Logan Mohtashami HousingWire Lead Analyst When economic data that is typically sticky has a waterfall dive followed by a quick parabolic recovery, forecasting a trend can be tricky. The MBA purchase application data changed during our year of COVID-19. In
US Housing Market Sales & Price Forecast 2021: Will It Crash?
Here are the latest housing market predictions for 2021 & 2022. The global pandemic shattered the world order and the US economy suffered its biggest blow since the Great Depression in the second quarter. It has been roughly one year
3 underrated mortgage products to consider
The 30-year mortgage is easily the most popular and talked-about mortgage product out there. After all, in January 2021, 30-year loans accounted for a whopping three-quarters of all mortgage originations in the country. But make no mistake: They’re not your
10 Awesome Real Estate Tips for Home Sellers
When you bought your first house, you likely felt excitement with a hint of nervousness and maybe you even had a “What have I gotten myself into?” kind of moment. However, those emotions passed and you settled in and made
The great fintech acceleration
We all have our own prominent COVID-19 memory from 2020. Mine was on Sunday, March 15. I sat at home that morning typing out an employee memo that effective immediately all team members would be expected to work from home
14 Upgrades and Routines to Be Happier in Your Home
The pandemic has impacted our lives in countless ways, and many of our routines were flipped upside down as we struggled to wrap our heads around a new normal. From working and exercising, to online shopping and countless home-cooked meals
What the forbearance extension means for homeowners
In this HousingWire Daily episode, HW+ Managing Editor Brena Nath covers the recent COVID-19 forbearance extensions. In February, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it had extended COVID-19 foreclosure and forbearance moratoriums for FHA and USDA loans to June 30,
How borrower education can make housing more attainable
Today’s U.S. housing market is leaving many prospective homebuyers priced out. Homes, on average, have become less affordable, and the ones that are affordable are in short supply. As a result, 55% of future homebuyers believe that homeownership is out
8 Ways to use Synthetic Turf to Beautify your Yard
Choosing between installing artificial grass, also known as synthetic turf, and natural grass can be a difficult decision for some homeowners. While you may be drawn to natural grass for its feel and organic look, there are a number of
Zestimate to double as Zillow’s iBuying offer
Zillow is putting their money where their Zestimate is, at least to a point. The “Zestimate,” Zillow’s catchy (and soapy) name for estimated home values, will sometimes be used as the initial offer Zillow plans to pay to purchase a
Finicity launches verification service approved by GSEs
Finicity, an open-banking solutions provider that was acquired by Mastercard in October, announced that it is dipping further into the mortgage space. Finicity’s latest product, dubbed its “mortgage verification service,” will allow prospective borrowers to provide certain permissions that allow
Blend’s Nikolaos Pavlou to speak at Spring Summit
Nikolaos Pavlou, product marketing manager at Blend, will sit down with other housing luminaries to discuss what mortgage tech is solving now at HousingWire’s Spring Summit on March 4. Pavlou will be joined by Finicity’s Senior Vice President of Product
FHFA extends forbearance period to 18 months
Borrowers with mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may be eligible for an additional forbearance extension of up to six months, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Thursday. On Feb. 9, the FHFA extended forbearance plans an additional three months past beyond their initial
Pending home sales drop, but there’s a silver lining
It’s like the Yogi Berra quote – nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded. For the fifth consecutive month, U.S. pending home sales dipped – this time, down 2.8% in January from December, according to a report from the National Association
66 Questions to Ask When Buying a House
As a first-time homebuyer, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed even before you begin your homebuying journey. After all, this is a new process for you and, simply put, you don’t know what you don’t know. First off, there are no
Rocket Mortgage made $9.5B in profits in 2020
Rocket Companies, the parent company of Rocket Mortgage, cleared another $2.48 billion in profits during the fourth quarter, giving the nation’s biggest mortgage lender a total of $9.5 billion in profits for 2020. Rocket originated $107.2 billion in mortgages, with
10 Relaxing Home Decor Ideas to Transform Your Space
Much of our time these days is spent at home. Whether you’re still working from a home office, meal-prepping in your kitchen on weekends, or spending most of your leisure time looking at other homes for sale on your favorite
Shellpoint’s Debbie Thayer to speak at Spring Summit
Debbie Thayer, executive vice president of default administration at Shellpoint Mortgage Servicing, will speak on a panel titled Servicing Challenges During a Pandemic Period at HousingWire’s Spring Summit on March 4. Thayer will be joined on the panel by Courtney Thompson to
Everything You Need to Know About Closing Costs
If you’re a first-time homebuyer, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of making plans for your new space. Even as you dream about color schemes, furniture placement, and what the ideal layout of your new home will
Grandmillennial Style Is All the Rage: How to Embrace this Design Trend in Your Home
Millennials are taking a leaf out of their grandparents’ book with a modern-meets-traditional decor style known as grandmillennial. Identified as one of the major design trends of this year, grandmillennial style is a throwback to the decor we’ve all grown
Mortgage rates climb higher to 2.97%
The average mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan is now just 3 basis points away from 3%, after a 16 basis point jump last week pushed mortgage rates to 2.97%, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The average mortgage rate
5 Ways to Win a Real Estate Bidding War without the Highest Bid
You may shortly find yourself in a real estate bidding war if you’re one of the many first-time homebuyers looking to buy in competitive markets like Austin, TX or Denver, CO. You may also think the only way to win
Notarize offers free notarizations to fight racist title language
Digital notary startup Notarize is now offering free notarizations in an effort to eliminate racial covenants in title insurance documents. The issue came to light after real estate brokerage Windermere Real Estate earlier this month publicized the existence of title documents
How 2020 exposed a greater need for collaboration between real estate agents and LOs
HousingWire recently spoke with Propertybase CEO Vance Loiselle about real estate tech and how the past year has accelerated the need for digital collaboration tools across the entire customer journey. HousingWire: What role has the increase in technology played for both