The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued new guidance that clarifies how appraisers are added to, maintained on and removed from the FHA Appraiser Roster. Mortgagee Letter 2025-24 — effective immediately — updates FHA policy to make appraiser eligibility easier to track and more consistent with federal and state licensing records. Changes apply […]
HUD tightens rules for FHA appraiser roster Read More »
Zillow’s 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents shows that more than one-third (36%) of home sellers now find their agents online, a sharp increase from just 15% in 2018. Among buyers, 33% said online research played a significant role in selecting an agent. At the same time, repeat buyers now account for a majority
Why most buyers hire the first agent they talk to Read More »
Manually updating spreadsheets. Dealing with paper jams in the printer. Remember what office life was like in 2005? If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can find many of the same practices still in place in the investor’s reporting offices of loan servicers today. But why haven’t these offices evolved with changing technology? It’s partly cultural, but
The spreadsheet trap: Why investor reporting still operates like it’s 2005 Read More »
“The Court accepts as true all of the well-pleaded facts in the Complaint and draws all reasonable inferences in favor of Plaintiffs.” So said U.S. District Judge Franklin Valderrama on 12.4.2025. According to Reuters: “A group of companies that lease land for mobile homes has convinced a federal judge in Chicago to dismiss a proposed
Out-of-state investment in U.S. single-family homes remains elevated in 2025, even as the housing market continues to cool from pandemic-era extremes, according to new data from SFR Analytics. Nonresident investors accounted for 5.56% of single-family home purchases nationwide this year. That share is slightly below 2024 levels and well under the 2021 peak, but it
Out-of-state investors keep sizable stake in single-family homes Read More »
When it comes to home renovation, it’s never been easier to pop a few images of your kitchen into an AI tool and ask it to paint the walls a new color or change the cabinets. These tools are fun and helpful for inspiration, but like an unused Pinterest board, often leave users without any
Why AI alone can’t maximize renovation ROI for home sellers Read More »
A Massachusetts judge has barred home equity contract provider Hometap from arguing that state regulators previously approved or implicitly sanctioned the company’s business model — strengthening the attorney general’s consumer protection lawsuit against Hometap. In a Dec. 19 decision, Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Debra Squires-Lee ruled that such fairness-based arguments cannot be used to
Judge blocks key Hometap defenses in Massachusetts HEI lawsuit Read More »
U.S. home price growth remained muted in October as high mortgage rates and affordability constraints continued to weigh on the housing market, according to data released Tuesday by S&P Dow Jones Indices. The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index rose 1.4% from a year earlier — up slightly from a 1.3% annual increase
Home price growth slows, affordability pressures persist Read More »
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate The Good Life Group has acquired Don Peterson and Associates — bringing together two established real estate firms serving eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. The transaction expands The Good Life Group’s footprint in the greater Omaha metropolitan area and results in a combined operation of 10 offices and nearly
Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate affiliate expands in Nebraska Read More »
Mortgage rate movement remains stuck in neutral as 2025 comes to an end, but the U.S. housing market has shown signs of life during a traditionally slow period. On Monday, Mortgage News Daily reported an average 30-year fixed rate of 6.19%, down 5 basis points from a week earlier. And on Tuesday, HousingWire’s Mortgage Rates
Will stable mortgage rates and home prices set the table for a strong 2026? Read More »