First Mortgage Origination Balances Way Up In 2015
First mortgages totaled $1.82 trillion in 2015, which represents a 43 percent increase over 2014 originations, according to the latest Equifax National Consumer Credit Trends Report, released...
View ArticleSolutions That Convert Internet Leads Into Sales
Internet leads can be very profitable as long as you take the right approach and have realistic expectations. The art of converting internet leads is dramatically different than the traditional...
View ArticleExisting Sales Conquer Supply Troubles
Homebuyers overcame one of the housing market’s biggest obstacles—an imbalance in supply and demand— in March with a rebound in home sales. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Wednesday...
View ArticleLife Hacks For Agents Using Everyday Apps
I had a dream of finding one perfectly integrated cross-platform app that would take care of my needs. But let’s face it, nothing’s perfect. So I found two — from the long list of apps for real estate...
View ArticleMilitary Homebuyers Purchase Younger, Buy Larger and More Expensive Homes,...
Military homebuyers are a growing group of informed purchasers… Differences in household demographics and affordable financing options spur homebuying demand for young active-service military members,...
View ArticleEducation’s Influential Role in Home Purchase Decisions
The progression of homeownership across the U.S. is declining and educational attainment is a leading factor in the direction of these numbers. First American Financial Corporation’s Homeownership...
View ArticleMillennial Homeownership in Perspective
This complex generation stirs up a lot of talk in the mortgage industry, mostly because they have come to be known as the financially unstable and indecisive, renter generation in the housing market....
View ArticleNew Home Sales Skyrocket to an 8-Year High
New single-family home sales did something remarkable this month. Sales in this sector rose significantly month-over-month and year-over-year to reach the highest level since 2008 despite falling...
View ArticleWhy a Fed Interest Rate Hike Next Month is Looking Increasingly Likely
With the economy’s prospects brightening after a bleak winter, Federal Reserve policymakers are increasingly signaling they are ready to nudge up a key interest rate. Fed Chair Janet Yellen added to...
View ArticleNew Buy vs. Rent Index Shows U.S. Housing Market Moving Deeper into Buy...
The latest national index produced by Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University faculty indicates the United States housing market as a whole is moving deeper into buy...
View ArticleUnderstanding First-Time Homebuyers: What to Know, and How to Serve
The summer buying season is in full swing… …and first-time homebuyers make up a sizeable portion of your firm’s potential clientele—32 percent, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)....
View ArticleWhat The Property Inspection Contingency Means For Home Sales
The days connecting the accepted offer to taking physical possession involve two primary tasks for buyers. One is remaining convinced that they want to move forward; the other is proving they can...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead: Competition Heating Up for Housing
As the year comes to a close, industry experts are reflecting on the forces that have impacted the 2016 housing market… …including a lack of inventory, rising mortgage rates, a surge in home prices,...
View ArticleWhy Trust Is The Basis For Every Real Estate Transaction
A daunting document for agents and consumers alike, The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors’ agreement of sale has only grown in length over the years. I wish I had more confidence that consumers...
View ArticleMillennials Patient, Thrifty when It Comes to Homeownership
Though millennials perceive homeownership as a vital component to the American Dream… …they are also accepting of the realities of owning a first home, according to a new survey by Better Homes &...
View ArticleKeeping Your Homeseller Clients Safe From Attack
The doorbell rang. The female homeowner of the townhouse condo opened the door… …leaving her screen door closed and locked. There stood a couple; the man said he was there to look at the condo, which...
View ArticleExisting-Home Sales Have Banner 2016, Hitting Decade High
Existing-home sales had a banner 2016… …amounting to 5.45 million—an increase from 5.25 million in 2015 and a decade-high from 6.48 million in 2006, according to the National Association of REALTORS®...
View ArticleDecember’s Numbers Are In: How’s The Real Estate Market Looking?
December’s data from six of the nation’s leading monthly market reports paint a picture of extraordinary demand that has made inadequate supplies of homes for sale even more dangerous by driving up...
View ArticleNumber of Seriously Underwater Properties Down 1 Million From Year Ago
ATTOM Data Solutions, curator of the nation’s largest fused property database, today released its Year-End 2016 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report… …which shows that as of the end of 2016 there...
View ArticleListing Bits: Michael Wurzer On Why The MLS Isn’t Going Anywhere
“Every year Inman talks about how the MLS is doomed,” says Michael Wurzer on this episode of Listing Bits, a podcast run by Vendor Alley’s Greg Robertson. “I think a company like ours that’s been...
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