Has the spring home-buying season already begun? Our weekly pending contract data has shown year-over-year growth for some time now, even with elevated mortgage rates. I believe that spring demand actually started in November this year — a trend that has been evident in the rising sales data we’ve o

Results Realty ERA Powered, located in St. Charles, Illinois, has acquired Chicago’s Mark Allen Realty, giving the combined firm three offices and 80 agents. Mark Allen, led by broker Matt Liss, will now operate as Mark Allen Realty ERA Powered.“Joining forces with Matt and his associates allows us

The sexual assault lawsuits against Oren Alexander keep piling up. A woman filed a civil suit in Colorado this week, alleging that the New York real estate broker and his twin brother Alon drugged and raped her in 2017 when she was 17 years old. It’s the fifth known civil suit against one or more of

HousingWire real estate reporter Jeff Andrews sat down with John DiMichele, the new chair of the Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS), to discuss the state of MLSs and their future in a rapidly changing real estate environment.This interview has been edited for length and clarity.Andrews: Whe

The California Department of Insurance unveiled a new regulation this week that aims to increase homeowners insurance coverage in areas prone to wildfires, a response to the recent pullback in policies by several major insurers. Announced by California insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara on Monday,

Reverse mortgage professionals made more inroads into the forward mortgage industry in 2024. This happened through dedicated conversations, partnerships between reverse and forward mortgage companies, and expanded activities in reverse that stemmed from acquisitions and expansions of existing divisi

Speculation about the future of GSE conservatorship under the new Trump administration took another turn on Thursday when the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced an agreement to amend the Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements (PSPAs) with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I

In response to drastic economic changes and environmental concerns, industries are quickly realizing the benefits of investing in sustainable practices that can positively impact their business operations. Modular construction provides housing developers with the opportunity to engage in sustainable

Today, the jobless claims data again showed why mortgage rates continue to be elevated, confirming that the labor market isn’t breaking. The labor market is getting softer but hasn’t broken yet, as it has before every recession post World War II.Mortgage rates have remained mostly in a range over th

Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements saw a healthy increase in October 2024. They jumped by 11.3% to 2,392 loans for the month, according to data compiled by Reverse Market Insight (RMI).But after additional data about the month of October was released, one metric of reverse mortgage

Scott Turner, the nominee-designate to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the incoming Trump administration, has previously expressed dim and skeptical views about federal programs designed to assist people experiencing poverty and homelessness.These views could illus

Rising mortgage rates suppressed applications in the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) final mortgage applications survey index of 2024, released on Thursday. Unsurprisingly, application volume dropped significantly even with a seasonal adjustment to account for the holidays.Mortgage demand decline

In this week’s episode of the RealTrending podcast, host Tracey Velt sits down with Tiffani Marroquin, head of growth and innovation for JPAR Real Estate. They discuss the utility of artificial intelligence (AI) for the real estate industry, as well as JPAR’s solutions designed to enhance agent and

Rising housing inventory levels in 2024 may not be the positive sign of market health that they appear to be. High inventory levels contribute to another problem as active listings are remaining unsold for longer periods. Although higher home prices, rising mortgage rates and other expenses are obvi

2024 was a disappointing year for those looking forward to a Fed rate-cut cycle and what that could do to mortgage rates. A strong economy (and a skittish Fed) pushed rate cuts all the way to September — and then mortgage rates went higher!However, the bond market got ahead of the Federal Reserve an

All the housing market data for 2024 is in, and it’s fair to say that the housing market surprised us again! However, there are two big trends that stand out as we launch into 2025 — affordability and sellers in the market.The elephant in the room is affordability. Home prices finished 2024 up a few

Despite rising mortgage rates through much of 2024, recent indications show growing boldness among homebuyers heading into the new year. A report released Monday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) showed an increase in pending home sales for the fourth consecutive month. NAR’s Pending Hom

Refinance volume is only a fraction of what it was three years ago when mortgage rates plummeted to historic lows, but borrowers have returned in greater numbers this year.Recent data from CoreLogic shows that $347 billion in refinances were originated during the first 10 months of 2024. That’s up 2

While 2024 was rife with challenges for the mortgage industry broadly — across forward and reverse — a new year brings a new mindset. Some challenges remain, with mortgage rates being chief among them. Education and distribution can also likely be improved. But there are also new opportunities for t

In the 16 years since the peak of the Global Financial Crisis, the structured products industry has transformed from a market dominated by large banks to one with space for new players. New relationships are forming between insurers seeking long-term debt investments and managers specializing in ori