September, 2023

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A Hit TV Show Can Make—and Break—Local Housing Markets

National Association of Realtors: Culture Scan

A Hit TV Show Can Make—and Break—Local Housing Markets Learn from the cases of “Fixer Upper” and “Yellowstone” what you may be dealing with if your area suddenly gains stardom.

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US housing market is now worth a record $52 trillion: Zillow

Housing Wire

After experiencing a temporary hiccup between July 2022 to January 2023, the U.S. housing market is back on track , stronger than ever, with a total estimated value of $52 trillion, according to a new analysis by Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow Group. Over the past year, the value of the U.S. housing market has surged by more than $2.6 trillion.

Marketing 521
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How luxury agents can tap into the rise of multigenerational living

Inman

Across the real estate sector, multigenerational living has emerged as a beneficial solution for many families. As the older generation ages, they’re cared for by loved ones. Younger generations are supported by their parents in sharing the costs and responsibilities of homeownership, and grandparents are available to help raise grandchildren.

Agents 206
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Single-Family Permits Decline in July 2023

Eye on Housing

Over the first seven months of 2023, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 527,158. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 18.4% below the July 2022 level of 645,877. Year-to-date ending in July, single-family permits declined in all four regions. The Northeast posted the lowest decline of 12.1%, while the West region reported the steepest.

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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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Does a Mortgage Pre-Approval Expire?

RIS Media

Before you buy a home, unless you have the cash to purchase outright, you’ll need to get pre-approved. Understanding how mortgage pre-approvals work is essential. This means finding a lender that offers the type of mortgage you want and then going through the pre-approval process. They will then give you a pre-approval letter that you… The post Does a Mortgage Pre-Approval Expire?

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What Experts Project for Home Prices Over the Next 5 Years

Keeping Current Matters

If you're planning to buy a home, one thing to consider is what experts project home prices will do in the future and how that might affect your investment.

Marketing 356

More Trending

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Is the apartment boom finally over?

Housing Wire

Have we finally hit the limits of the massive boom in 5-unit apartment construction that has been a positive driver of jobs and the fight against inflation since January of 2021? Tuesday’s housing starts report was a mixed bag: housing starts and completions fell with a big hit to 5-unit housing starts. However, housing permits continued to slowly increase, as we’ve seen over the last several months.

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Builders only have 76,000 completed new homes for sale

Housing Wire

New home sales missed estimates today but had three months of positive revisions, which continues the story of the builders managing the higher mortgage rate environment. But they still only have 76,000 completed units for sale today. That’s right — for all the hype of massive housing inventory coming from the builders, today we sit here still trying to work back to pre-COVID-19 levels with just 76,000 completed homes ready to be moved.

Sales 524
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Why are exisitng home prices up year over year?

Housing Wire

Existing home prices are up 3.9% year over year, with demand near 21st-century lows. How is this possible? NAR ‘s existing home sales report on Thursday gives us insight into the why factor. The median existing-home price for all housing types in August was $407,100, an increase of 3.9% from August 2022 ($391,700). All four U.S. regions posted price increases.

Sales 523
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Why are mortgage rates surging?

Housing Wire

Why are mortgage rates rising? This is a question many people are asking — even some of the Federal Reserve members. We have had back-to-back weeks of the bond market getting wild since the key 10-year yield level of 4.34% broke higher. It didn’t help that the Fed was hawkish after the Fed meeting , as their forward outlook surprised some market players.

Mortgages 521
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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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Housing inventory is barely positive heading into fall

Housing Wire

Last week we saw a noticeable decline in new listings and active inventory was barely positive. Does this mean housing inventory has begun its seasonal decline? Here are the weekly numbers: Weekly active listings rose by only 343 Mortgage rates rose from 7.08% to end the week at 7.22% Purchase apps fell 2 % week to week Weekly housing inventory At first glance, it seems we’re now seeing the seasonal active inventory decline since new listings data fell noticeably and active listings slowe

Mortgages 518
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As rising mortgage rates push buyers to the brink, sellers are starting to cut prices

Housing Wire

Even with demand buoyed by a sparse housing inventory, growing financial challenges for buyers are forcing home sellers to cut prices to close deals, a new Redfin research report found. According to the brokerage, 6.5% of U.S. homes for sale posted a price cut during the four weeks ending September 24, up from 5.8% the month prior. In some markets, more than 50% of active listings have experienced a price cut, according to Altos Research.

