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Existing-home sales take a sleigh ride to the sky with highest jump since 2021

Housing Wire

The housing industry is getting an early Christmas gift. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that existing-home sales in November rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.15 The jump in sales gives the market momentum heading into 2025, which is expected to outperform 2024. million, a 4.8% million, a 2.9%

Sales 376
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The biggest challenge for the reverse industry in 2024? Mortgage rates

Housing Wire

That was a repeated idea shared by a group of reverse mortgage professionals when asked to assess what they see as the biggest industry challenges of the year. But despite challenges posed by rates, industry professionals continue to find a way forward. I think that’s true from an industry standpoint.

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‘Find buyers before agents!’ Mortgage industry reacts to the NAR settlement

Housing Wire

Nick Caccia, a Greenville, Rhode Island-based producing sales manager at CrossCountry Mortgage , said that it’s hard enough getting a loan to the closing table, especially with the rates where they are. Assisting homebuyers and their agents adds more to an LO’s plate. LOs on average get about 1%.) As lenders, we are avidly against that.

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Pending home sales plummet to all-time low in May: NAR

Housing Wire

After rising in March , pending home sales continued to slide in May, with the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) posting its second consecutive month of declines to reach a record low, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The PHSI fell 2.1% from April to a reading of 70.8 on a yearly basis.

Sales 486
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Smartfi hires industry vet Fiore to lead newly created retail reverse division

Housing Wire

San Diego-based Smartfi Home Loans , which primarily is active as a wholesale lender in the reverse mortgage space, will launch a retail division that offers reverse mortgage products and has hired industry veteran Paul Fiore as its president of retail sales. “I

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Pending home sales bounce back in June: NAR

Housing Wire

After plummeting to an all-time low in May , pending home sales bounced back a bit in June, with the Pending Home Sales Index rising 4.8%, according to data released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Month over month, however, pending sales rose in all four regions. The index rose from a reading of 70.8

Sales 430
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Opinion: Is the industry positioned for a mass exodus of real estate agents?

Housing Wire

In the wake of the recent NAR settlement , coupled with persistently sluggish home sales and high interest rates , real estate agents find themselves at a crossroads marked by uncertainty and unease. However, with many agents feeling uncertain about their futures, a potential mass exodus from the industry may be looming.