In the last few months in my articles for HousingWire, I have written that monthly supply has been rising and that this increasing supply was the most critical metric for the housing market, specifically the new home sales market. According
Could online mortgage lenders reduce discrimination against Black homebuyers?
The housing market is red hot. The Federal Housing Finance Agency house-price index rose 12% last year due to low inventories and high demand. Redfin, the popular real estate website, reports that nearly 40% of homes in the past month
Fannie & Freddie forbearances drop to 1.81%
Another week, another drop in forbearance volume. Servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume fell two basis points to 3.48% from 3.50% last week, according to a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Approximately 1.74 million homeowners are in forbearance plans, the MBA reported. The share of Fannie Mae and Freddie
First American names new Gulf Coast counsel
Kenneth Farmer has been named regional underwriting counsel for First American Financial Corporation’s gulf coast title insurance, the company recently announced. Farmer, who has been promoted from within, will continue to serve as state counsel for First American Title’s Mississippi
What Does Homeowners Insurance Typically Cover in Fire-Prone Areas?
When you buy a home, you’ll need to have home insurance to cover a variety of unexpected events that could do damage to your home. Typically, your homeowner’s insurance policy includes coverage for repairs in the event your home is
Go for Gold USA: 3 US Summer Olympic Games Host Cities You Can Move To
The 2020 Summer Olympics are finally here. While the coronavirus pandemic delayed the games by a year, the time has come for thousands of athletes from around the world to gather in Tokyo and compete for their countries. Since the
Re-thinking property tax reporting can help meet lenders’ need for speed
“I feel the need…the need for speed.” – Maverick (Top Gun) With the increasing “need-for-speed” at which the lending community moves, keeping up is a constant task that never gets any easier. New entrants continue to join the market with
What is Dual Agency and How Does it Work?
In most real estate deals, there are two agents involved – one who represents the seller and another who represents the buyer. However, there is another less common scenario in which one agent represents both the buyer and the seller
New home sales dip for third consecutive month
New home sales continued to slip in June, falling 6.6% from May to a pace of only 676,000, according to a recent study from the U.S. Census. It’s the third straight month of decreases and the first annual decline since
Borrowers get more options as foreclosure deadline nears
With the foreclosure moratorium for federally backed mortgages set to expire next week, the Biden administration is giving borrowers additional options to reduce their mortgage payments. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Department
What to Expect During the Home Appraisal Process
There are many important steps to buying or selling a house. One aspect that homebuyers and sellers often have questions about is the home appraisal process and how it impacts them in regards to the home sale. It’s important for
Sleep Like Royalty in the Palace of Versailles
You can now sleep surrounded by the 18th-century opulence of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. For the first time in its 387-year history, the Palace of Versailles has opened a luxury hotel. Airelles Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle offers
First American, Stewart Title and Old Republic report for 2Q
Three of the “Big Four” title insurers — First American Financial, Old Republic and Stewart Title — released their second-quarter earnings this week. Fidelity National will release its second-quarter earnings on Aug. 3. First American reported $2.3 billion in total
How to Find Your Property Lines: Fast, Easy, and Precise
As a homeowner, you likely have a general idea of where your property begins and ends. You may be using your driveway, the edge of your lawn, or a fence as a reference point. But are you sure those are
New homes selling well even as builders pass on costs
After an epic rise in housing starts and permits from the COVID-19 lows, the latest Census report shows a calm after the housing storm. This report is consistent with my prediction that all housing data will moderate from the epic run-up
How mid-year market shifts are impacting originators
Mortgage professionals never know what the industry will throw at them, so staying on top of market shifts can help originators prepare for what’s to come. De-risking efforts by GSEs, migration shifts, demographic changes and more are pushing the market
Why should lenders put an emphasis on referrals and generating leads – Now more than ever
HousingWire recently sat down with Matthew Marx, CEO of Evocalize, to learn more about the importance of lead gen and referrals in a hot housing market. HousingWire: In an already high origination volume environment, why should lenders put an emphasis
Keller Williams launches team expansion network
KW Expansion Network will support business operations of the U.S.-based KW real estate expansion teams. Keller Williams has long been hailed as one of the first to embrace the team business model in real estate. The newly launched KW Expansion
The housing market is losing steam
Mortgage applications for new home purchases in June decreased 3% from May and 23.8% year over year, suggesting a slowdown in the housing market, according to a recent report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. New single-family home sales were reported
Ransomware imperils title, mortgage industry
Ransomware attackers hit major title industry cloud services provider Cloudstar, stopping an untold number of loans from closing on Monday. The ramifications for the title and mortgage industry may extend beyond the immediately impacted loan applications. Late Monday afternoon, Cloudstar’s
Housing starts increase, but builders still lack supplies
Housing starts increased 6.3% to a rate of 1.64 million in June, as construction companies broke ground on a greater number of both single-family and multifamily buildings last month. But crucial supply issues are preventing future builds from getting off
Blend is now worth $4.6B. Now what?
Blend Labs‘ life as a public company is off to a promising start. Late last week, Blend sold 20 million shares of Class A stock at $18 apiece, raising $360 million. Shares closed trading at $20.90, giving Blend a valuation
Communication is key according to Mortgage Capital Trading CSO
As Chief Strategy Officer at Mortgage Capital Trading, Leslie Winick has harnessed her industry experience to help lead new technology innovations and industry-leading support that allowed MCT to continue to meet client needs despite the volatility of the past year.
Forbearances decrease to 1.75M homeowners
For the 20th straight week, servicers’ forbearance portfolio volume dropped — this time a staggering 26 basis points, to 3.50% in the period ending July 11, per a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association. According to MBA’s estimate, 1.75 million homeowners are in forbearance plans.