Walmarts To Close, Can This Help With Housing?

By PATRICK LAVERY As the retail giant Walmart makes news with their plans to close underperforming locations, urban designers see an opportunity to discuss repurposing retail properties. A recent Nexstar Media wire report confirmed that despite a strong holiday shopping season to end 2022, Walmart was preparing to close seven stores in three states – including three in Illinois, all in the Chicagoland vicinity. The big box giant referred to these locations, also in Arkansas, Florida, New Mexico, and Wisconsin, as “underperforming.” One of them, in Lincolnwood, Ill., was a pickup and delivery-only store that opened in 2019. While that kind of model made sense during the retail restrictions of the Covid pandemic, it seems to be one that Walmart…

Listen To The Mortgage Note Podcast

The Mortgage Note’s Editor Kimberley Haas has been interviewing some of the leaders in the country over the past year. This podcast highlights the successes and innovations taking place in the mortgage industry. If you would like to participate in future episodes, please email us at [email protected].   Read Articles Featuring The Guests: Meet The Woman Behind “Wall Street South” You Can Get A Mortgage At Walmart Learn About Financing Manufactured Homes With Rocket’s EVP Of Capital Markets Guild Leaders Hope To Help Hispanic Homebuyers Through New Partnership The Future Landscape Of Cities: Live-Work-Play, Science Centers, Medical Offices Follow Us On Twitter: The Biden-Harris administration announced new actions to protect renters this week and leaders at the U.S. Department of…

Hitting The Market During The Holidays? What Sellers And Buyers Need To Know

By KIMBERLEY HAAS The housing market traditionally cools during the holiday season as people focus on family and friends but industry leaders say it is a good time for potential sellers and buyers to weigh their options. After mortgage rates recently surged above 7%, real estate activity and consumer sentiment took a nosedive. Home delistings hit a record high in November as sellers and buyers pulled out of the market, according to journalists Lily Katz and Ben Walzer at Redfin. Markets where home prices skyrocketed during the pandemic are now cooling the fastest. In Sacramento, Calif., an average of 3.6% of active listings were delisted per week during the 12 weeks ending on November 27, up 1.6 percentage points from one year earlier.…

Leaders: There Are Still Potential Buyers Despite The Odds

By CHUCK GREEN Despite a plethora of obstacles, there are prospective buyers chomping at the bit to purchase a home, according to experts. On Wednesday, Zillow Home Loans Senior Economist Matthew Speakman released a statement on mortgage rates dropping after a report on inflation showed that price pressures may finally be easing. “The arrival of weaker-than-expected October Consumer Price Index data was just the sign investors had been waiting for, and markets viewed it as a signal that the Federal Reserve may finally take its foot off the brakes as it determines the path forward for monetary policy,” Speakman said. “Bond yields tumbled as a result and mortgage rates – which had spent the last few weeks oscillating at or…

You Can Get A Mortgage At Walmart

By KIMBERLEY HAAS Leaders at Lenders One Cooperative are planning to open branch locations at select Walmart stores in seven states. The company, established in 2000, is a national alliance of independent mortgage bankers, banks, and credit unions managed by a subsidiary of Altisource Portfolio Solutions. President Justin Demola said in a recent interview with The Mortgage Note that opening branches inside Walmart stores makes sense for their members and customers who will have access to lending services in the same place they shop. “Walmart is an interesting opportunity for us and our members,” Demola said. “The timing has lined up nicely. This project started almost two years ago when the mortgage market was buzzing. Interest rates were super low…