An often misguided premise I see on social media is that lower mortgage rates are doing nothing for housing demand. That’s ok — very few people are looking at the data without an agenda. However, the point of this tracker is to show you evidence that lower rates have already changed housing data. So, let’s […]
Rocket Pro TPO, the wholesale arm of Rocket Mortgage, upped its agency conforming loan limits to $802,650 in 48 states, ahead of an announcement by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) that is expected in November. For Alaska and Hawaii, the ceiling on loans originated by Rocket Pro TPO and purchased by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rose to $1,204,000. Rocket Pro […]
In this executive conversation, Laura O’Connor, COO at JPAR, and Affiliated Network President, shares her insights on the role of the modern real estate professional. With over two decades of experience in business operations and strategic management, Laura has been a driving force in JPAR’s growth and innovation. She believes the onus is on agents […]
With all the recent media attention, by now most everyone is aware of major changes afoot in real estate this month. Commentary has run the gamut from the demise of the industry to real estate services in the future will now be essentially pro bono. Pardon if my words convey a dash of sarcasm yet, after over […]
The typical down payment for U.S. homebuyers soared to a record high of $67,500 in June, up nearly 15% from $58,788 a year earlier, according to a new report from Redfin. The increase in down payments came despite a slowdown in home price growth (4%). Redfin economists attributed it to the quirks of the current market, where higher-priced, turnkey homes […]
There is a new real estate firm in town, but one of its founders is probably familiar to many in the real estate industry. Meet Landian, a real estate startup founded by Bryan Galen, Neal Batra and Josh Sitzer — yes, the same Sitzer who filed the now infamous Sitzer/Burnett commission lawsuit. In an interview with TechCrunch, which first […]
Have we seen the peak in housing inventory for 2024? The best part about 2024 has been that higher mortgage rates have created an inventory buffer, so if the economy gets softer and rates fall, we have many more homes to work with than we had in 2020-2023. I have consistently written that with mortgage rates above 7%, inventory […]
Unsold inventory of homes on the market has been climbing in the U.S. for two years, right along with rising mortgage rates. In general, inventory rises with rates because more expensive money slows demand. When demand slows, inventory grows. According to Altos Research, there are 40% more homes on the market at the end of […]
The NAR settlement agreement, announced earlier this year, has been an extremely hot topic for agents and prospective homebuyers in the real estate world. This new settlement agreement was enacted on August 17th, 2024, and has been designed to increase transparency in real estate transactions and change how compensation is communicated and negotiated between parties. We have […]
New American Funding (NAF) has snagged top Chicago loan officer Larry Steinway as it looks to grow its presence in the Chicagoland area. Steinway, who closed more than $1.5 billion of loan volume in his nearly 30-year career, started at NAF on April 1 as its vice president producing area sales manager tasked with expanding […]
With home prices reaching unprecedented heights and interest rates soaring, the discerning nature of today’s buyers requires all agents to employ every possible advantage. Simply put, cutting corners on staging is a risky move that risks prolonged market presence.
The PLS.com filed a motion to dismiss NAR from its lawsuit over the trader groups pocket listing ban after settling with the MLS defendants.
