RIS Media

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

In the world of real estate, first impressions are crucial. Making a property look its best can mean the difference between a quick sale and a property sitting on the market for months. Virtual home staging is one innovative tool that has emerged to help real estate professionals in this endeavor. Using computer-generated imagery, this… The post The Pros and Cons of Virtual Staging in Real Estate appeared first on RISMedia.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

The baseline conforming loan limit for mortgages backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2024 will be $766,550, up 5.5% compared to the current limit of $726,200 , the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced Tuesday. Conforming loan limits are increasing at a slower pace, mirroring home prices, overall. That’s because the FHFA’s conforming loan limit increase is based on a formula related to home-price data in the third quarter of each year.

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Keeping Current Matters

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

As the year winds down, you may have decided it's time to make a move and put your house on the market.

Marketing 360

Marketing 360

Inman

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Fidelity National Financial acknowledges that a "cybersecurity incident" disrupted the provision of title and escrow services and other technology and mortgage services.

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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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Real Estate News

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

Fidelity National Financial, parent company of Chicago Title and more, is blocking access to title and escrow services while it investigates a security breach.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 13, 2023

Mr. Cooper Group became the target of at least four consumer class-action lawsuits after disclosing a cyberattack at the end of October when customer information was compromised and the company shut down certain systems. On Oct. 31, the Dallas-based servicer and lender said it had experienced a cybersecurity incident with an unauthorized third party accessing certain portions of its technology systems and customer data.

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Technology Industrial As-is Finance 544

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

In many communities, homeowners and homebuyers have been hit with eye-popping property tax increases. It is costing more for schools and governments to pay for services. And homes in many communities have shot up in value in recent years, leading to tax increases through reassessments. But opinions differ on how much impact higher taxes are having on local housing and mortgage markets.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 25, 2023

Lower mortgage rates tend to take housing supply off the market and demand has been picking up lately as rates have fallen. However, the recent drop in housing inventory has more to do with seasonality factors than lower mortgage rates. Higher mortgage rates did push inventory higher during the seasonal period when it would normally be declining. However, seasonality tends to rule the day eventually.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Mortgage rates headed lower this week as the 10-year Treasury yield dropped below 4.3% for the first time since September, according to new data from Freddie Mac. The 30-year, fixed mortgage rate averaged 7.22% for the week ending Nov. 30, according to Freddie Mac ‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That’s down significantly from last week ’s 7.29% and up from 6.49% the same week a year ago.

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Mortgages MLS Investor Development 518

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

While home prices in the U.S. held up in 2023, sales volume in the housing market cratered. Consumers care about home prices and mortgage rates; the industry cares about transaction volume. The industry is in a deep housing recession this year. If we get lucky with mortgage rates, though, we might just be at the bottom of the housing market recession right now.

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Marketing Mortgages Industrial Sales 516

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.

Industrial

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

When market players say housing leads us into a recession, it traditionally means the Federal 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 for the U.S. economy: single-family permits kept rising as new home sales were showing year-over-year growth. How did this happen when mortgage rates rose from the lows earlier in the year?

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Marketing Construction Mortgages As-is 514

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Baby boomers and millennials have dominated the home-buying conversation in recent decades, but a new generation of homeowners is browsing online listings, heading to open houses and planning their home-buying budget. Gen Z — born between 1997 and 2012 — is making waves in the market with their approach to homebuying. Here are 14 real estate trends Gen Z buyers won’t pass up. 1.

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Renovation Technology Design Agents 514

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 4, 2023

After mortgage rates spiked to 8% in October, causing a riot in the real estate industry, we had an epic move lower in mortgage rates last week. Does this mean we’ve hit the peak in mortgage rates for this economic cycle? The history of economic cycles and mortgage rates would say yes, but only if the market believes the Federal Reserve is done hiking rates and being hawkish and the labor data gets softer from here.

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Mortgages Staging As-is Marketing 511

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

If you follow real estate data closely, you’ll know that inventory rose late into November. You also know that new listings are up over last year, too. However, what you might not know is that home sales are climbing, which is a good sign. Watch the video above to get the latest housing market update from Altos Research. Short on time? Check out some key data takeaways below for the week ending Nov. 27.

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Sales Land Marketing Closing 508

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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.

Agents

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 3, 2023

The jobs report today which should move mortgage rates lower, demonstrates why it’s time for the Federal Reserve to land the plane. The labor market doesn’t show wages spiraling out of control as it did in the 1970s because the inflation data doesn’t look like anything in the 1970s. We had a solid job openings print this week and jobless claims are still near historic lows.

Mortgages 508

Mortgages Land As-is Marketing 508

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 27, 2023

Nearly three months after filing an initial complaint accusing Gary Keller and Keller Williams of inflating key profitability metrics including company sales and profits to convince individuals to purchase Keller Williams Regions and Market Centers, John Davis has made tweaks to his lawsuit. In his initial filing, in addition to Keller and Keller Williams, Davis also names former KW president Josh Team, Business MAPS Ltd. and Business MAPS Management LLC as defendants.

