By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Leaders in lending are talking about the possible ramifications of the legal actions being taken against the National Association of Realtors, including the president and CEO of United Wholesale Mortgage.
In October, a Missouri jury ordered the association and some of the nation’s biggest real estate brokerages to pay almost $1.8 billion in damages after they found that commissions were artificially inflated to pay agents. Fresh off winning the verdict, attorneys for the plaintiffs filed a new lawsuit that seeks class-action status covering anyone in the country who sold a home in the last five years.
NAR’s President Tracy Kasper said in a statement that they will appeal the liability finding, and in the interim, will ask…
First-time buyers are clinging to the dream of homeownership despite ongoing market challenges, creating opportunities for relatively affordable markets to explode in 2024.
That’s according to Realtor.com’s 2024 Top Housing Markets forecast, which identifies ten metros primed for increased home sales and listing prices in the new year.
The top markets, listed in order from number one, are Toledo, OH; Oxnard, CA; Rochester, NY; San Diego CA; Riverside, CA; Bakersfield, CA; Springfield, MA; Worcester, MA; Grand Rapids, MI; and Los Angeles, CA.
“Now that we’re seeing the beginning of an affordability turnaround, homebuyers are still looking for markets where they can capitalize on lower prices,” said Chief Economist Danielle Hale. “Even in some of the more expensive markets, we’ll see…
By KIMBERLEY HAAS
Cloud-based technology is transforming warehouse lending by eliminating the need for internal system updates and ensuring new functions are available immediately.
This fall, leaders at SitusAMC announced that their warehouse lending system ProMerit is now accessible through a cloud-hosted, software-as-a-service platform that can install monthly release packages to deliver bug fixes and functional enhancements. This over-the-air delivery benefits clients by reducing costs and reliance on internal resources, they said.
ProMerit has been used by lenders for more than 35 years. Measured by volume, it has a 75% share of the warehouse lending market, company leaders say.
Rich Berg, SitusAMC senior director of warehouse and custodial technology, said in a statement that the updated platform was created and…
Mortgage rates slipped for a fifth consecutive week, spurring a boost in purchase activity.
Officials at Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.22%, down from the week prior’s 7.29%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.49%.
The 15-year fixed rate fell to 6.56%% from 6.67%. A year ago, it averaged 5.76%.
“Market sentiment has significantly shifted over the last month, leading to a continued decline in mortgage rates. The current trajectory of rates is an encouraging development for potential homebuyers, with purchase application activity recently rising to the same level as mid-September when rates were similar to today’s levels,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist.
Purchase applications increased by 5% last…
Pending home sales sank to their lowest level in 20 years last month, piling on more tough news for the housing market.
NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index fell by 1.5% month-over-month and 8.5% YOY to a reading of 71.4 in October. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001.
This is slightly better than a 2% decrease predicted by economists surveyed by Bloomberg, but still a blow to the market.
“During October, mortgage rates were at their highest, and contract signings for existing homes were at their lowest in more than 20 years. Recent weeks’ successive declines in mortgage rates will help qualify more home buyers, but limited housing inventory is significantly preventing housing…
Mortgage originations fell by 3% in Q3 2023, reversing a spike in Q2 and marking the ninth decline in ten quarters, according to new data from ATTOM.
Purchase and home equity lending (both -7%) induced the drop as interest rates stuck above 7% over the summer.
These declines wiped out gains in refinances, which were up 5%, the second straight quarterly increase. ATTOM attributes the refi boost to homeowners taking advantage of cash from their sky-high equity. Though some homeowners lost equity in Q3, it remained strong overall as home prices soared earlier this year, leaving Americans with plenty to borrow against.
The downturn pushed residential lending activity down 26% YOY and 63% from a high point in 2021 during…
Mortgage applications rose for yet another week, though the increase was mild compared to previous weeks’ jumps.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey shows the adjusted Market Composite Index – a measure of mortgage loan application volume – increased by a modest 0.3%.
Adjusted purchase applications rose by 5%, while the unadjusted index slipped 31% from the week before and was 19% lower YOY. An adjustment for Thanksgiving is included in the data.
Mortgage rates slipped to 7.37%, the fourth decline in five weeks and the lowest level in 10 weeks.
“There was a slight increase in applications overall, driven by a five percent increase in purchase applications, but refinance applications decreased over the week,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Vice…
As 2023 nears its end, with mortgage rates slowing to the mid-7%s but home prices at record highs, the question on housing analysts’ minds is: Will 2024 be any better?
For the most part, experts see a mixed bag coming next year, predicting the beginning of a turnaround that won’t fully flower until 2025.
Realtor.com’s 2024 Housing Forcast suggests mortgage rates will moderate and ultimately average 6.8%, hitting 6.5% at year-end, while home prices ease slightly by 1.7%. But the company also predicts worsening inventory shortages as homebuyers cling to their current homes to keep their sub-5% rates.
Still, Danielle Hale, chief economist for Realtor.com, emphasizes the bright sides of softening unaffordability.
“Our 2024 housing forecast reveals the green shoots…
Home prices hit another record high in September as stock shortages spurred competition for well-priced homes.
Year-over-year, prices rose 3.8%, up from 2.5% in August, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price NSA Index.
Prices were up 0.3% month-over-month before seasonal adjustment and 0.7% after. This is the eight straight month of increases.
Prices were up month-over-month in 15 of 20 cities, and both the 10- and 20-city composites analyzed saw prices exceed both their year-ago and January levels.
The National Composite surpassed its previous record high with this data, and ten individual cities hit record-breaking prices.
“On a year-to-date basis, the National Composite has risen 6.1%, which is well above the median full calendar year increase in…
New home sales sank in October as mortgage rates priced potential buyers out of the market, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Sales fell by 5.6% from September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 679,000, below the rate of 730,000 units predicted by economists.
New home sales are up 17.7% year-over-year, however, as lack of existing inventory pushes buyers to new construction. There were 439,000 new homes for sale at the end of October, representing a 7.8-month supply at the current sales rate.
The median sales price of new houses sold in October 2023 was $409,300, while the average sales price was $487,000, both down by more…
