Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2023

A Kansas City jury has found the National Association of Realtors , HomeServices of America and Keller Williams guilty of colluding to inflate or maintain high commission rates through NAR’s Clear Cooperation Rule, in the Sitzer/Burnett buyer broker commission lawsuit. The defendants have been ordered to pay damages of $1.78 billion. The jury reached its verdict after a little over two weeks of testimony from the plaintiffs and defendants.

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Keeping Current Matters

OCTOBER 11, 2023

Are you thinking about making a move?

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National Association of Realtors: Culture Scan

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Pickleball Helps Florida Broker Net Real Estate Deals Jay Granieri of One Sotheby’s International Realty in Fort Lauderdale says America’s fastest-growing sport is a perfect match for finding new leads.

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Marketing 120

Realty Biz

OCTOBER 29, 2023

Selling a home can be a stressful and challenging process, and when you add kids into the mix, it can become even more complicated and overwhelming. Children can create chaos, and their needs and routines can clash with the demands of home showings and open houses. However, with some careful planning and a bit of patience, you can successfully navigate the home-selling process while keeping your kids happy and your sanity intact.

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Staging Design As-is Marketing 132

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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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Inman

OCTOBER 30, 2023

The desire for uniqueness is driving a rising demand for historic homes in the luxury real estate sector. Buyers today love the character and craftsmanship that a historical property exudes, and want a home that expresses their one-of-a-kind personality and preferences.

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Agents 197

Real Estate News

OCTOBER 31, 2023

After less than three hours of deliberation, the jury ruled for the plaintiffs in the landmark Sitzer/Burnett trial, awarding nearly $1.8 billion.

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Keeping Current Matters

OCTOBER 3, 2023

During the fourth quarter of last year, some housing experts projected home prices were going to crash in 2023.

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Marketing 356

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 21, 2023

The haunted house ride with the bond market and mortgage rates continued this week, but one housing data line hasn’t been spooked. New listing data appears unafraid of the mortgage rate ghost story over the last few months. Unlike last year, when new listings data had a noticeable move lower once mortgage rates reached 6%, 8% mortgage rates haven’t had any noticeable impact on the latest new listings data.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 18, 2023

For years broker channel evangelists told me that a down market would give them an edge on their retail brethren. Well, it’s certainly been a down market. How has the broker channel fared in the wake of the Fed rate hikes ? I asked the good folks at mortgage data technology firm InGenius to run the numbers. Take a look. “From the first six months of 2022 to first six months of 2023, brokers have increased their percentage from 23% to 28% while retail has decreased by that same percen

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Loan Officer Loans Lending Mortgages 521

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 9, 2023

Elevated mortgage rates continue to dampen already-pessimistic consumer housing sentiment and create affordability woes for both homebuyers and sellers. That feeling is underscored in Fannie Mae ’s latest Home Price Sentiment Index (HPSI), which decreased by 2.4 points in September to 64.5. The index tracks the housing market and consumer confidence to sell or buy a home.

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Mortgages Sales As-is Marketing 518

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

OCTOBER 28, 2023

If I had told you on Dec. 31, 2022, that mortgage rates would hit 8% in 2023, you would reasonably assume housing inventory would sky rocket higher, home prices would fall noticeably, and the number of price cuts would be higher year over year. Instead, the opposite has happened: home prices nationally hit an all-time high, inventory is still down year over year and the percentage of price cuts is 4% below last year’s level.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2023

We may be nearing the bottom in home sales even if mortgage rates don’t decline. As a result, there may be a light at the end of the tunnel in this crazy market cycle. At least, that’s what the data seems to suggest as inventory grows and new listings decline at a less aggressive rate than last year. To get the weekly picture of the housing market, watch the video above.

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Sales Staging Mortgages Marketing 511

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 27, 2023

To many, homebuying is a daunting, often confusing process. Admittedly, the myriad of documents requiring signatures can be overwhelming, especially for first-time homebuyers. Thankfully, there are a number of online resources that can help homebuyers navigate the process. The American Land Title Association, alongside our real estate industry partners, are committed to making transactions easier for everyone through consumer education efforts.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 20, 2023

The last two years of soaring mortgage rates and rising home prices have brought the fastest erosion in housing market affordability in modern history, and it’s hurt first-time homebuyers the most. A homebuyer must earn $114,627 to afford the median-priced U.S. home, up 15% ($15,285) from a year ago and up more than 50% since the start of the pandemic in early 2022.

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Fixed-rate mortgage Marketing Mortgages Sales 511

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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

OCTOBER 6, 2023

In a surprising twist, the National Association of Realtors has announced a change in how interprets its Participation Rule, which requires listing brokers to provide buyer brokers an offer of compensation in order to list on the multiple listing service (MLS). While previously NAR has stated that the offer of compensation could be as little as a penny or a dollar, in a reversal of this stance, NAR is now saying that listing brokers can offer nothing and still comply with the rule, as first repo

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MLS Brokerage Agents As-is 511

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 16, 2023

The trough for the mortgage origination market is nearing an end point and 2024 is shaping up to be a better year for the industry, economists of the the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said at the 2023 Annual Convention & Expo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The MBA doesn’t expect the Federal Reserve to hike interest rates further this year as real rates – which are inflation-adjusted– are 2%.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 25, 2023

While existing homebuyers have been battling high mortgage rates for months — which are now at 8% — the builders are wooing buyers with lower rates and incentives. Today, the new home sales data beat expectations and surprised people. However, sales have been rising slowly for some time. Using a low bar of sales from last year, the builder’s incentives have created more sales growth and their significant advantage is that they’re offering lower rates to move homes.

