January, 2023

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Fewer Prospective Buyers Are Fully Engaged in Purchase Process

Eye on Housing

Dwindling housing affordability in the fourth quarter of 2022 caused the share of prospective home buyers who are actively engaged in the purchase process (i.e. who have moved beyond just the planning phase) to drop to 46%, down from 59% a quarter earlier. The share of prospective buyers fully engaged in the buying process declined in every region between the.

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CoStar considering purchase of Realtor.com parent: Report

Inman

Acquiring Realtor.com would significantly advance CoStar's push into residential real estate — and bring it into greater conflict with the industry's existing power players.

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Homebuilders still need lower mortgage rates

Housing Wire

What is happening with homebuilders and the new home sales sector as we head into the spring housing market ? We have had some conflicting data points recently. On the one hand, cancelation rates have been rising. On the other hand, mortgage rates have gone down more than 1% since Oct. 20, 2022. The builders’ stock prices have done well as mortgage rates have fallen , and this illustrates the simplicity of the homebuilders’ position: their story is really about mortgage rates and moving pr

Mortgages 545
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Think Twice Before Waiting for 3% Mortgage Rates

Keeping Current Matters

Last year, the Federal Reserve took action to try to bring down inflation.

Mortgages 300
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The 2025 Real Estate Roadmap to Success

Don’t just react to changes, plan for them, so you can approach the new year with confidence, direction, and a competitive edge for your business. Having a well-defined business plan helps you chart a clear course, navigate challenges, and set a foundation for growth. This workbook gives you the key steps to outline what matters and will ensure you’re moving ahead.

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Zillow Appreciation Estimates

BubbleInfo

It looks like Zillow is sticking with their relatively flat forecasts for our local areas. It’s probably realistic if appreciation goes like it did in 2022 – everything gained in the spring selling season is given back in the off-season.

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Tips For Pricing a Home Correctly Every Time

Realty Biz

Your home is typically the most significant investment you'll ever make, so when it’s time to sell, you want to ensure you get as much as possible. But how do you choose the best price to list the home? Accurate house pricing is essential for success. If you set the price too high, it will be on the market for a longer time. If the price is lower than it should be, you’ll receive offers below what you need to help purchase your next home.

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More Trending

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Today’s Housing Market Is Nothing Like 15 Years Ago

Keeping Current Matters

There’s no doubt today’s housing market is very different than the frenzied one from the past couple of years.

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Housing Market Tracker: Housing inventory falls once more

Housing Wire

We are off and going now, as seasonality has kicked into full gear with the purchase application data. And, so far, it’s been a good start to the year. Here’s the housing market rundown for the last week: Purchase application data showed positive weekly growth again — and the bounce from the bottom is more noticeable now. Housing inventory decreased by 6,468 units, a more pronounced decline from the previous week.

Marketing 508
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How Many Households Are Priced Out By Higher Mortgage Rates in 2022?

Eye on Housing

Mortgage rates have increased rapidly in 2022, as the Federal Reserve continues to fight high inflation. The U.S. weekly 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose from a slightly more than 3% in early 2022 to more than 7% in late October and leveled off at a rate of 6.42% as of the end of 2022. Mortgage payments have increased from $1,925 on.

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How luxury real estate is developing in the metaverse

Inman

The metaverse is quickly becoming a platform, or a collection of several platforms, where you can advertise, socialize, build, and explore. It’s no wonder we’ve started to imagine how to bring real estate to this realm.

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Avoiding Lease Accounting Pitfalls in 2025: Lessons Learned from Spreadsheet Errors

Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant

Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.

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Solid jobs report sends mortgage rates lower

Housing Wire

Can we have a soft landing in the economy? Friday’s job report shows there is a clear pathway to get there. Mortgage rates fell aggressively down to 6.20%, putting us at more than 1% below the highs of 2022. The bond market saw that wage growth was cooling down, leaving the Federal Reserve with few reasons to keep the rate hike story going much longer.

Mortgages 545
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How title companies are combating wire fraud

Housing Wire

Cyberattacks, particularly wire fraud through business email compromise, remain a major concern for the title industry. Attempted attacks increased significantly, according to a 2022 survey by the American Land Title Association , with 46% of respondents saying their employees receive at least one email a month attempting to change wire or payoff instructions.

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Build-for-rent is a bet on the ‘new normal’ housing market

Housing Wire

One slice of the single-family home market that has gained traction over the past year in a topsy-turvy housing landscape is the build-for-rent sector — or BFR. Construction starts in the BFR market are being propelled by the ongoing demand for single-family rental units as high mortgage rates and limited for-sale inventory push home-purchase prospects further out of reach of many would-be homebuyers.

