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Real estate agents absolutely worth it, new consumer survey says

Housing Wire

Nearly three quarters of recent American home sellers said in a Clever survey that using a traditional real estate agent is the best way to sell. Of the 73% who said they preferred using agents, 67% believe traditional real estate agents are still the best option and 6% favor discount agents.

Agents 476
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More first-time buyers rely on mortgage rate buydowns to afford homes

Housing Wire

Higher mortgage rates are forcing many first-time homebuyers to adopt a “wait-and-see” approach to the market. According to HomeLight ‘s Top Agent Insights report released this week, real estate agents are feeling this and are being forced to switch up tactics to attract buyers. 30 and Nov.

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One mortgage lender abandons the Florida condo market

Housing Wire

One Florida mortgage broker said the Provident exit gave him “a feeling that we will see other major lenders exiting the condominium market in Florida. ” Some agents believe the condo market choppiness in Florida isn’t all bad news. “The

Mortgages 524
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Real Brokerage leverages agent count growth for soaring revenue

Housing Wire

Instead, its continuing to add agents at an explosive rate. On its earnings call for the fourth quarter of 2024, the company disclosed that its agent count was 24,140 at the end of the year. Real credited its technology offerings and business model for the explosive growth in agents. million in 2023 to $4 million in 2024.

Brokerage 370
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Mortgage servicing startup Valon raises $100M in Series C funding round

Housing Wire

Fast-growing mortgage servicing platform Valon has secured $100 million in a Series C funding round, the company announced this week. It is utilizing a cross-selling strategy that offers additional products to its existing customers in an evolving mortgage landscape.

Mortgages 448
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AI agent platforms look to find their stride in 2025

Housing Wire

Given the massive changes experienced by the real estate industry in the past six months, it is no surprise that at least a handful of the startups feel that the real estate space is ripe for innovation, giving way to a proliferation of AI agent platforms. We only use it as a tool to make it more efficient for our human agents.

Agents 388
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October jobs report will influence Fed policy, mortgage rates path

Housing Wire

Employment data for October is set to be released Friday, and it will go a long way in determining the path for mortgage rates, which have surged upward in the past month. At HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates Center on Tuesday, the average rate for 30-year conforming loans was 6.72%. This equated to homes being 9.2%

Mortgages 446