You’ve nearly gone through the entire homebuying process. From those early days of using a mortgage calculator to see how much house you could afford, to touring homes online or in-person, and then finally and excitedly making an offer on
Bidding Wars Hold Steady in July, With Over Half of Redfin Offers Encountering Competition
54% of Redfin offers faced bidding wars last month amid record-low mortgage rates and an acute shortage of homes for sale. Salt Lake City was the most competitive market, with 75% of offers encountering competition. More than half of Redfin
Austin Real Estate Market & Investment Overview 2020
We will discuss the latest Austin real estate market trends & prices and find out how they can affect the investors and homebuyers in the latter half of 2020. Austin housing market has been impacted by the pandemic which led to a
Getting Back to Work Safely
As many states move to reopen businesses affected during COVID-19, it’s essential that building owners, managers and tenants follow safety guidelines to keep employees and customers safe. The best way to do this is to review safety resources from the
Sell Your House Fast: 7 People You Need on Your Team
So, you’ve decided to sell your home. Congratulations! Before you start playing with a mortgage calculator to see how much you can afford on your next home, you’ll want to know how to sell your current home fast. Ideally, you’re
Intercontinental Exchange to acquire Ellie Mae from Thoma Bravo for $11 billion
Ellie Mae announced Thursday it entered a definitive agreement to be acquired by Intercontinental Exchange for approximately $11 billion. The move comes 15 months after Thoma Bravo, a private equity investment firm, announced it would acquire Ellie Mae in an
The rapid adoption of digital closings during COVID-19 shows what’s possible in the mortgage industry
We sat down with Nancy Alley, vice president of strategic planning at Simplifile and one of HousingWire’s 2020 Women of Influence, to talk about the rapid changes in the closing process as a result of the pandemic. Will this end
CEO of UWM hit with emergency order after more than 50 workers get COVID-19
The Oakland County Health Division in Michigan sent an emergency order to Mat Ishbia, CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage and United Shore Financial Services, saying employees weren’t wearing masks at work, contributing to the spread of the coronavirus. The emergency
Rocket Companies’ public debut underwhelms but execs insist they are ‘in it for the long haul’
Rocket Companies, parent company of Quicken Loans, underwhelmed in its public debut on Thursday. But executives remain optimistic with an eye toward the future, according to a HousingWire interview with COO Bob Walters. On Wednesday, we reported that Rocket Companies
Despite pandemic, Zillow Group reported increase in revenue
After an unpredictable spring, Zillow Group said it has beat its outlook in the second quarter. The group’s total consolidated revenue grew 28% year over year in Q2, to $768 million, with a total net loss of $84 million. “Zillow’s
eXp announces expansion into five new countries
After announcing in its second-quarter earnings that it plans to expand, eXp World Holdings is officially launching in five new countries. By the end of 2020, the company said it plans to expand its real estate operations in France, India,
Jobless claims fell to 1.2 million last week
Initial jobless claims fell to 1.2 million last week, down from 1.4 million in the prior period, declining to a pandemic low that was almost twice as high as the worst measure during the financial crisis a decade ago. Continuing
The OCC slaps Capital One with $80M fine over cybersecurity, risk management practices
This article was written for FinLedger, HW Media’s new fintech-focused news brand designed specifically for financial services professionals in banking, insurance and real estate. Stay tuned for updates. Migrating to the cloud is an increasingly common practice for financial institutions. But with that migration comes
The rise of IMBs
When the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released the 2019 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data there was one key shift that was evident from the start – independent mortgage banks clearly stepped up their game. Wells Fargo, which had long held
Mortgage rates tumble to new record lows this week
Average U.S. mortgage rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage fell to an all-time low of 2.88% this week, the eighth time in 2020 the weekly rate has set a record in a Freddie Mac series that goes back almost five
Whatever jobless aid Congress comes up with, it’s likely to be retroactive
If you’re unemployed in the midst of a pandemic, this isn’t going to solve your short-term need for money to pay for groceries or clothes for your kids, but it’s something: Whatever plan Congress comes up with to extend or
[PULSE] Competence leads to confidence – Confidence leads to consistency
Note: This is part four of a five-part series. Over the following weeks, Todd Duncan, sales entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author, will showcase principles for mortgage and real estate professionals to embrace for success. Find more advice in
In a virtual learning world, do you still need to buy a house in a good school district?
Living in a good school district is one of the biggest factors for homebuyers, even if they’re empty nesters. The National Association of Realtors found in its Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers in 2019 that 26% of all homebuyers
Fed inflation plan could end rock-bottom mortgage rates
The Federal Reserve is considering abandoning its longtime strategy of using its benchmark rate to pre-emptively prevent inflation from rising above its 2% target. That could be the death knell for rock-bottom mortgage rates. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said at
Quicken Loans parent Rocket Companies reportedly slashing IPO from as high as $3.3 billion to $2 billion or less
Rocket Companies announced post-publication that it had priced its IPO at $18 a share, and that it is selling 100 million shares. This means it is seeking to raise $1.8 billion in its offering. Rocket Companies, parent company of Quicken
Here’s a look at NAMB’s latest legislative efforts
The National Association of Mortgage Brokers has been advocating for mortgage brokers for almost 50 years. HousingWire spoke with NAMB President Rocke Andrews and Roy DeLoach, NAMB’s lobbyist in Washington, D.C., about the organization’s past and current legislative efforts. HousingWire:
FundingShield reports a sharp increase in title fraud risk in second quarter
According to an analysis by FundingShield, increases in CPL and agent validation errors with title insurers rose by 530% in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the first. Fraud and risk exposures in CPL errors and issues rose 50%,
Without another stimulus package, rent delinquencies could rise
As Republicans and Democrats negotiate a new stimulus package in Washington D.C., it’s likely that rent delinquencies will rise and over 20 million renters could be evicted. About 12.4% of U.S. renters missed payments in the first two weeks of
eXp Realty reports 33% revenue growth for Q2
eXp World Holdings, the parent company of eXp Realty, said its profit soared to a record in the second quarter as the dollar-volume of transactions rose 26% from a year earlier to $13 billion. The company reported net income of
