Boston suburb’s housing battle with state echoes national issues

As localities across the country wrestle with housing shortages, one Massachusetts town will make its case to a panel of judges next week to argue against a plan that requires the construction of more multifamily units, according to reporting by USA Today and state records reviewed by HousingWire.As
Read MoreArc Home adds OptifiNow’s advanced CRM to aid sales, marketing efforts

OptifiNow announced the implementation of its high-tech customer relationship management (CRM) platform with nonqualified mortgage (non-QM) lender Arc Home LLC on Tuesday. The platform offers a new broker scoring system designed for better account management and a tagging system to improve email mar
Read MoreTop Agent Network renews antitrust suit aimed at NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy

Top Agent Network (TAN) is not backing down in its antitrust lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR).After being dismissed with prejudice in 2021 after a lower court ruled that TAN failed to state a claim with prejudice in its third amended complaint, the plaintiff appealed the ru
Read MoreVance and Walz spar over housing in VP debate

The candidates for vice president highlighted their housing policies in the VP debate on Tuesday night, one month out from election day. JD Vance, the Republican senator from Ohio, and Tim Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, outlined how their parties would address the housing crisis. After
Read MoreIMB Summit: Bob Broeksmit mulls election impacts on mortgage rates, regulations

Whichever candidate — Kamala Harris or Donald Trump — wins the 2024 presidential election will not have a significant impact on the path of interest rates, but they will bring changes to the mortgage industry from a regulatory standpoint, according to Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) president and
Read MoreMatterport introduces AI tools for property photos and descriptions

Have you ever taken a great photo only to realize later that there’s a random person in the background, an object that doesn’t belong or something you simply don’t want in it? Real estate agents now have a new tool to remove these distraction from home staging photos — and no, it’s not Apple Intelli
Read MoreAt the Hard Rock Hotel, FHA’s Gordon talks reverse mortgage observations, possible enhancements

Federal Housing Administration (FHA) Commissioner Julia Gordon offered her insights on the agency’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program at this year’s National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) Annual Meeting and Expo, reflecting on her journey toward greater understanding of b
Read More80% of older adults can’t afford to age in place

As many as 80% of the 60-and-older population are unable to afford either long-term care or basic necessities like food, reflecting the serious financial challenges faced by older Americans despite their overwhelming preferences for aging in place.This is according to reporting by Phoenix-based Nati
Read MoreIMB Summit: FHFA’s Anne Marie Pippin on next areas of focus in tech

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is planning to examine innovations in the multifamily housing space following its TechSprint event in late July, which focused on innovative use cases in housing for generative artificial intelligence (gen AI). “There’s a lot of innovation taking place in th
Read MoreREcore offers up MLS Buyer Registry compliance tool

REcore, a software-as-a-service and data licensing solutions provider for multiple listing services (MLSs), has announced the launch of its new MLS Buyer Registry tool.According to the announcement, the product is designed to address potential issues regarding buyer and agent compliance with the new
Read MoreFHA reiterates loss-mitigation options as Helene devastation continues

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) on Tuesday issued an informational notice to mortgage lenders in which it reiterates various loss-mitigation options afforded to companies and borrowers who are engaged in FHA lending programs in presidentially declared major disaster areas (PDMDAs).The guida
Read MoreSeptember jobs report could be the next ‘bat signal’ for stagnant mortgage rates

The U.S. jobs report for September is set to be released Friday, and it could prove to be a pivotal moment for the Federal Reserve as it determines how to shape monetary policy moving forward. The past three months have included underwhelming data in the labor market. In August, nonfarm payrolls exp
Read MoreStartup Rayse is ‘pushing back’ on the NAR settlement by launching an agent communication platform

The role and value of real estate agents has come under scrutiny since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) settled a bevy of antitrust lawsuits related to offers of agent compensation on Realtor-owned multiple listing services (MLSs).While it’s unclear exactly how home buyers and sellers are
Read MoreloanDepot closes $300M warehouse securitization

California-based loanDepot on Monday announced it has closed a $300 million offering of notes backed by a revolving warehouse line of credit and secured by mortgages.loanDepot said this is the 10th time it has closed a transaction of this kind. It follows other strategies to strengthen its financial
Read MoreFirst-time buyers hampered as starter homes become much less affordable

Starter homes are more affordable to the average American than they were a year ago, but they have become significantly less affordable over the past decade. That’s the conclusion Redfin reached in a data report released Monday.The national real estate brokerage analyzed household income levels and
Read MoreCompass continues push into Dallas with addition of luxury agent

Compass has announced yet another addition to its team in Texas. Adrian Jacobs, a luxury agent who has sold more than $29 million in volume over the past year, has rejoined Compass’s Dallas office from Douglas Elliman. Coming with him is Genna Skolnik, the leader of The Venture Group. She rejoined C
Read MoreThe Agency forms a joint venture and enters the mortgage world

Mauricio’s Umansky’s The Agency is getting into the mortgage business. The brokerage has entered into a joint venture with Barrett Financial Group to offer what the companies believe will be a wide range of mortgage products and streamlined underwriting to The Agency’s luxury clients.Dubbed Aclara L
Read MoreHome sales climb with lower mortgage rates

The rate of home sales is picking up! The number of homes under contract across the country has risen for the last few weeks. Purchase mortgage applications are up for five weeks in a row. It seems like mortgage rates are getting closer to 6% are shaking loose a few transactions. These are small mov
Read MoreMost Americans say weather events are increasing the risk to their homes

Slightly more than half of Americans say that weather events are becoming an increasing risk factor for their homes, while nearly one in five report difficulties in accessing homeowners insurance. This is according to results of a survey conducted by NeighborWorks America, a congressionally chartere
Read MoreCan my agent get a better deal than others? The data says probably not

The landmark antitrust lawsuit settlement agreed to by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) in March has put the practices of real estate agents in the spotlight for both regulators and clients alike.Now, with agent commissions starting to decline, agents naturally want to convey the value of
Read More
Categories
Recent Posts











