This article originally appeared in FinLedger, HousingWire’s sister-publication focused on Fintech. Residential due diligence is an area of the mortgage ecosystem that’s overdue for disruption, according to two industry veterans who want to offer something completely different in the due
Compass eyes IPO in 2021: report
Venture-backed residential brokerage Compass has hired bookrunners ahead of an independent public offering in 2021, according to a new report. Compass, most recently valued at $6.4 billion, is working with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley to underwrite the IPO, according
These markets are attracting the most out-of-state real estate investors
The pandemic has shifted the pecking order of the real estate industry’s location-location-location axiom for many homebuyers — high-cost and high-density urban is out, while suburban is back in vogue and rural is experiencing a bit of a revival. Many
The best new home sales report ever
Sometimes keeping things simple makes the message more clear. I have been consistent in my stance that during the years 2008 to 2019, we had the weakest housing recovery ever. I said that housing starts would never start a year
What Yellen as Treasury Secretary would mean for housing
As early as 2005, a prescient Janet Yellen foretold that systemic risk in the housing market could send the U.S. economy plunging into a historic recession. Fifteen years later, as Treasury Secretary, Yellen looks likely to get the chance to
New home sales juggernaut continues
Sales of new homes rose to an annualized rate of 999,000 in October – 0.3% below September’s 1,002,000 revised rate but still a massive 41.5% higher than the same time last year, according to the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and
Record low mortgage rates hold steady at 2.72%
The average U.S. mortgage rate for a 30-year fixed loan remained unchanged at 2.72% this week, Freddie Mac said in a report on Thursday – the second week in a row rates have sat at the lowest recorded level in the survey’s near 50-year history. The
California Real Estate Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021
The California housing market took a breather in October as home sales and price gains declined as compared to the previous month but still recorded double-digit increases from a year ago. Despite a minor decline in the off-season, the consistent V-shaped
Refinance applications jump to highest level since April on low mortgage rates
After two weeks of decreasing numbers, mortgage applications increased 3.9% last week, according to a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Refinance applications climbed even higher. The refinance index jumped up 5% from the previous week and is now up 79%
CoreLogic responds to investor groups’ initiation of written consent process
The battle for CoreLogic’s board continued on Tuesday after Senator Investment Group and Cannae Holdings, who attempted an unsolicited takeover bid of the company this summer, initiated a written consent process to remove and replace additional directors. CoreLogic shareholders voted
Real estate tech roundup: CoStar buys Homesnap
Over the weekend, CoStar Group announced that it has agreed to acquire real estate tech company Homesnap. The acquisition was made for $250 million in cash and is expected to close by the end of this year, pending closing conditions
How is Working from Home Affecting the Office Sector
The office sector is experiencing unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19. As shelter-in-place orders rolled out earlier this year and companies allowed their employees to work from home, the need for physical office space declined. So, what will happen to the
2021 housing market forecast: It’s about politics, not economics
As we prepare to enter 2021, our country has lost more than 250,000 people and over 22 million jobs during the 2020 pandemic. Millions of others have suffered from COVID-19 complications, both health and economic related. At the same time,
MBA: Forbearance rate increases for the first time since June to 5.48%
The U.S. forbearance rate measuring the share of mortgages with suspended payments increased for the first time in nearly five months from 5.47% to 5.48%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The U.S forbearance rate has either fallen or remained flat since forbearances
Biden picks Janet Yellen to be next Treasury Secretary
President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate former Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen to be the next Treasury Secretary, according to a new report. The Wall Street Journal on Monday afternoon reported that Biden tapped Yellen, an economist who was the
Low, low mortgage rates make 19.4 million eligible for refi
As mortgage rates stay below 3% for the 17th consecutive week, a Black Knight report released Friday found that the number of “high quality” refinance candidates continues to climb. According to the report, a whopping 19.4 million homeowners are now
HUD Secretary Ben Carson improving following COVID-19 diagnosis
Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said he’s “out of the woods” after experiencing severe symptoms related to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis earlier this month, according to a MarketWatch report. Carson, 69, credited a botanical treatment derived
Startup profile: Sundae
Taken from the October/November issue of HousingWire Magazine, Sundae aims to aggregate demand from “fix and flippers,” who use the marketplace to bid against each other for distressed properties. Earlier this year, the company raised $16.55 million in Series A funding. QED Investors led the
Buying a Home with Well Water? Here’s 5 Ways to Maintain it
If you’re moving out of the bustling city to a more peaceful and quiet countryside home, chances are you’re buying a home that has a well water system. Most homes in cities access their water via traditional municipal sewer systems.
Remote Work Could Most Help Black Renters Trying to Buy Homes
Black renters are 29% more likely than other renters to be able to buy a first home because of the rise in telework. Go to Source Author:
Mnuchin moves to end emergency programs. How would it affect housing?
On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin rolled grenades down Wall Street and Main Street: he said he would not extend several emergency lending programs beyond Dec. 31, and also asked the Federal Reserve to return a portion of $195 billion
Las Vegas Real Estate Market: Prices | Trends | Forecast 2021
The Las Vegas housing market is sizzling hot with prices surging month over month. Even during these tough times, the Las Vegas properties are selling at record prices and rental homes continue to be in demand. The unemployment rate is
Case Study: How Sierra Pacific Mortgage increased underwriting capacity
Recent tech innovations have targeted point of sale or specific underwriting tasks to improve operational efficiencies, leaving the manual review of appraisals as an underexplored area ripe for digitization and automation. Collateral underwriting turn times in particular have been slowing
Housing Tech Rundown: Quantarium, Equifax and Ellie Mae
Artificial Intelligence company Quantarium announced on Thursday its partnership with Valligent Technologies to launch a condition adjusted “Quantarium Valuation Model” for equity lending, broker price opinions and real estate owned valuations. The latest tech, coined QVM-Insights, leverages Quantariums AI power
