Home sellers are chomping at the bit. As the economy reopens, vaccinations continue to roll out and stimulus checks reach bank accounts across America, home sellers are increasingly optimistic. And despite fierce bidding wars, competition from institutional investors and sore
Mortgage servicers are stepping up during COVID
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently released to Congress the 2020 Consumer Response report. While overall complaints were up 54% year-over-year, complaints against mortgage companies were up just 7.5%, and complaints against mortgage servicers were actually down, by 3.5%. These
Millions will enter housing market in 2021: Zillow
In what will be known to future generations as the Great Reshuffling, a recent Zillow survey showed that more than 1 in 10 Americans reported moving in the past 12 months, either by choice or by circumstance. And now, with
Tired of renting? 6 signs you’re ready to buy your first home
Chances are, you know someone who owns a home. Whether it’s a sibling, friend, or co-worker, you’ve seen someone go through the first-time home buying process – and it probably looked really complicated. At least, more complicated than simply paying
Two Southern banks complete mortgage eNote transfer
Truliant Federal Credit Union is the first Southeast financial institution to officially complete a transfer of an eNote – or an electronic promissory note – to Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta (FHLBank Atlanta), as part of FHLBank Atlanta’s eNote
The future of mortgage closings
A painstaking, uncoordinated movement to fully adopt remote online notarizations nationwide and complete end-to-end digital escrow mortgage closings is gaining even more traction as the real estate industry launches into a new decade in 2021. But depending on where you
Here’s how to fix the housing market inventory crisis
The U.S. housing market is in the midst of an inventory crisis. The number of homes for sale in the U.S. is hovering near record lows, caused by a pandemic-induced housing inventory death-spiral. At the same time, home sales have
Forbearances dip for fifth straight week to 4.9%
The share of loans in forbearance fell six basis points during the final week of March to 4.9% of servicers’ portfolio volume, according to recent data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. New forbearance requests also dropped to their lowest level
The appraisal gap is complicating deals across the country
The home checked off every box on Linda’s list. It had a large, fenced-in yard, modern appliances in an updated kitchen, a “man cave” for her husband, beamed ceilings, a massive master suite and was located in a good school
Threat of climate change looms large for some home buyers
Climate change and the rising threat of natural disasters is likely to significantly impact migration plans of American families, potentially changing the landscape of American real estate. Out of 2,000 people surveyed between Feb. 25 and March 1, 628 said
CFPB proposes foreclosure ban until 2022
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a notice of proposed rulemaking on Monday that would amend Regulation X to provide a special pre-foreclosure review period prohibiting servicers from starting foreclosures until after December 31, 2021. Under current CFPB foreclosure rules,
Housing inventory is down 40%. Buyers are paying the price
Prices are up sharply as housing inventory continues to plateau, leaving 40% fewer homes on the market compared to last year, according to a report prepared by Black Knight. Instead of making up for the shortfall, new listings have slumped
Why now is not the time for FHA premium cuts
In its most recent annual report to Congress, November 2020, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) published its “capital ratio,” a measure of capital reserves to insurance-in-force held within the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMI Fund). The figure, standing at 6.1%,
Will the next job wave mean the end of forbearance?
Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 916,000 jobs were created in March, and the previous month’s revisions came in positive. The rest of this content is for HW+ members. Join today with an HW+ Membership! Already a
5 signs you’re ready to downsize your home
Should you or shouldn’t you downsize? If you’re a homeowner, this is a question you’ll inevitably ask yourself. While owning a home is exciting, it comes with a great deal of responsibility. If your home doesn’t fit your lifestyle anymore,
Finance of America to go public before IPO window closes
Finance of America on Monday will become the latest lender to make its debut on the New York Stock Exchange. The lender, which is controlled by the Blackstone Group and operates through retail, wholesale and correspondent channels, will begin trading
Asking prices of newly listed homes reach all-time high
Home prices are sky-high, and a recent report from Redfin underlines that point with some staggering data. Median home-sale prices increased 17% year-over-year to $335,613 – a record high, per data taken from more than 400 metro areas during the
White label title insurer Proliant adds another franchise
White label title insurance franchise Proliant Settlement Systems announced Friday the acquisition of Great Northern Title Insurance Agency (GNTIA) in Michigan as a franchisee. The move expands Proliant further into Michigan, where it has close to a dozen franchise title
Employment gains could help housing inventory
After three months of mediocre gains, the U.S. unemployment situation brightened considerably in March. Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 916,000 and pushed the unemployment rate down to 6%, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Sectors that were hit hardest by
Dan Gilbert sells $500 million worth of Rocket stock
Rocket Companies Chairman Dan Gilbert sold 20 million shares of common stock on Wednesday, cashing out just under $500 million, according to disclosures Rocket made to the Securities and Exchanges Commission. The Form 4 file, made public Wednesday evening, shows
Compass makes its hotly anticipated Wall Street debut
Residential brokerage Compass is now a publicly traded company, with shares trading at $20.15 at close of the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. The New York City-headquartered company began offering shares Thursday morning. Investors initially paid $21.15-a-share to grab
A candid interview with RE/MAX executive Nick Bailey
Nick Bailey, chief customer officer at RE/MAX Nick Bailey has spent 23 years in the real estate industry. He was a vice-president at Zillow, the CEO of Realogy brand Century 21, and for the last two years the chief customer
Why there are so few real estate agents of color
Sudi Hernandez, Cloud 9 Real Estate, Amy Kong, Trust Real Estate, Shawneequa Badger Corcoran Group (Left to Right) Sudi Hernandez of Cloud 9 Real Estate Group loses leads when a client hears her Cuban accent. James Dunn of eXp Realty
Housing industry digs Biden’s American Jobs plan
President Joseph Biden’s announcement that he would unveil a $2 trillion infrastructure plan to Congress, dubbed the American Jobs Plan, was met mostly with praise within the housing industry. Then came the hard questions: could it actually get through Congress