Mortgages 516
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Unsold homebuilder inventory is ticking up as new home sales slow

Housing Wire

After a boost in July, the sales pace of new homes slowed in August, according to data published on Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development ( HUD ). In August, the sales pace of new homes fell 8.7% compared to July , reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 675,000. On a year-over-year basis, new home sales were up 5.8%.

As-is 511
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FHA issues waiver to make government-insured mortgages more accessible

Housing Wire

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Thursday announced that it has issued a waiver to a requirement that FHA-approved lenders flag rejected loans in the FHA Connection (FHAC) system, an effort the agency says will improve access to government-insured mortgage financing for qualified borrowers. “FHA has determined that this flag does not improve risk management and is often why other lenders will reject an applicant even when that applicant might otherwise qualify for a loan,” the agency

Mortgages 508
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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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Home inventory is climbing even faster than this time a year ago

Housing Wire

Available inventory of homes for sale is on the rise in late September, which is very unusual for this time of year. In fact, inventory is growing faster than this time a year ago. This is a demand-driven slowdown, because new listings supply is still running 9% to 10% fewer homes for sale each week than this time last year. We’re seeing fewer new sellers each week, but inventory is building as homebuyers wait to see if mortgage rates will come down to make purchases more affordable.

Mortgages 505
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RE/MAX settles buyer broker commission lawsuits for $55 million

Housing Wire

Yet another national real estate brokerage firm has reached a settlement agreement in two of the major class action antitrust lawsuits facing the real estate industry. According to court documents filed on Monday, RE/MAX and the home sellers suing the firm in both the Moehrl and Sitzer/Burnett cases, which both deal with buyer brokers’ commissions, have reached a preliminary settlement agreement, settling all claims in both suits.

MLS 505
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Housing inventory gone wild

Housing Wire

What’s going on with housing inventory ? The last four weeks of new listings data have been the most volatile since mortgage rates breached 6% in 2022. One week, we had the biggest decline in new listings data all year, which might indicate Americans are giving up on listing their homes. But the next week we had the biggest increase of the year, which might show that people are rushing to list their homes.

Mortgages 505
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DataDigest: Where housing prices are booming (and faltering)

Housing Wire

Housing markets in Western states like Idaho, Wyoming and Utah are stumbling on a year-to-year basis, while markets east of the Mississippi are heating up, according to CoreLogic data provided exclusively to HousingWire. As of Sept. 1, the top 10 states by year-to-year growth in the CoreLogic House Price Index are located exclusively in the Midwest or Northeast, with Vermont’s 8.52% gain leading the nation.

Land 504
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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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Mortgage rates get close to the yearly high of 7.49%

Housing Wire

Mortgage rates shot up last week after a hawkish Federal Reserve meeting, even though they didn’t raise rates. In addition, jobless claims data had another solid print, showing that the labor market hasn’t broken yet, which led to more selling of the 10-year yield. Mortgage rates did find some relief on Friday as bond yields headed lower. On housing inventory , new listings data saw a small decline last week, but active listings grew at a healthy clip.

Closing 501
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Dark Matter Technologies execs talk transition from Black Knight, innovation in the mortgage tech space

Housing Wire

Dark Matter Technologies , formerly Black Knight Origination Technologies, is focused on mainly two things: the smooth transition to new owners, and lowering the cost to originate loans for lenders. Executives from Dark Matter Technologies, under the Constellation Software umbrella, said that a down market is the best time to make investments in technology and prepare for the next cycle.

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Pending home sales fell 7.1% in August

Housing Wire

Mirroring the trend for new home sales , pending home sales fell 7.1% in August, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). All four regions of the U.S. posted month-over-month and year-over-year declines in transactions. Year over year, pending home sales were down 18.7%, an even greater decrease than the 14% annual drop recorded in July.

