The Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting that ended on Wednesday left rates unchanged and gave a strong indication that it will not raise interest rates for a long time. Back in August of 2015, when the Fed began hinting about
Mortgage forbearances fall for the second straight week
The number of mortgages in forbearance fell for the second consecutive week, Black Knight said in a report on Friday. The number of loans with suspended payments dropped to 4.66 million this week from 4.73 million, the mortgage data firm
Housing Tech Rundown: The latest industry partnerships
Though competition can be fierce in the housing tech space, the industry is seeing more companies reaching out for partnerships to harness each other’s strengths. Companies contributing to new relationships this week include MountainSeed with Kabbage, Ally Lending with Authority
Emerging from crisis: 5 takeaways from first-time homebuyers’ market behavior
Given the vital role the housing market plays in the U.S. economy, you can look to any number of indicators on a weekly, monthly or annual basis to better understand the current state of the market. Beyond housing starts and
Ithaca, New York says it will cancel rent payments
Ithaca, New York has become the first city in the U.S. to cancel rent payments in response to COVID-19. A new resolution now allows Ithaca’s Mayor Svante Myrick to cancel rent debt from the last three months for tenants and
Mortgage rates tumble to an all-time low
The average rate for a 30-year conforming fixed-rate mortgage fell to a record low of 3.1%, on Thursday, according to data from Optimal Blue. It came after a rocky ride that saw rates jump to a one-month high on the
Google will make it impossible for lenders and Realtors to target consumers based on ZIP code, demographics
Google announced it is tightening its policies, prohibiting employment, housing and credit advertisers from targeting or excluding ads based on certain demographics and ZIP codes. The company explained that it has long prohibited advertisers from targeting users based on “sensitive categories”
Homebuying Demand Just Keeps Getting Stronger
Key Takeaways Demand is 25% above pre-pandemic levels. Buyers haven’t “batted an eyelash” over the possibility of a resurgent pandemic or now protests. Bidding wars are “bananas” with homes “flying off the shelves.” Sale prices are up 3.1%; asking prices
Quicken Loans IPO would set fintech valuation tone and make mortgages cool again
A Quicken Loans IPO valuing the company in the tens of billions may be imminent. If true, this is huge for two reasons: as America’s largest mortgage lender, Quicken Loans would set the challenger bank valuation tone, and being public
Consistency and persistence: Top tools for an agile housing professional
Today, HousingWire’s engage.marketing virtual event jumped off, and honestly, I could have maxed out a thumb drive with notes. But instead of writing the mortgage and real estate marketing version of The Odyssey, I’ll just give you a few of
Homebuilder challenges vary by state– Here’s a look at a few major obstacles
In April, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index measuring builder confidence registered its single greatest decline with a 42-point plummet. Today, however, NAHB is exuding confidence that its members will help bring the coronavirus-disrupted country back
Realtor.com launches Housing Market Recovery Index
Realtor.com on Thursday released a new way to track the progress of the housing market amid the COVID-19 pandemic: The Housing Market Recovery Index. The creation of the index was triggered by COVID-19 events that began in mid-March, said Javier
Quicken Loans files for IPO
UPDATE: This story was updated on Thursday with a statement from a Quicken Loans spokesperson. Quicken Loans, the No. 1 mortgage lender in the U.S., is preparing an initial public offering, according to an article by CNBC. The article explained
How COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted communities of color
At the beginning of COVID-19, people were calling the virus the “great equalizer” because the virus was expected to equally affect people regardless of race. However, the opposite quickly became apparent as communities of color have been disproportionately and overwhelmingly
NAR introduces implicit bias training to Realtors and staff
The National Association of Realtors announced on Wednesday it is introducing implicit bias training to its Realtor members and association staff. A 50-minute video began circulation to NAR members and staff as a partnership with the Perception Institute. The video
Fannie Mae lender letter expands its temporary policies
Fannie Mae sent out a lender letter Thursday announcing that it is extending the application deadline for it’s temporary policies until July 31, 2020. “We are extending the temporary policies in this lender letter to loans with application dates on
Haus raises $15.75 million in Series A round
Real estate tech company Haus has raised $15.75 million in Series A funding led by BlueRun Ventures. The funding round was also joined by Assurant Growth Investing, Leap Global Partners and RIT Capital. The company said the financing will be
Average U.S. mortgage rate rises to 3.21%
The average U.S. rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage rose three basis points to 3.21% this week, not far from the 3.15% all-time low set at the end of May. The average rate increased from 3.18% in the prior week,
Washington D.C-based Paragon Title looking to hire
Many companies continue to hire amid the pandemic as the unemployment rate declined 13.3% in May. One of those is Paragon Title, which is looking to add five to six employees to their real estate settlement staff. Founded in 1981,
Our Role in Fighting Racism
To Our Redfin Community: On May 31, Redfin joined many other people and companies denouncing racism and racial violence. We believe Black Lives Matter and we support police reform, but we’re writing today about a more fundamental responsibility our company
Redlining’s Legacy of Inequality: $212,000 Less Home Equity, Low Homeownership Rates For Black Families
The racist 1930s-era housing policy that effectively blocked Black families from obtaining loans continues to widen the wealth gap. Homeowners in redlined neighborhoods have earned 52% less in home equity than those in greenlined areas over the last 40 years.
Los Angeles Real Estate Market 2020 Overview
We will discuss the latest Los Angeles housing market trends & news and find out how they can affect the investors and homebuyers in the latter half of 2020. The shutdown due to coronavirus pandemic had an impact on the California
The critical role of Hispanics in revitalizing a post-pandemic housing market
In February, the U.S. Census Bureau released its homeownership report which indicated that 2019, like the four years that came before it, was a positive year for Hispanic homeownership. Hispanics have been driving homeownership growth in America for more than
[PULSE] What is a negative interest rate and how does it work?
Despite the Federal Reserve chairman’s aversion, negative rates increasingly possible, but not negative mortgage rates – yet. With central banks lowering interest rates to all-time lows, investors flooding into safe investments driving prices up (and yields down), and the need
