Are we seeing the start of a market shift in mortgage demand? Notably, mortgage rates have been gradually declining, and we’ve observed back-to-back positive weeks in purchase application data for the first time since mid-March. While I typically prefer to see a sustained growth of 12-14 weeks befor

Real estate mailers aren’t dead — far from it. With so many agents focused on digital marketing, mailers can help you stand out from the crowd to attract new leads, increase brand awareness, generate more referrals, and ultimately close more deals.To get you started on the path to dominating your fa

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) on Friday announced that it has given conditional approval for Freddie Mac to begin purchasing closed-end second mortgages through a pilot program.The pilot program includes several limitations to the types of loans the government-sponsored enterprise will b

Both existing housing inventory and home prices have been rising together year over year, which might seem odd at first glance since existing home sales are trending near all-time lows. However, I can clear up any confusion on this topic. Let’s keep it simple: total active listings are still below 2

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Friday announced a new round of disaster relief in the state of Hawaii that is targeted for the island of Kauai following severe storms, flooding and landslides that took place there in April.On June 17, President Joe Biden issued an exec

The Montana Board of Housing is aiming to remind the state’s seniors about a government-administered program that is specifically designed to help older adults access their home’s equity — and it should be very familiar to members of the reverse mortgage industry.Recently, officials with the state’s

In survey after survey in which Americans are asked about their preferred living situations in retirement, recent data is clear — they want to age in place in their current homes and remain in the familiar environs of their house and community. But a closer look at aging in place by NextAvenue asser

Since making headlines for the first time roughly 18 months ago, right-to-list agreements — also known as Non-Title Recorded Agreements for Personal Service (NTRAPS) — have been banned in 30 states, according to an announcement from the American Land Title Association (ALTA).The title industry trade

While major cities are often the bellwethers when it comes to home-price trends, a SmartAsset analysis of Zillow data released Thursday shows that some secondary and tertiary U.S. metro areas are leading the way for home-price appreciation.SmartAsset, a personal finance and fintech website, ranked t

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Friday that it has joined more than 20 other federal agencies to update its climate adaptation plan in furtherance of the White House’s national climate resilience framework. As the nation’s resources are further strained by the

Low levels of for-sale inventory, high mortgage rates, and record-high home prices continue to hamper existing-home sales.According to the May 2024 existing-home sales report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales volume fell 2.8% year over year to an annualized rate of 4.11 million.

On a recent HousingWire Daily podcast, I explored the question of whether construction labor was finally showing a recession risk. Today’s housing starts data has further solidified this trend, which we’ve been tracking for several months: construction labor is at risk, serving as a potent leading i

On Thursday, two U.S. regulators — the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) — announced their approval of a final rule imposing quality control standards for automated valuation models (AVMs) used by mortgage originators and secondary market

Finance of America (FOA), the leading U.S. reverse mortgage lender, has received shareholder approval upon recommendation of its board to perform a reverse stock split at a 10-to-1 ratio in a move designed to boost the company’s stock price. This is according to a company filing with the Securities

The plaintiffs in the Moratis commission lawsuit (formerly known as the Spring Way suit) took issue with the nationwide commission lawsuit settlement agreement reached by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).On Wednesday, West Penn MLS, a defendant in the Moratis suit, filed a motion to stay t

Editor in Chief Sarah Wheeler sat down with UWM CTO Jason Bressler on the HousingWire Daily podcast to talk about technology and how UWM is leveraging AI specifically. This interview has been edited for length and clarity, but you can listen to the entire episode here. Sarah Wheeler: How is UWM leve

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is seeking to provide more support to military veterans who want to age in place in their current homes. This includes exploration of the smart-home technology sector, according to reporting at the Federal News Network.Smart home tech, including wearable

Real estate technology provider Inside Real Estate is rebranding its kvCORE platform to BoldTrail, according to an announcement on Thursday.Like kvCORE, BoldTrail is a branded portfolio that unites a collection of capabilities into one system, bringing Inside Real Estate products together in one pla

The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) is calling on both houses of Congress to adopt a mortgage interest credit as the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is currently set to expire in 2025. This is according to a letter the organization submitted to leaders in both the U.S. House of Representa

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) cannot escape allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination.In a lawsuit filed on Monday in a U.S. District Court in Illinois, former NAR employee Roshani Sheth claims that she was wrongly terminated from her role at the trade organization, and that e