Author name: Ricky Vasquez

How two LOs helped champion proprietary reverse mortgage legislation in Tennessee

Proprietary reverse mortgages have gained a lot of traction over the past year and now account for more industry volume than federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs). With the help of loan officers Nathan Guerrero and Jackson Matheson, Tennessee will soon join the list of states to allow private-label reverse mortgages. Guerrero, a reverse […]

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PulteGroup targets margin stability through an upward mix shift

Confronting heavier incentives, price cuts, tepid demand and margin pressure, PulteGroup opened the year with a mix-shift pivot that leans more heavily on build-to-order and active adult sales. Pulte’s Q1 2026 earnings call, held on Thursday, indicates that the nation’s third-largest homebuilder by sales volume made progress on this goal, despite an added layer of

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Meritage Q1 2026 shows why incentives are the new battlefield

The mid-spring earnings cycle has produced a common-language reality check for America’s public homebuilders: the operating backdrop worsened faster than many management teams expected. In such a context of nearly-universal challenge, doing less-worse may count as a win. Meritage Homes’ Q1 2026 numbers serve as a case in point Orders fell 5% year over year,

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NYC launches new unit to combat deed theft 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has created the Office of Deed Theft Prevention, a new unit housed in the Department of Finance to coordinate citywide efforts to combat fraudulent property transfers, according to an announcement on Friday. “The theft of a home is the theft of a family’s future,” Mamdani said in a statement.

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First-time homebuyers’ shrinking presence — what it means for real estate agents

The share of first-time homebuyers has fallen to 21% of all transactions — the lowest level since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) began tracking the data in 1981. For real estate agents, the shift is not a temporary blip. It’s a structural change reshaping how agents build their businesses, talk about value and prepare

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SoFi rolls out end-to-end digital HELOC experience, advisory council

SoFi Technologies this week unveiled a new fully digital home equity line of credit (HELOC) experience, expanding its push into mortgages as more homeowners choose to tap equity rather than move. The company said the new HELOC offering will allow members to access home equity through an end-to-end digital process within the SoFi platform, with

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The outlook for mortgage rates as DOJ clears Fed path for Warsh

Jerome Powell’s tenure as Federal Reserve chair is coming to an end as the Department of Justice (DOJ) has ended its investigation of alleged cost overruns on the Fed headquarters’ renovations. This paves the way for Kevin Warsh to head the Fed — maybe as soon as May. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, as

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Coldwell Banker: ‘Life doesn’t stop’ as comeback buyers return

More than three years after mortgage rates began their climb from historic lows, a subtle but significant housing market shift is underway. Homeowners are finally letting go of sub-5% rates, “comeback buyers” are re-entering the search and regional markets are moving in opposite directions — all shaping what Coldwell Banker Real Estate calls a spring

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Justice Department to drop Powell investigation

Key insight: The Department of Justice will close its investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell related to his comments regarding building renovations to the Fed’s Washington headquarters, a probe even many Republicans found baseless.  Forward look: The conclusion of the probe clears the way for Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., to vote to confirm Kevin

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