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Mortgages Sales Construction As-is 507

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 7, 2023

Mortgage rates were scarier than Freddy Krueger last week, rising to a 23-year high as some of the labor data surprised to the upside. Unfortunately, those higher mortgage rates didn’t spur inventory growth this week, so we didn’t even get the benefit we would usually see when rates rise. And higher mortgage rates pushed purchase application data down 6% week to week.

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Mortgages Marketing As-is Sales 508

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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.

Sales

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 19, 2023

The savagely unhealthy housing market continues to unfold as we approach Halloween. Sales are still falling, home prices keep rising, and inventory is still negative year over year. The core problem? Too many people chasing too few goods — and days on the market are still under 30 days. On top of all that, mortgage rates are now at 8%. It’s like we invited Freddy Krueger, Jason and Michael Meyers to come for a haunted housing market party.

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Closing Marketing Sales Mortgages 505

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 11, 2023

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Sandra Thompson said Wednesday that the agency is working to provide more clarity on its framework and use alternatives amid a spike in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac ‘s loan buybacks. The GSEs’ loan buybacks have been one of the top complaints among mortgage lenders in a near 8% mortgage rate environment.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 3, 2023

Mortgage rates and bond yields kept rising Tuesday as the job openings unexpectedly increased more than anticipated. But is that job openings data legit today? And will job openings continue higher, pushing mortgage rates even higher in the future? I believe today’s job openings data needs some context, but it didn’t matter to bond traders as bond yields shot up after the report.

Mortgages 505

Mortgages Banks As-is Marketing 505

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 16, 2023

Freddie Mac is rolling out a free tool for lenders, DPA One, that matches borrowers with down payment assistance programs across the country. DPA One streamlines the available state programs into a single source that lenders can use to find and compare programs for their borrowers. “Time and again, research reveals that the down payment is the single largest hurdle first-time homebuyers need to overcome to attain homeownership,” said Sonu Mittal, senior vice president of acquisitions at Freddie

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Finance Lending Mortgages Loans 501

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

OCTOBER 6, 2023

Like Anywhere Real Estate Friday morning, the terms of RE/MAX’s $55 million settlement with plaintiffs in two bombshell buyer commission lawsuits have been made public. Similar to Anywhere’s deal, the RE/MAX agreement stipulates that the firm make significant changes to what it requires of its agents and franchisees. Final court approval of the settlement is expected in early 2024.

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MLS Brokerage Agents Development 501

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 4, 2023

Mortgage applications ground to a halt for the week ending Sept. 29, falling 6% from the week prior as mortgage rates jumped to a 23-year high of 7.53%, according to new weekly data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Mortgage application activity is now at its lowest level since 1996, the MBA reported. Purchase mortgage application volume, in particular, slowed considerably for the week ending Sept. 29, down 22% from a year ago, according to unadjusted data.

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Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2023

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — After 11 days of testimony , the eight-person jury here took just a little over two hours to decide its verdict in the Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit trial. It found the National Association of Realtors , HomeServices of America and Keller Williams guilty of collusion to maintain high commission rates. Despite the guilty verdict, other than having to pay nearly $1.8 billion in damages, many questions still remain about what this means for the real estate industry, a

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Industrial Design Agents Brokerage 497

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 31, 2023

Following July’s mini rally , home prices posted a 2.6% annual gain in August, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index. Month-over-month, the U.S. National Index posted a seasonally adjusted increase of 0.9%, while the 10-City and 20-City Composites posted a 1% increase each. The August level was the highest recorded since the index began in 1987.

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MLS Mortgages Sales Closing 497

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

OCTOBER 19, 2023

In late August, when mortgage rates were well over 7% and beginning their climb toward 8%, Jeff Anderson had a client do what few other homeowners are willing to do: She gave up her 4% mortgage rate. You’re probably thinking, “Uh, why on earth would she do that?” The client wanted to pay off $30,000 in consumer debt, handle home improvement projects and help her daughter start college, said Anderson, a longtime mortgage advisor in Southern California.

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Mortgages FHA loan Equity Loans 497

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 13, 2023

It’s a weird time to be a real estate agent , and I see it all around me here in the Denver metro. Brokers who rode the proverbial wave of real estate during the pandemic and have now had to reroute or pivot to figure out how to navigate a market that was once boasting the lowest rates in decades are disoriented. For those of us who have spent most of our careers in real estate, we know what it’s like to be part of a feast or famine industry.

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Agents Marketing Industrial Brokerage 497

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Soaring interest rates and a higher-for-longer policy will take its toll on the economy, according to Fannie Mae ’s Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) group. “The cause of the recent run-up in long-term rates is multifactorial and likely includes some expectation of more resilient economic growth coupled with a higher-for-longer monetary policy stance from the Federal Reserve ,” the ESR group said in its latest economic commentary.

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Mortgages Land Banks Sales 495

Housing Wire

OCTOBER 30, 2023

loanDepot has rolled out a new down payment assistance program for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loan borrowers that enables them to put zero money down upfront. In loanDepot’s program, dubbed AccessZERO, the down payment assistance is structured as a 10-year fully amortized repayable second mortgage. Borrowers must have a minimum credit score of 600 to qualify for the down payment assistance, which can be as much as 5% of the home purchase price or appraised value, whichever is less.

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FHA loan Loans Lending Finance 493

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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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