Marketing 545
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Logan Mohtashami’s 2023 housing market forecast

Housing Wire

The 2022 housing market was savagely unhealthy , with all-time lows in inventory leading to massive bidding wars and price spikes until the Fed put a screeching halt to all of it with rate hikes that resulted in the most significant one-year spike in mortgage rate history. Housing went into a recession in June and mortgage volume fell off a cliff. So where does all that drama leave us for 2023?

Marketing 543
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Tech-Forward Strategies for Scaling Agent Efficiency & Accelerating Growth

As the real estate market evolves, technology has become essential for success. According to NAR, only 26% of agents feel their brokerage provides the necessary tech tools and, as a result, agents seek teams and brokerages who prioritize technology investments! Whether you manage an established team or are forming a new one, this guide outlines key considerations and necessary applications to thrive.

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The mortgage industry is nervous about LLPA fee changes

Housing Wire

The Federal Housing Finance Agency this week made a series of significant changes to loan level pricing adjustment (LLPA) fees charged by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on conventional/conforming mortgages. It’s generating concern among mortgage and real estate trade groups, who fear the tweaks will hurt qualified borrowers amid an existing affordability crisis.

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Housing Market Tracker: A notable drop in inventory

Housing Wire

The housing market saw inventory fall 4% last week from the week before. That’s a big one-week change. Does that mean we are heading back to all-time lows in inventory again for 2023? Traditionally, we do see housing inventory fall in the month of December, however, we clearly saw in the second half of 2022 that higher rates created more days on the market and inventory was lingering longer.

Marketing 542
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Housing inventory falls under 1M again as sales collapse

Housing Wire

On Friday NAR reported that total housing inventory levels broke under 1 million in December, dropping to 970,00 units for a population of 330 million people. And existing home sales crashed in 2022 from a peak of around 6.5 million in January down to about 4 million in December, We now have total inventory levels near all-time lows again. In one of the most historical years in the U.S. housing market , we just experienced an event that most people never thought could happen.

Sales 541
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Debunking the housing inventory myth in preparation for 2023

Housing Wire

This article is part of our 2022 – 2023 Housing Market Update series. After the series wraps, join us on February 6 for the HW+ Virtual 2023 Housing Market Update. Bringing together some of the top economists and researchers in housing, the event will provide an in-depth look at the predictions for this year, along with a roundtable discussion on how these insights apply to your business.

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Accelerating Real Estate Sales Pipelines to Streamline Buyer Journeys

Navigated 360° tours, like YourVRTours, advance pipelines by engaging clients further along the sales funnel. These immersive experiences provide comprehensive property insights, increasing buyer intent and readiness. By embracing navigated tours, agents can optimize property exposure, better qualify leads, and streamline the sales process. Stay ahead in the ever-evolving real estate landscape with innovative technology that elevates buyer journeys and progresses pipelines more effectively.

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Housing Market Tracker: Weekly inventory adds 1,339 homes

Housing Wire

Here’s the rundown for the last week: Purchase application data has stabilized — the bleeding stopped. Housing inventory increased by 1,339 homes nationwide. This is a small number but could be the start of an important trend. Mortgage rates fell along with bond yields, showing that mortgage rates peaked on Oct. 20. The weekly data shows some good news for the housing market !

Marketing 534
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Housing inventory up nearly 55% in December

Housing Wire

The housing inventory shortage dominated much of the conversation surrounding the housing market in 2022, but thanks to softening homebuyer demand, the number of active listings finished the year up 54.7% compared to the year prior, according to Realtor.com’s December Housing Report. Despite this sizable yearly increase, active housing inventory was down 33.4% compared to December 2019 and 38.2% compared to the December 2017-2019 average.

Mortgages 534
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Mortgage rates have peaked along with inflation

Housing Wire

Today’s inflation data has shown that the peak growth rate of inflation is behind us. This should also mean mortgage rates hit their highs. The key phrase I have stressed since I wrote about the case for mortgage rates to go lower on Oct. 27 is thinking 12 months out. The trend is your friend, and the month-to-month data has cooled off noticeably. That cooling happened even with the biggest inflation component — shelter inflation — still rising in the lagged modeled CPI data.

Mortgages 533
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Housing Market Recession

Housing Wire

This article is part of our 2022 – 2023 Housing Market Forecast series. After the series wraps, join us on February 6 for the HW+ Virtual 2023 Forecast Event. Bringing together some of the top economists and researchers in housing, the event will provide an in-depth look at the top predictions for this year, along with a roundtable discussion on how these insights apply to your business.

