The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Wednesday issued a request for public comment about the largest owners and operators of single-family rental (SFR) homes. The FTC said it is seeking to understand more about how these “mega investors” have impacted home prices and rents across the country.In a 5

RE/MAX on Wednesday announced that it has hired Chris Lim as executive vice president and chief growth officer. Lim, who has 22 years of leadership experience in the real estate industry, will officially step into his new role on Feb. 3.Lim will focus on fostering franchise growth in key U.S. region

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order late on Monday that aims to speed up the rebuilding process in areas destroyed by the wildfires that have burned thousands of homes in Southern California.The order directs city agencies to expedite the building permitting process in affected ar

At the tail end of 2024, mortgage borrowers shifted their attention away from conforming mortgages and toward refinance opportunities. A report released Tuesday by Optimal Blue found that the conforming loan share sank to historic lows in December.Optimal Blue’s December 2024 Market Advantage report

When the Supreme Court on Monday denied the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) petition to hear its appeal of a lower court’s ruling that allowed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to reopen its long-running investigation, the trade group officially ran out of court options. But while it may seem

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Tuesday announced the publication of a new, final rule in the Federal Register seeking to expand liquidity for the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) system, which would be accomplished by adjusting the treatment of some short-term FHLBank investments.The r

Move over, Hunter S. Thompson, and make way for Cyberbacker CEO Craig Goodliffe.According to a Fox News affiliate in Salt Lake City, Goodliffe was arrested in Ogden, Utah, last week for allegedly giving his 8-year-old son marijuana candy. This led to charges of child endangerment, purchase of a fire

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) volume took a hit in 2024 and the HECM-backed Securities (HMBS) issuance market also saw overall reductions in output for the year, giving further context to a challenging period for the reverse mortgage industry broadly. Once again, total issuance was down in

When I started my first brokerage in my late twenties, I was full of ambition but had no idea what to expect. While I would like to say I knocked it out of the park on my first try, I had to make many mistakes before considering myself an expert. Despite the learning curve, becoming a broker has bee

Rising mortgage rates and home prices are already a strain on homeowners across the country. On top of that, a new study revealed that Texas homeowners have lost billions of dollars over the past three years in property tax payments.Property tax consulting company Ownwell conducted a study that anal

Appraisers are getting more responsibilities.As of Feb. 4, appraisers will be required to submit a report that the market analysis they produced supports both the indicated overall market trend and market-derived time adjustments for changes in market conditions. They will also have to include an il

As wildfires continue to ravage the LA area a week after starting, the impact on insurance premiums and costs to rebuild are still very uncertain. Despina Buganski, head of North America personal lines for global insurance brokerage and consulting firm WTW, sat down with Reporter Sarah Wolak to talk

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Monday announced that it has reached a settlement with PHH Mortgage Corp., a division of the Onity Group, over the alleged imposition of fees for borrowers making payments on their mortgages, which is in violation of Federal Housing Admin

The real estate industry went through a lot last year. The word “fear” plagued the minds of many industry professionals as the business underwent seismic shifts, and as President-elect Donald Trump enters office next week, these feelings still ring true for a sizable chunk of agents.This finding com

It’s imperative for reverse mortgage borrowers to contact their insurance carrier if their property has been damaged in the ongoing Southern California wildfires, and to let their servicer know of anything that could impact their occupancy of their property due to the terms of Federal Housing Admini

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has found that homeowners facing flooding from rivers and creeks are more likely to be underinsured against flood risk than homeowners in coastal areas, according to a report published on Monday.The report is based on a sample of mortgage applications

Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, a large mortgage lender and a top 10 lender in the reverse mortgage industry, will aim to expand its focus on its reverse mortgage arm in 2025 owing to the efforts of David Lazowski, the company’s new president of national recruiting and growth.Emboldened by

You’re bound to find variability in the total cost estimates related to the damage and destruction caused by the wildfires in Southern California, but some of the variations are exacerbated by what is included versus what is excluded in these estimates.According to CoreLogic, the total damage cost e

There were 45,000 new listings for single-family homes across the country this week, which is a big jump. That’s 12% more sellers than a year ago. This is the trend that will be the theme for 2025. It seems more sellers are coming out every week and that will keep inventory pushing upward.Mortgage r

Mr. Cooper Group named former vice chairman and President Chris Marshall as the new CEO of subsidiary real estate solutions firm Xome. Marshall will replace former CEO Mike Rawls, who is set to retire effective June 30. Marshall will work will Rawls over the coming months to ensure a smooth transiti