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Technology Agents As-is Marketing 505

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 18, 2023

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 tracker to see. Purchase application data Last year, when mortgage rates fell from 7.37% to 5.99% , we got three good months of positive purchase application data until the first week of February before mortgage rates started to run higher from 6%-8%.

Mortgages 505

Mortgages Sales Branding As-is 505

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 11, 2023

Total housing inventory growth has been slow in 2023, but with rising mortgage rates over the last few months, inventory has grown a bit faster than average. The question now is: Have we hit the seasonal peak in inventory for 2023? The housing inventory growth rate has decelerated for three weeks, and we were barely positive last week, with an increase of only 59 homes.

Mortgages 505

Mortgages Branding Sales As-is 505

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

The National Association of Realtors’ longtime CEO Bob Goldberg is leaving the trade association, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed to HousingWire Thursday morning. “We are immensely grateful for Bob’s leadership and decades-long service to NAR,” Tracy Kasper, current NAR president, said in a statement. “It has been a privilege to work with him in expanding and strengthening our organization, and we congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement.

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Development As-is Industrial Closing 505

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Going more in-depth than a Fed meeting, our virtual Housing Market Update event provides you with the strategy-building insights needed to operate in 2024. It’s a savagely unhealthy housing market out there, and these economists unpack what that means for you. Register for the virtual event on Dec. 11 here. In a typical year, there are about 5.2 million sales of existing homes nationally and home prices rise by about 4%.

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Marketing Construction Sales Mortgages 501

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Pending home sales in October fell to their lowest level since 2001. As mortgage rates edged near multi-decade highs, pending home sales declined 1.5% in October on a month-over-month basis, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). As a result, NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index fell to a reading of 71.4, down from 72.6 in September.

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Sales New Construction Construction Mortgages 497

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is increasing the “floor” and “ceiling” FHA loan limits in 2024 to $498,257 and $1,149,825, respectively, the FHA announced Tuesday. The new FHA loan limits apply to forward mortgages for a one-unit property and take effect on Jan. 1, according to the publication of FHA Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2023-21.

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FHA loan Loans Finance Lending 497

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.

Agents

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Banks have tightened lending standards for most categories of residential real estate (RRE) loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOC) over the third quarter of 2023. The tightening came amid elevated interest rates and uncertainty in economic conditions. A survey taken by the Federal Reserve showed that a 20%-plus share of banks reported having tightened standards on non-qualified-mortgage (non-QM) jumbo residential loans (23.9%), QM jumbo loans (26%), non-QM non-jumbo (20.4%) and HELOCs (2

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Lending Banks Mortgages Loan Officer 497

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

The real estate industry as agents and brokers know it has been turned upside down. It remains to be seen exactly what the guilty verdict in the Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit means for agents and brokers, as the industry waits for Judge Stephen Bough’s injunction. However, real estate brokers across the country have already begun preparing themselves, their firms and their agents for the worst.

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Brokerage Industrial Agents As-is 497

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Zillow Group has entered into an agreement to acquire CRM system , Follow Up Boss , according to an announcement on Wednesday. The acquisition purchase price includes $400 million of initial cash consideration and up to $100 million in potential cash earnout. “Follow Up Boss is beloved by agents across the industry, including many Zillow Premier Agent partners and ShowingTime+ clients.

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Technology Branding Agents Industrial 497

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Bright MLS released its National Housing Market Outlook on Wednesday, which shows that affordability will remain the biggest challenge for homebuyers next year. Homebuyer traffic will increase in 2024, fueled by lower mortgage rates and more existing-home inventory. Home sales are expected to rise, as homebuyers will have more options to choose from.

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MLS Closing costs Sales Mortgages 493

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.

Agents

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

U.S. house prices rallied again in the third quarter of 2023. In fact, home prices rose 2.1% quarter over quarter and 5.5% year over year in Q3, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index. Month over month, the FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index ticked up 0.6% in September. “U.S. house price growth continued to accelerate in the third quarter, appreciating more than in each of the previous four quarters,” Anju Vajja, principal associate director in FHFA ’s div

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Principal MLS Finance Mortgages 493

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 28, 2023

The median price of a home in America is rapidly becoming out of reach for most first-time homebuyers. This is especially true for minority families who on average have less wealth than non-minority families. Like most things in our economy, home prices are influenced by supply and demand principles. An abundance of housing supply will diminish home prices while a shortage of homes available for sale will escalate prices.

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Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 2, 2023

Mortgage rates stabilized this week as the Federal Reserve decided to keep its rates unchanged Wednesday. However, mortgage rates still remain at a 23-year high. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.76% as of Nov. 2, according to Freddie Mac ‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That’s was down slightly from last week ’s 7.79% and up from 6.95% the same week one year ago.

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Fixed-rate mortgage Mortgages MLS Investor 493

Housing Wire

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

Has the epic crash in existing home sales finally found a workable bottom to rise from? The 10-year yield will be our guide, as I discussed on CNBC very early in 2023. Where the 10-year yield goes, so goes housing! I say this because of the slow dance between the 10-year yield and 30-year mortgage rates since 1971. Last year, the 10-year yield fell from 4.25% to 3.37%, pushing mortgage rates lower from 7.37% to 5.99%.

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Sales Days on market Mortgages Investor 490

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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.

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