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Maximizing Your Online Presence: Tips for Real Estate Agents on Social Media

Speaker: Sarah Santa Ana, Real Estate Coach, Move4Free Realty

Networking is one of the crucial elements in every real estate organization's success. Both agents and real estate companies need to maintain robust networking links. This is why social media is essential for any real estate professional! Social media enables you to stay in touch with your present clients, maintain connections with your past clients, and engage potential customers and investors.

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Mortgage demand picks up as seller concessions rise

Housing Wire

Loan officers saw an increase in mortgage demand during the first week of 2023 as mortgage rates ticked down. And to close deals, sellers are increasingly coming to the table with concessions and rate buydowns. . “I’ve had five people contact me in the last week or so to talk about buying a new home, which is much better than a month or two ago,” Rochelle Gano , a Vancouver, Washington-based loan officer at Movement Mortgage , told HousingWire. “It seems like, with every

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New cash-out fees add to pain for mortgage lenders

Housing Wire

The last week of the calendar year is usually a slow time for the mortgage industry, but 2022 was something else. It represented the lowest level of activity in 27 years. “With mortgage rates still well above 6% and the threat of a recession looming, mortgage applications continued to decline over the past two weeks to the lowest level since 1996,” Joel Kan, Mortgage Bankers Association ‘s vice president and deputy chief economist, said in a statement.

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Housing Market Tracker: Purchase apps jump 25%

Housing Wire

Here’s the housing market rundown for the last week: Purchase application data had a solid week-to-week gain of 25%. That’s a big jump, but context is critical. Housing inventory decreased by 566 units, which is not a significant decline. Mortgage rates fell, but the bond market didn’t break what I see as a critical level, so for now, stabilization is more important.

Marketing 516
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Purchase lock counts drop to 9-year low as Fed signals more rate hikes

Housing Wire

The Federal Reserve ‘s signals indicating further rate hikes for 2023 appear to have scared buyers away from the market in December. Last month tallied the fewest purchase lock counts in a single month since early 2014 as interest rates and affordability pressures challenged the market. . Mortgage origination activity dropped 19.4% from November to December, marking nine consecutive months of declines.

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Rise of The Apps: Building Your Dream Tech Stack For Real Estate Success

Speaker: Trey Willard, Realtor/Team Leader at Keller Williams Realty, Inc.

In order to create continued success in today’s real estate market, realtors need to utilize an arsenal of technology that will increase their efficiency and presence on social media. Using technology to manage your prospects and tap into their needs through websites, social media, and other channels is critical for real estate success in 2022 and beyond.

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FormFree raises $55,000 for American Red Cross

Housing Wire

Mortgage technology provider FormFree gives back to those in need in Northeast Georgia in a big way. FormFree hosted its third annual Heroes Golf Classic and raised nearly $55,000 for the American Red Cross. The donations will go toward disaster relief and hosting future blood drives. The CEO of FormFree, Brent Chandler, is also on the board of directors for the American Red Cross.

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Pending home sales fall 38% in November

Housing Wire

Pending home sales fell for the sixth consecutive month in November, recording a 4.0% month-over-month drop that resulted in an index reading of 73.9, according to data released last Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors. “Pending home sales recorded the second-lowest monthly reading in 20 years as interest rates , which climbed at one of the fastest paces on record this year, drastically cut into the number of contract signings to buy a home,” Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, sa

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For mortgage rates to get better, we need more housing completions

Housing Wire

The Census Bureau ‘s housing starts report for December shows that housing completions are still too slow, and we are running out of time this year as housing permits are set to fall until the homebuilders get rid of their excess supply. We had some good news this week for the housing market : purchase application data is up , the builder’s confidence index rose to beat estimates, and the 10-year yield and mortgage rates have fallen.

Mortgages 508
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Eyeing expansion, Go Mortgage snags 160+ former FoA employees

Housing Wire

More than 160 employees from the now-shuttered Finance of America Mortgage have landed at Go Mortgage , a Columbus, Ohio-based lender. After Finance of America Companies closed its forward mortgage origination unit in October, a total of 21 FoA retail branches transitioned to Go Mortgage, said Steven Reich, a division president at Go Mortgage and former executive at FoA, in an interview with HousingWire.

Mortgages 508
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Driving Profit: 4 Pillars for Growing Your Real Estate Brokerage

In the rapidly changing real estate landscape, achieving profitability requires a strategic approach beyond traditional methods. Our guide, "The 4 Pillars to Brokerage Profitability," outlines four essential pillars for scaling your real estate business: a seamless lead-to-close technology ecosystem, tailored integrated solutions for teams and agents, value-added success services and community support, and consumer-centric operations throughout the full homeownership lifecycle.