US pending sales of existing homes fell for a second month in July as potential buyers balked at still-elevated prices and borrowing costs, consistent with a sluggish housing market. An index of contract signings slipped 0.4% last month to 71.7, around where it’s lingered for much of the year, according to National Association of Realtors […]
US pending home sales fall again on affordability constraints Read More »
The U.S. Mortgage Insurers repeated its commitment for members to work with the Federal Housing Finance Agency to implement VantageScore 4.0. In an Aug. 27 blog post, the group said it welcomed FHFA Director Bill Pulte’s announcement permitting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to accept loans using the VantageScore 4.0 algorithm and its members will
Mortgage insurers commit to using VantageScore 4.0 Read More »
You may have seen talk online that new home inventory is at its highest level since the crash. And if you lived through the crash back in 2008, seeing new construction is up again may feel a little scary. But here’s what you need to remember: a lot of what you see online is designed
What Everyone’s Getting Wrong About the Rise in New Home Inventory Read More »
The old playbook of financing mainly single-family, site-built homes is getting a radical makeover, and we’re pleased to note that, looking at the numbers, down payment assistance (DPA) programs are leading this charge, allowing buyers to use funds to purchase manufactured homes, multi-family properties and newly constructed homes. Lenders can use DPA to reduce a
How DPA is rewriting the lending playbook Read More »
With real estate fraud becoming more sophisticated, the title insurance industry has taken a transformative step to protect consumers and redefine what it means to protect a home in today’s environment. This month, the American Land Title Association (ALTA) will introduce two new policy endorsements that offer forward-looking coverages that directly guard against seller impersonation
Title insurance industry innovates to protect consumers from fraud Read More »
Mortgage originations increased in the second quarter led by a boost in refinances, but the numbers show signs of the challenges the housing market still presents to lenders, according to new findings from Attom. Total origination volume between April and July clocked in at 1.76 million transactions, jumping 19.4% from the first quarter’s 1.47 million,
Refinances drive originations growth in Q2 Read More »
Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) often get more attention when rates climb, but don’t fool yourself: their actual footprint in the U.S. housing market remains modest. Since a Zero Hedge tweet saying that ARM loans now make up 41% of mortgages held by U.S. banks went viral on Sunday night, the mortgage community has been abuzz with
ARMs remain a small share of mortgage loans despite viral 41% claim Read More »
On this week’s episode of the RealTrending podcast, Tracey Velt talks with David Keener, CEO of Premiere Group at The Real Brokerage. In just eight years, Premiere has grown to nearly 300 agents in 27 states and recently joined Real. Keener explains how the group’s member-owned teamerage model drives retention and shared success, as well
David Keener’s vision for Premiere Group at Real Brokerage Read More »
RealReports has partnered with Doorify MLS — extending its property data and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to roughly 14,000 brokers and agents across five Realtor associations in and around North Carolina’s Research Triangle. The agreement gives Doorify subscribers access to the RealReports platform, which combines datasets such as tax history, zoning, permits, climate risk and
RealReports, Doorify MLS announce AI-driven partnership Read More »
Homeowners who bought in 2025 with the expectation of refinancing may not see savings unless interest rates fall by at least 0.75 percentage points, according to a report released this week by Neighbors Bank. The national analysis modeled typical refinance scenarios across all 50 states using a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage of 6.8%, an average loan
This year’s homebuyers need larger rate drops for refi benefits Read More »