Housing Wire

DECEMBER 19, 2024

Its late December so all the 2025 mortgage rate forecasts have been published. Unfortunately, all of them are already wrong. Most housing market analysts expect mortgage rates to spend the year with a 6 handle. The most optimistic predictions assume 2025 will see mostly low 6s for the 30-year fixed rate mortgage. And yet with pesky inflation data not falling as quickly or as far as expected, Fed chair Jerome Powell suddenly changed his language in the Fed meeting on Dec. 19.

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Real Estate News

DECEMBER 2, 2024

The $444 million deal brings the 8th-largest brokerage firm into the Compass fold and represents the brokerage giant’s first major move into the global market.

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Keeping Current Matters

DECEMBER 2, 2024

A recent study from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows most sellers (61%) completed at least minor repairs when selling their house.

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Inman

DECEMBER 2, 2024

The deal is valued at around $444 million, with $150 million in cash and $294 million in equity. If finalized, it would merge the nation's No. 1 brokerage by sales volume with the No. 8 largest brokerage.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 18, 2024

They say housing leads the economy in and out of a recession. Currently, housing starts are back at the levels seen during the COVID-19 recession in 2020. Interestingly, employment for residential construction workers typically one of the first areas to experience declines before a recession has not yet seen its usual downturn. Several factors have been keeping labor steady, such as working through a backlog of orders and long turnaround times to complete projects.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 7, 2024

Last week, we witnessed a Santa Claus rally in mortgage rates alongside improved housing demand. The economy continues to create jobs, with wages growing at an annual rate of 4%. We also see growth in our pending contract data compared to 2022 and 2023. Additionally, the purchase application data delivered another pleasant surprise with positive results.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 18, 2024

The fallout from Fed day got out of hand very quickly. The market reacted badly to the FOMC statement and remarks by Federal Reserve Chairman Powell during the Q&A presser, sending the 10-year yield and mortgage rates higher. Also, the Dow was down over 1,000 points today. So what gives? Market players were already talking about how the Fed would dial back rate cuts in 2025, but Powell didnt sound sure of himself in that press event and left an opening to create tighter financial conditions.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Ryan Serhant ’s eponymous brokerage has been in rapid growth mode this year following the success of the Netflix show “Owning Manhattan,” and now investors want in on the action. SERHANT. announced Monday that it secured $45 million in a Series A funding round led by real estate venture capital firm Camber Creek and participation from Left Lane Capital.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 9, 2024

Weve now been in the post-pandemic housing market recession market as long as we were in the pandemic boom. Two and a half years. As we look into 2025, the question everyone is asking is: Do we have a new era starting? Does the housing market start to get back to normal? What can the data today tell us about signals for growth or weakness after the new year?

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 6, 2024

Vetted by HousingWire | Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Real estate agents often make the mistake of believing their clients will remember them forever but they dont. Its up to us as agents to stay engaged and stay in contact with our clients. Building on existing relationships is the quickest and easiest way to keep your pipeline filled with active buyers and sellers, so you dont have to worry about dry spel

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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 Wire

DECEMBER 17, 2024

In this week’s episode of the RealTrending podcast , host Tracey Velt is joined by Tim Weisheyer, Florida Realtors ‘ 2025 president. The duo explore the concept of servant leadership for business success, relying on learning for long-term success, balancing technology usage with relationship building and the trade group’s top priorities for 2025.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 7, 2024

Rapid changes in mortgage rates have left many would-be homebuyers asking: Is now a good time to buy? Will prices go up or down? Will mortgage rates and affordability improve or get worse? There is no perfect time to buy, of course. But there are specific factors homebuyers should weigh as they determine their timing. Patricia Maguire-Feltch, managing director of consumer origination sales at Chase Home Lending, says that realistic evaluation is key when making the big step to buy.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 5, 2024

Why most teams struggle to scale Scaling a real estate team to $100 million in production is a daunting challenge, but the biggest roadblock isn’t market conditions or competition — it’s outdated strategies. Many team leaders fall into the trap of simply working harder, hoping that hustle alone will create results. Without systems and processes that support consistent growth, teams often hit a plateau, leaving leaders frustrated and burnt out.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 3, 2024

Prospective homeowners enter the housing market with two questions: Where do I begin? How much home can I afford? Once the process starts, nearly half of home buyers report shedding tears at some point. Potential homeowners should be able to handle this confusion in a world where technology and digital tools rule customer service. Fortunately, home buying doesn’t have to remain confusing for new buyers.

