The appraisal space has seen its share of challenges and changes in the past two years. Facing the difficult combination of record-breaking volume and a shortage of appraisers, many mortgage and appraisal professionals have turned to appraisal technology solutions. HousingWire
HW+ Member Spotlight: Gary Scott
This week’s HW+ member spotlight features Gary Scott, president at Allen Tate Realtors. With more than 30 years of experience in the real estate industry, Scott has held positions with multiple brokerage firms across the East Coast, which includes B.
US job growth records strong start to the year
After two months of disappointing job growth, the U.S. jobs report released Friday shows that 467,000 non-farm payroll jobs were added in January. Despite this increase, the unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.0% in January from 3.9% in December. The
Zillow’s outlook for 2022: Will housing affordability slow demand?
This article is part of our HousingWire 2022 forecast series. After the series wraps, join us on February 8 for the HW+ Virtual 2022 Forecast Event. Bringing together some of the top economists and researchers in housing, the event will
Positive jobs report sends bond yields higher
Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 467,000 jobs were created in January. This was a big surprise as some people, including me, thought the rise in the number of sick days being reported could impact this month’s job
Considering a Kitchen Remodel? Here’s How to Add Value and Help Sell Your Home for More
The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in a home, serving as both a central meeting place for family and a functional area necessary for preparing meals. With the many functions a kitchen can play in day-to-day life,
HUD slams LA for unspent homeless funds
As Los Angeles’s homeless problem escalated, the very part of L.A. government charged with helping the homeless left millions of federal dollars on the table. That is the finding of a U.S. Housing and Urban Development Inspector General report released
Keller Williams names ex-eXp president Stacey Onnen to executive team
Stacey Onnen, who recently served as president of eXp Realty and, before that, operations manager of Realty ONE Group, has been brought into the Keller Williams fold as a member of the executive leadership team. This comes on the heels
Buying a Historic Home? What to Know Before Buying and How to Preserve it
Historic homes are just that – a house filled with history, character, and unique quirks. These qualities are what sets them apart from new construction, such as a modern craftsman home or ranch style house. But, buyers beware, owning a
Gaming Room Ideas: 10 Tips to Create the Ultimate Gaming Room in 2022
Video games are big. Like $155 billion big. In fact, it’s estimated that 26% of the world’s population are regular video gamers across various platforms. Given these statistics, it’s likely that you or someone you know is an active video
What is a Carriage House? Charming 1800s Dwellings
A carriage house— also called a coach house— is a building near a larger home that was originally used for storing a horse-drawn carriage and housing the carriage’s driver (coachman). Think of them as a detached garage (although some are
Pennymac Financial Services’ profit sinks 31% in Q4
California-based nonbank mortgage lender Pennymac Financial Services posted record loan production last year, but a significant decline in net profits. Reflecting the higher rate landscape, in the last three months of 2021, the servicing segment brought more returns to the
9 Home Cleaning Tips That Can Help You Sell Faster
There are many steps to selling a home, but one of the most important is making sure your space is clean and spotless for potential homebuyers that step through the door. Whether you hire a professional cleaning service or get
Freddie Mac opens 2022 with two large CRT offerings
Freddie Mac recently announced that its credit-risk transfer (CRT) program is projecting note-issuance volume of at least $25 billion in 2022. The government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) has made its first down-payment on that projection by issuing two single-family CRT note offerings
Millennial demand is driving up prices in neighborhoods with kids, and the trend is growing
A record number of Americans will reach the peak age for first-time home buyers this year, adding to an already competitive market for homes in family-friendly neighborhoods Go to Source Author:
More than a third of recent movers say it’s harder to find a house than a spouse
New Zillow survey finds most Americans enjoy home shopping more than dating Go to Source Author:
Why It’s Time for Foreclosure Tech Innovation
Hosted by Stavvy Collateral valuation is a critical component of mortgage lending and the home sales With the federal foreclosure moratorium expiring in 2022, the market will undoubtedly see growth in foreclosure transactions as it tries to catch up on
Nominations are closing soon for 2022 Finance Leaders!
The second annual Finance Leaders award will be closing today, but there’s still time to nominate someone before the end of the day! In its second year, this new award recognizes the senior executives who drive growth and are moving
Opinion: The changing landscape of the IMB
There are some interesting trends that have come out of the boom years of 2020 and 2021. The realignment of the mortgage industry should make us all rethink how we look at lenders by category. Rather than looking at bank-owned
As home prices skyrocketed, sellers made killer profits in 2021
U.S. home sellers made a pretty penny in 2021, with the nationwide realized profit growing by 45% year-over-year, according to a new analysis published by real estate data vendor ATTOM this week. Per ATTOM’s year-end home sales report, on average
Groups blast FHA draft defect taxonomy in joint letter
Consumer advocates, fair housing groups, banks and mortgage lenders don’t always play on the same team, but today they joined forces to critique the Federal Housing Administration’s proposed servicing defect taxonomy. In a joint letter to Lopa Kolluri, FHA’s principal
Pay later platforms: A superhero for the housing ecosystem?
The controversial author Christopher Booker suggested in a tome-length book, that all narratives belong to one of seven types. In his conception, all of history’s fiction is reducible to seven story typologies. In other words, there are no new stories
Q&A: The nitty gritty on Milo’s crypto mortgage
Milo, a Miami-based digital lender, announced last week that it is rolling out a crypto mortgage product to clients with digital currency. Josip Rupena, the CEO of Milo, hopes that his mortgage product will allow borrowers who may not be
Old National, First Midwest merger approved despite redlining allegations
Can allegations of redlining sink a bank merger? Not for Evansville, Indiana-based Old National Bancorp’s acquisition of Chicago-based First Midwest Bancorp, which the Federal Reserve today approved. The merger will create a bank with $45.8 billion in combined assets, the