Scott Turner tours Nevada federal land to talk potential sale, housing development

The secretaries of the U.S. departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Interior (DOI) journeyed to southern Nevada in an effort to highlight the Trump administration’s plan to sell federal lands to private developers for the purposes of housing development.Joined by Nevada Gov. Joe L

Joe Gormley addresses those pesky Ginnie Mae rumors

What you might have heard about Ginnie Mae is simply rumor, according to Joe Gormley, the government-owned company’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. Gormley says that Ginnie Mae has adequate staffing to fulfill its mission, has no plans to shrink the size of issuers and further

Inventory back to 2019 levels and what that means for 2025

To start things off, I have an announcement to make, today will be my last weekly article for Altos Research. I founded Altos nearly 20 years ago to bring a new level of analytics and data to the housing market. Two and a half years ago, Altos was acquired by HousingWire, and it’s been tremendously

HomeVestors franchisee accused of running Ponzi scheme

A prominent Dallas-based home-flipping franchisee of HomeVestors of America — known for its “We Buy Ugly Houses” ads — is being accused of operating a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors out of tens of millions of dollars.According to lawsuits and ProPublica interviews with alleged victims, Charle

Why servant leadership is fueling real estate’s fastest-growing brokerages

Servant leadership is more than a lazy LinkedIn buzzword cooked up by corporate PR teams. It’s a crucial reason why new school brokerages like The Agency and Real outsold Keller Williams last year. If you want to scale your team or brokerage in 2025, lead by example, or get left behind.Not convinced

Better mortgage spreads boost housing demand in 2025

One of the lesser known storylines in housing economics is that the improvement in mortgage spreads since 2023 has contributed to a noticeable trend in purchase application data for 2025, which is now showing 15 consecutive weeks of positive year-over-year growth. Mortgage spreads recently turned ne

Will cutting mortgage rates fix the housing market?

Mortgage professionals are navigating one of the most challenging origination markets in recent history. Still, cutting mortgage rates would not be the end-all solution to pacify markets that many claim it to be. While lower rates might temporarily ease borrower costs or support home purchases, they

HUD approves Asheville’s hurricane recovery plan after initial objection over DEI

After an initial rejection and amendment of its required Hurricane Helene recovery plan as it seeks more than $200 million in federal funds, the City of Asheville, North Carolina’s revised plan has received approval from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).In March, HUD reject

Reverse mortgage LOs share appraisal challenges at NRMLA event

Reverse mortgage originators often remain a key point of contact for their clients from initial consultation to long after the loan closes. But getting to the closing table can come with its own set of unique challenges, whether it comes from rules that govern the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HE

Social Security sees ‘dramatic’ spike of 276,000 applications

Social Security benefits are often a key for older Americans as they seek to determine how much money they will be able to live on in retirement. But the program has been a source of stress in the federal government for years, exacerbated by the unwillingness of lawmakers to make any major changes t

Lone Wolf’s LionDesk CRM platform to be discontinued

Lone Wolf Technologies is reportedly discontinuing LionDesk, the customer relationship management (CRM) platform it acquired in 2021.LionDesk will remain operational through September, giving users time to migrate their data and transition to Lone Wolf’s new CRM known as Relationships.Customers will

CFPB seeks rescission of pandemic-era mortgage servicing rule

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), under the leadership of acting director Russell Vought, is continuing to assess regulations it deems outdated or unnecessary.To that end, the bureau published a notice in the Federal Register this week that seeks to rescind a 2021 rule which “temporar

7 best real estate schools in New Jersey (NJ) for 2025

Many of the best real estate schools in New Jersey real estate schools are designed around the understanding that many aspiring NJ real estate agents live near New York or Pennsylvania, and therefore want the option to conduct business in these states. If that sounds like you, you’ve come to the rig

Anywhere taps Vectara to overhaul title workflows

Anywhere Integrated Services (AIS), a division of Anywhere Real Estate, has selected artificial intelligence company Vectara to streamline its title creation process and centralize document retrieval systems.AIS — which supports brands including Century 21, ERA Real Estate and Sotheby’s Internationa

Buyer rep agreements don’t change commission rates: Fed study

Buyer representation agreements have no impact on real estate agent commissions, according to a report published this week by researchers at the Federal Reserve.The report examined commission rates advertised to buyers’ agents through data from CoreLogic (which recently rebranded as Cotality). This

Longbridge wins partial preliminary injunction against Mutual of Omaha

The federal judge overseeing the case brought by reverse mortgage lender Longbridge Financial against market leader Mutual of Omaha Mortgage over allegedly deceptive advertising practices has ruled that some of Longbridge’s claims warrant limited injunctive relief, finding that “the law and facts cl

What do you call an iBuyer that isn’t iBuying houses?

Opendoor looked like it had the potential to disrupt the entire residential real estate industry when it launched in 2014, but today it and competitor Offerpad are almost afterthoughts.The so-called iBuyers have yet to find a way to consistently turn a profit, and their presence in the industry has

The 5 best real estate schools in Washington, D.C. for 2025

If you’re thinking about becoming a real estate agent in Washington, D.C., you’re not alone. From historic brownstones to modern high-rises, D.C.’s housing market has something for everyone. But first, you have to get a real estate license. But, with so many schools offering real estate courses, how

UWM rolls out AI tools to analyze rivals’ offers, virtually assist borrowers

United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) is rolling out new artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tools designed to help brokers analyze competitors’ loan estimates and assist borrowers online. The tools aim to improve retention as refinancing activity is expected to rise.The company announced the launches du

eXp Realty launches UPGRADE community with new hire

Vija Williams — a longtime real estate executive and current head of industry at technology platform PLACE — is joining eXp Realty, where she will launch a new agent-focused initiative called UPGRADE.Williams, who also co-owns the Seattle-based Vija Real Estate team, described the move not simply as