for a mortgage have become increasingly more rigorous since the crisis and this would put a damper on the housing
Black Homebuyers Face Steeper Price Increases, Sharper Declines in Homes for Sale than White Homebuyers During the Pandemic
Black homebuyers, who are less likely than their white counterparts to have jobs that can be done remotely, face higher home prices as white homebuyers move to more affordable suburbs Home prices in neighborhoods where Black people bought homes in
NAR: 31% of Realtors say they feel unsafe at open houses
Real estate agent safety has been a concern for years, as the job requires showing empty homes or homes occupied by others, and meeting new people, often alone. As September is Realtor Safety Month, the National Association of Realtors has
People movers: SimpleNexus, Roostify, First American, Tom Ferry International
Mortgage platform SimpleNexus has tapped Cathleen Schreiner Gates to become its next company president. Schreiner Gates, a technology veteran with more than three decades of experience, joined SimpleNexus’ board of directors in April 2020. Between 2015 and 2019, she served
Mortgage forbearances drop 22% from May peak
There are 3.7 million U.S. homeowners with mortgages in forbearance this week, down 22% from May’s peak of 4.7 million, Black Knight said in a report on Friday. The total weekly drop was 66,000 loans, a slower pace than the
Ellie Mae President and CEO Jonathan Corr retires
Exactly one week after Ellie Mae was officially acquired by Intercontinental Exchange, Ellie Mae president and CEO Jonathan Corr announced his retirement on Friday, and announced that the company’s chief operating officer, Joe Tyrrell, would succeed him as president of
iBuyer Activity Ground to a Halt in the Second Quarter, With Market Share Plummeting to 0.1%
iBuyers purchased the fewest homes in more than three years last quarter as the coronavirus pandemic put business on pause. But the market is now making a comeback, with iBuyers seeing a rebound in demand—and even bidding wars—from homeowners who
Home Prices Up 13%, Biggest Increase Since 2013
Buyers seem undeterred, as pending sales soar 28% and a 9% increase in new listings brings little relief. Key housing market takeaways for 434 U.S. metro areas during the 4-week period ending September 6: Median home sale price increased 13%
5 Cool Lofts for Sale Right Now
Is there anything cooler than living in a loft? Sure, we love townhouses and condos, but ‘loft’ has a certain ring to it. A loft generally has high ceilings, an open floor plan, and large windows topped off with an
It hasn’t been this hard to get a mortgage in six years
Mortgage credit in August was the tightest in more than six years as a weak economy prompted lenders to tighten standards, the Mortgage Bankers Association said in a report on Thursday. The group’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index fell 4.7% to
Opendoor could make public debut via reverse merger at $5B valuation
Opendoor, the largest instant home buying platform in the country, could debut on the public market at a $5 billion valuation, according to a new report. Chamath Palihapitiya’s Social Capital is in talks to use one of his blank-check companies,
Housing Market Sees Biggest Uptick in New Listings in Almost 2 Years as Pending Sales Surge 21%
Record-low inventory of homes for sale has “created a complete storm of insanity,” in small, affordable markets like Boise, which is seeing an influx of buyers leaving the West Coast. Key housing market takeaways for 434 U.S. metro areas during
How many homes did iBuyers purchase in Q2?
The second quarter was a tough one on iBuyers, as only 0.1% of the homes sold across 418 metros — only 880 homes total — were purchased by top iBuyers Redfin, Zillow, Opendoor and Offerpad, according to a report by