When I first started in real estate, I was eager for advice. The best advice I got from an experienced agent was simple but powerful: “Do as many open houses as you can.” I took his advice to heart. Running open houses (among other strategies) has helped me build a sustainable career in real estate

It’s a new week and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has a new acting director. Over the weekend, the Trump administration announced that Project 2025 architect Russell Vought would be taking over as acting director from newly appointed U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was i

ICE Mortgage Technology on Monday announced several enhancements to the Encompass loan origination platform, including a rate lock comparison tool that enables lenders to automatically detect and adjust for changes to a loan that may affect pricing and eligibility.The “Rate Lock Comparison Tool,” wh

In this week’s episode of the RealTrending podcast, host Tracey Velt traveled to the REengage Winter Conference to speak with Illinois Realtors CEO Jeff Baker and president Tommy Choi. During the conversation, the group discuss real estate market challenges, the value of being a part of an associati

When news came down about the acquisition of American Advisors Group (AAG) by Finance of America (FOA), reactions across the reverse mortgage industry were largely optimistic. Now that some time has passed, FOA leaders are largely looking ahead at the business possibilities for the next year.This is

When I first started in real estate, I thought my job was solely about helping buyers and sellers. As time went on, the desire to go beyond that struck me. Real estate agents have the privilege of guiding people through one of their biggest life decisions. We agents can also strengthen the communiti

Rocket Companies’ return to the Super Bowl on Sunday marked not only a milestone for the company’s calculated rebrand but a new level of connection between the financial services sector and online influencers.While many mortgage professionals have taken to apps like TikTok, LinkedIn and Instagram to

One in four Americans in the 65-and-over age bracket remain in the workforce, and more plan to rejoin it at some point in 2025 for a variety of reasons including rising costs, boredom and job satisfaction. This is according to a survey conducted by ResumeTemplates.com.The survey, conducted in Januar

I recently had the profound honor of helping to hand-wash the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., a deeply moving experience that allowed me to pay homage to my fellow servicemembers and Naval Academy classmates who served in one of the longest wars in American history.Standing alongside

The recent developments surrounding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) have left many in the mortgage industry wondering what comes next. With Acting Director Russell Vought halting all rulemaking, enforcement actions and examinations, some may be tempted to believe that the regulatory

Rocket Companies is not one to shy away from the spotlight. Within the last few years, leadership additions of Varun Krishna, Katie Sweeney and Dan Sogorka to the team and an auspicious rebrand announced at the start of the year have put Rocket in the financial services spotlight.It makes sense that

Homes.com is back at it with another round of Super Bowl advertisements. The CoStar Group-owned residential real estate listing platform will have two 30-second spots in Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII. The two advertisements are titled “Not Saying We’re the Best,” which will air during the first quarter,

UPDATE: This story was updated Sunday night to include the news that the CFPB headquarters has been ordered closed this week.Russell Vought, the newly named acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), is shutting down most of the bureau’s functions and has cut off its funding

Another jobs week has come to an end, and amid the chaotic headlines about job numbers, tariffs, and the leadership of the Treasury, mortgage rates remained calm. Better mortgage spreads are limiting how high rates can rise in 2025. This situation contrasts with the challenges the market faced in 20

President Trump’s shake-up of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau continues. On Friday night, Russell Vought, the architect of the Project 2025 plan and the newly confirmed director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, emailed top staffers at the CFPB to inform them that he’d bee

Russell Vought, an architect of Project 2025 and the current head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is the new acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Wall Street Journal reported late Friday night.Vought emailed top staffers at the agency to inform them that

In this week’s episode of the Power House podcast, host Diego Sanchez sits down with a close observer from within the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Sherry Chris, special advisor to NAR CEO Nykia Wright, joins the show to discuss the trade association’s response to post-settlement changes a

Some housing industry observers wouldn’t hesitate to mention Southern California when asked about the most competitive real estate markets. But despite rising home prices and stiff competition, a new report from John Burns Research & Consulting (JBREC) says it’s time to close the curtain on the “Cal

A bill introduced into the Oregon Senate that seeks to limit the amount of equity a reverse mortgage lender can receive after the sale or transfer of a property could potentially halt the availability of proprietary product offerings in the state.This is according to a version of the bill reviewed b

In 2022, Crye-Leike Real Estate Services closed roughly $7 billion in sales volume, according to data from the 2023 RealTrends Verified rankings. The T3 Sixty Real Estate Almanac reports the same numbers, while the brokerage company’s 2022 Annual Report pegged its sales volume at $8.5 billion. But n