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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

DECEMBER 5, 2024

A recent study authored by researchers at Johns Hopkins Universitys Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that the integration of health, social services and community-based support systems must be improved to better accommodate the desires of older Americans to age in place in their homes. By 2034, Americans ages 65 and older will outnumber those under the age of 18 for the first time in U.S. history.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 8, 2024

U.S. mortgage holders experienced a home equity increase in the third quarter of 2024 up 2.5% year over year to a total of $17.5 trillion nationwide. But that was down from 8% growth in the second quarter, and negative equity also ramped up for the first time in two years, according to a CoreLogic report. CoreLogic’s Q3 2024 Homeowner Equity Insights report showed that the total number of mortgaged homes with negative equity rose by 3.5% from the second quarter.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 12, 2024

Leading real estate brokerage William Raveis is making another game-changing acquisition before the new year. This week, the firm announced the acquisition of Nantucket, Massachussetts -based brokerage Jordan Real Estate (JRE). The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. William Raveis a top-ranked brokerage serving the Northeast, Florida and South Carolina has made several expansion moves in 2024.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 4, 2024

While the commission lawsuits and the business practice changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) settlement occupied notable portions of 2024 for The Real Brokerage , impressive organic growth is the firm’s true highlight of the year. Real ended 2023 with 13,650 agents and as of Wednesday the company reports that it has now reached 23,000 agents.

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Sales

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 6, 2024

Brokerage giant eXp Realty is adding a superstar agent to its ranks. The company announced the recruitment of Phoenix -based agent Joshua Smith, a high producer who closed 297 transactions in 2023. Smith is the latest addition to eXp Realty’s expanding global agent network. According to the brokerage, Smith has been a standout in the real estate business for 20 years.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 10, 2024

The housing market got some much needed relief in the fall when mortgage rates began to drop, but it was short lived. Despite two interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve, mortgage rates rose again and remain stubbornly high. The turbulence in rates has trickled down to individual markets like Cincinnati, where real estate agents say they dont know what to expect from sale to sale.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 2, 2024

Real estate investment and operating platform Wrightwell has secured a new financing round while forging a partnership with Bain Capital and Saluda Grade. The deal will yield as much as $300 million in new investments into single-family rental (SFR) and built-to-rent (BTR) properties. The agreement, announced on Monday, will aim to address “critical residential housing needs across the U.S.,” according to a statement from Wrightwell.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 3, 2024

Multifamily property managers and owner managers face countless challenges and complexities day in and out. From resident relations and legal compliance to property takeover, both established and new property management company executives can quickly become overwhelmed handling all the moving parts required to run the company. One of the most common challenges, particularly when taking over a property, is hiring and retaining full-time staff.

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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

DECEMBER 9, 2024

If 2024 was a rollercoaster, 2025 is shaping up to be a championship gameand every buyer , seller and homeowner has a shot at winning big. After a year filled with rate swings, unpredictable markets and a bit of drama (thank you, inflation), the real estate world is ready for a fresh start. Whether youre looking to buy your first home, upgrade or simply gain clarity on the current market , this guide is your insiders playbook to tackle 2025 with confidence.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 17, 2024

The American dream is synonymous with two ideas. One is the idea that anyone in this country can find a path to economic success regardless of their circumstances at birth. The second idea is the symbolic encapsulation of the first idea: homeownership. Owning a home is the signifier of economic success, but over the last few years, that milestone has gotten farther out of reach for first-time homebuyers.

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Marketing Equity As-is Mortgages 322

Housing Wire

DECEMBER 19, 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic turned previously sleepy cities into boomtowns.Expanded or permanent work-from-home policies gave people more flexibility in where to live, and those in uber-expensive markets like San Francisco and Manhattan took advantage by moving to areas where they could get more space for less money. This created incredibly competitive housing markets in smaller cities that pushed sales and prices sky high.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 16, 2024

As the year draws to a close, available unsold inventory of homes on the market is nearly 27% greater than a year ago. Almost every market in the country has more homes available now than at the end of 2023. Ten states have more inventory unsold than in 2019, which was the last sort of normal year before the pandemic. A few states have more homes on the market now than any time in the last eight to 10 years.

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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

DECEMBER 5, 2024

Rocket Mortgage , the third-largest U.S. mortgage lender, is suing the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), alleging the agency is “unfairly” holding the company accountable for the actions of an independent appraiser in a 2021 case. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in U.S District Court in Colorado. A HUD spokesperson did not immediately respond to HousingWire ’s request for comments.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 3, 2024

With technology rapidly advancing, Zumper is the latest company in the real estate industry to dive into artificial intelligence (AI) assistants. The rental portal this week launched an AI assistant named Zoe, which according to the company can answer “virtually any renter question about a property or its neighborhood.” Zoe can also help manage the process of renting an apartment by requesting tours and submitting leads.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 10, 2024

Foreclosure activity slowed slightly in November 2024, reversing a trend of rising foreclosures in October. But this decline may merely be a seasonal phenomenon, according to real estate data provider Attom. On Tuesday, Attom released its November 2024 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. The report includes the total number of properties nationwide that have at least one foreclosure filing.

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Housing Wire

DECEMBER 4, 2024

In this week’s episode of the RealTrending podcast , host Tracey Velt is joined by Danielle Wilkie , co-founder of The Helm , to discuss emerging trends in real estate, female representation in real estate coaching and artificial intelligence. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To kick off the conversation, Wilkie explores her career path before she co-founded The Helm.

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