Sales 497
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Actually Agents joins The Broke Agent within BAM

Housing Wire

Real estate media just got funnier as Actually Agents will join The Broke Agent within BAM , a real estate media company. While continuing to operate independently, Luca Alboretti of Actually Agents and Eric Simon of The Broke Agent will “collaborate to produce funny and engaging content that both entertains and educates real estate professionals,” BAM announced in a press release Thursday.

Agents 492
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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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Homebuilders are no longer feeling good

Housing Wire

For the first time in five months, homebuilder sentiment levels dropped below the key break-even measure of 50, mostly reflecting the difficulties of persistent 7% mortgage rates. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) report showed that builder confidence fell 5 points in September to a reading of 45, following a six-point drop in August.

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Labor and inflation will help mortgage rates in 2024

Housing Wire

The growth rate of inflation has been falling for a year, but mortgage rates are still near multi-decade highs. Why? While it is true that mortgage rates traditionally fall alongside inflation, I believed 2023 was going to be about the labor market. This was the core premise of my 2023 forecast, and so far it has worked. In my 2023 forecast , I set the range on the 10-year yield between 3.21%-4.25%, emphasizing that the bond yields can go lower than 3.21% only if the labor market breaks — which

Mortgages 493
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Homebuilders are pulling back, but permit activity suggests things will turn around soon

Housing Wire

Housing starts fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,283,000 in August, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s a 11.3% drop from the revised July estimate of 1,447,000 and 14.8% below the August 2022 rate of 1,505,000. On the bright side, permits for future construction recorded a 6.9% gain from July, indicating some builders might be more hopeful that things will turn around soon.

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Rate lock volume plummets in least affordable housing market in 40 years

Housing Wire

Rate lock volume fell 1.5% in August, the third consecutive decline as mortgage rates climbed to the highest level in more than 20 years. Overall lock volumes were down 9.5% over the last three months and were 55% below that of August 2022, according to Black Knight ’s August originations market monitor report. “Interestingly, we saw very slight upticks in both cash-out and rate/term refinance locks in August,” Andy Walden, VP of enterprise research for Black Knight, said in a statement.

Marketing 493
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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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UWM expands its hard credit reports program

Housing Wire

United Wholesale Mortgage (UMW) has enhanced its Safe Check program , which provides credit reports without initiating unwanted trigger lead solicitations to brokers’ competitors. In some cases, the lender will provide a hard credit report at no additional cost to borrowers. The program was launched in October 2022 to provide brokers $10 single-bureau soft credit checks for conventional loans.

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Why the Fed is celebrating after jobs week

Housing Wire

Jobs week cleared up the skies for the Federal Reserve members, who are smiling — big time — after a series of data lines gave them what they wanted: a softer labor market! While the labor market isn’t breaking , it has become more pliant in the data lines the Fed focuses on. After Friday’s jobs report , which had some one-time variables, we can say that the economy is heading into an area where the Fed will feel much more comfortable, and we should not have any more rate hikes.

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Mortgage rates surge to highest level since 2000

Housing Wire

Mortgage rates climbed again this week as investors braced themselves for ‘higher-for-longer’ conditions following last week’s Fed meeting. Additionally, the yield on 10-year treasuries shot up to 4.6% on September 27 from 4.3% a week prior. Just before noon on Thursday, they were Freddie Mac ‘s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, which focuses on conventional and conforming loans with a 20% down payment, shows the 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.31% as of Sept. 28, up 12 basis point from last week ’s

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US home prices continued to rally in July 2023

Housing Wire

After three consecutive months of annual price declines, home prices in July were up 0.98%, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Month-over-month, the U.S. National Index posted an increase of 0.6%, while the 10-City posted a 0.8% increase and 20-City Composite a 0.9% increase. “U.S. home prices continued to rally in July 2023,” Craig Lazzara, managing director at S&P DJI , said.

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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.