After closing out 2023 with its first annual membership decline since 2012, the National Association of Realtors is still struggling with its membership count. In January, NAR membership dropped 2.5% from the month prior to 1,515,837 members, according to the
Freddie Mac announces standardized mortgage documents for DPA programs
Freddie Mac rolled out standardized subordinate lien documents for subordinate mortgages offered by down payment assistance (DPA) providers to facilitate easier and greater use of DPA program Historically, subordinate-lien documents for various DPA programs have been housing finance agency (HFA)-specific
Seattle-based Coldwell Banker franchise to separate from NAR in 2024
Coldwell Banker Danforth, a Seattle-based Coldwell Banker franchise, won’t renew its National Association of Realtors (NAR) affiliation at the beginning of 2024, the company announced on Friday. The announcement comes amid major turmoil at the trade organization. In recent months,
Floify launches lending platform for mortgage brokers
Digital mortgage automation solution provider Floify launched a lending platform for mortgage brokers built on the foundation of the Floify point-of-sale (POS) platform. Florfy Broker Edition is designed to provide an intuitive loan management portal for borrowers and make managing
Top 5 Reasons to Apply for the 2024 HousingWire TECH100 Awards
In an industry as dynamic as housing, innovation is the key to staying ahead of the curve. And for the companies that are eager to showcase their technological prowess and catapult their success, the HousingWire TECH100 Awards have become the
6 keys to unlocking success in real estate
I recently had the privilege of attending the AMPCon event hosted by the inspirational author and speaker René Rodriguez. We frequently talk about game-changing approaches, but I must say, this event was truly a game-changer in my real estate career.
How a strategic coalition is fighting homelessness in Dallas
Housing Forward is leading the charge in the greater Dallas area against homelessness, a vexing problem that plagues many cities across the county, and in recent years the nonprofit has notched some significant victories in the effort. Still, the organization and
High mortgage rates sideline homeowners from tapping home equity: ICE
Rising home prices have pushed the third quarter’s tappable home equity amount near its 2022 peak, but interest rates are making homeowners reluctant to extract that wealth. Mortgage holders withdrew a mere 0.41% of tappable equity in Q3, about 55%
How homebuyers stand to lose from the commission lawsuits: AIME
We’re writing today to address the unintended consequences that may result from the real estate agent commission dilemma stemming from recent lawsuits. As leaders of a non-profit, the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME), we advocate for over 65,000 wholesale
CFPB’s Chopra addresses mortgage trigger leads, servicing rules in Senate hearing
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra has made the rounds this week on Capitol Hill, providing testimony to Congress in their semi-annual reviews of the CFPB. On Thursday, Chopra took questions from members of the U.S. Senate Committee
Mortgage rates should drop below 7% as housing demand picks up
What a week! Mortgage rates almost fell below 7%, the 10-year yield is below 4.25% again, and people are seriously talking about Fed rate cuts in 2024. Times can change quickly, which is why we created the weekly tracker so
Have lower mortgage rates already boosted housing demand?
Did the recent move lower in mortgage rates turn the housing market positive? With mortgage rates moving almost 75 basis points lower from the highs, does the data show that demand has improved? Let’s take a dive in the weekly
Pending-home sales rise to highest level in a year in October: Redfin
U.S. pending-home sales rose 1% month over month in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 401,000, the highest level in a year. Although pending sales fell 4.8% compared to October 2022, it’s still the smallest annual decline in
The homebuilders’ war for market share fueling the economy
When market players say housing leads us into a recession, it traditionally means theFederal Reserve raised rates too much, housing slowed down as a result and a job-loss recession isn’t too far off. But a funny thing happened this year
6 best real estate schools in Colorado for 2024
Your real estate career in picturesque Colorado is an exciting adventure waiting to unfold. We’re here to guide you in finding the best Colorado real estate school for your needs. To get your license, you’ll need to complete 168 hours
CBC Mortgage Agency cuts rates on down payment assistance second mortgages
CBC Mortgage Agency — a federally chartered housing finance agency — is reducing interest rates on repayable second mortgages used for its down payment assistance (DPA) program. This marks the first time for CBC Mortgage Agency is reducing interest rates
Movement sues Summit, former veteran sales executives for poaching
The transition of three veteran sales executives from South Carolina-based lender Movement Mortgage to its California competitor Summit Funding led to a legal battle over poaching. HousingWire reported in July hat Movement’s national sales director Deran Pennington, leader of the South and Central division
Rithm Capital completes acquisition of Sculptor
New York-based Rithm Capital, the parent company of Newrez, announced on Friday it completed the acquisition of Sculptor Capital Management for $719.8 million. The deal was made public four months ago and created a dispute among investors to take the firm, leading Rithm to increase
Nosalek plaintiffs cite Allan Dalton video in opposition to summary judgment
Nearly four months after filing a motion for summary judgment in the Nosalek commission lawsuit, HomeServices of America finally has a response back from the plaintiffs. As expected, the plaintiffs are in opposition to HomeServices’ motion, stating that HomeServices’ claim
Housing starts and permits rose moderately in October
Housing starts surprised in October. They rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,372,000, the highest in three months, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and U.S. Census Bureau data. It’s a 1.9% gain from
29 cutting-edge real estate marketing ideas for 2024
New findings from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) show a fresh picture of who’s buying and selling homes, with more first-time buyers entering the market and families looking for homes that fit multiple generations. Zillow’s 2023 Consumer Housing Trends Report finds
MBA leadership says it’s “playing offense” to “stop the madness”
The market is rocky, margins are tight. And the grind may not end anytime soon, Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO Bob Broeksmit told attendees in a fiery speech at the trade group’s annual conference this week in Philadelphia. “Normally,
Regulation hasn’t caught up to generative AI
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has tremendous potential to cut costs and improve customer experience, but regulation has not caught up to develop a governance program, industry pros said of AI’s implementation in mortgage lending. Bias, discrimination, privacy and security concerns
Homebuyers hit the brakes, causing unseasonal growth in inventory
Available inventory of unsold homes rose by 1.8% this week. It’s quite clear that homebuyers have hit the brakes waiting to see if mortgage rates recede from these multi-decade highs. The leading indicators for sales prices show that 2023 will