California-based multichannel mortgage lender HighTechLending appointed reverse mortgage industry veteran Brian Boccia to serve as a senior account executive in its third-party origination (TPO) channel. He joins the company after prior experience at companies like Mutual of Omaha Mortgage and Rever

Fueled by a surge in mortgage rates, owning a home has become increasingly expensive. According to a Freddie Mac housing and mortgage market report released Monday, while mortgage payments remain the primary pressure point for homeowners, insurance costs are emerging as a growing burden.Homeowners i

Today’s new home sales report shows the importance of lower rates. Last year, when mortgage rates were approaching 8%, people wondered if homebuilders could still buy down rates to boost sales. The answer is no: new home sales were hit as mortgage rates headed higher last year, which impacted the bu

On the heels of the $418 million settlement recently announced by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), mortgage trade group Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) has called on the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) to expedite regulatory change that would allow veterans and active-dut

It may be counterintuitive, but loan officer Scott Betley, a 32-year-old TikTok sensation, says he isn’t worried about a potential U.S. ban of the short-form video app.Betley, who has more than a decade of experience helping first-time and move-up buyers, joined NFM Lending as a loan officer in 2021

Last week was a pretty strong week for all the housing numbers. New supply and sales numbers keep climbing — both weekly and over last year. Home prices had a slight increase this week across the board. What does this means for home prices this spring? As the data comes in each week this year, I’ve

The Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW) announced the winners of the 2023 Best in Business Awards, honoring excellence in business journalism from 2023.HousingWire journalist Will Robinson won the Data Journalism category for his data reporting series on the seismic changes in

During a virtual open house hosted by Keller Williams to answer agent and broker questions about the settlements in the commission lawsuits, the overwhelming message was for real estate professionals to focus on what they can control.“Don’t panic. Remain calm, trust that you are in the right place a

Illinois-based State Farm General Insurance will not renew 72,000 residential property insurance policies in California, the company announced last week. The company is withdrawing completely from offering commercial apartment policies — which impact multifamily property owners, not renters insuranc

Mortgage rates had a chance to break to new highs this year, but the Federal Reserve took a moderate tone at the last Fed meeting. We saw the benefit of lower mortgage rates with the last two existing home sales reports, which showed growth. Then mortgage rates rose, facilitating five weeks of negat

Vetted by HousingWire  |  Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.Networking can be intimidating for some real estate agents. It is an extremely broad term that encompasses many types of activities — from attending speed ne

Vetted by HousingWire  |  Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.While buying a house is typically an exciting process for our clients, it can also be overwhelming. Part of our value as professional real estate agents is h

Property preservation company MCS is entering the reverse mortgage space after its acquisition of Five Brothers Asset Management Solutions, a deal which brings MCS into the reverse mortgage industry for the first time. After performing its due diligence to determine the market status and business op

Home equity levels among homeowners aged 62 and older are at record levels following the end of the pandemic. As a result, reverse mortgages may no longer be considered a “loan of last resort” as financial planners aim to highlight their uses as part of a comprehensive financial plan in retirement.T

Mortgage delinquencies improved again in February as prepayment activity increased moderately.The national delinquency rate eased to 3.34% in February, down from 3.38% in January, according to an Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) mortgage performance report released Thursday. February’s rate was also

There is no doubt that the cooperative compensation structure changes outlined in the National Association of Realtors’ commission lawsuits settlement agreement will generate massive changes in the real estate industry, but those are not the only changes mandated by the terms of the agreement.Based

Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it would be bringing back its Innovative Housing Showcase event to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on June 7-9. The event is designed to highlight housing solutions and “advancements in housing design

Vetted by HousingWire  |  Our editors independently review the products we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission.Looking for more listing leads? With low housing inventory nationwide, agents are using innovative ways to find real estate seller leads and convert them int

The landscape for home flipping across the country was challenging in 2023 as fewer single-family homes and condominiums were flipped and investment returns on these projects declined.A total of 308,922 single-family homes and condos were flipped in 2023, down 29.3% from the 436,807 flips in 2022. T

Unlike many other metropolitan areas across the country, the housing market in Southwest Florida is comparably flush with for-sale inventory.“I think one of the major trends we are seeing is that our overall inventory is up 60% year over year compared to 2023,” said PJ Smith, president of the Naples