Plaintiffs oppose Veterans United motion to dismiss amended RESPA class-action suit

Fifteen named plaintiffs allege that Veterans United Home Loans — the nation’s largest lender of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mortgages — ran an illegal kickback and steering scheme that funneled borrowers into overpriced loans. The accusations were reiterated Thursday in court filings as the

Rechat’s Testimonials tool turns client praise into marketing content

Rechat has launched Testimonials, a new feature that enables real estate agents to collect, manage and use client reviews directly within the Rechat platform. The feature is integrated alongside contacts, transactions and marketing tools, allowing testimonials to automatically populate marketing mat

American Real Estate Association warns Missouri ballot measures could raise homeownership costs

The American Real Estate Association (ARA) is joining the Missouri Association of Realtors and a coalition of organizations opposing Amendments 4 and 5 on Missouri’s Aug. 4 statewide ballot. Amendment 5 would authorize the state legislature to expand sales taxes to a wide range of goods and services

Housing affordability is improving as wages outpace home-price growth

Existing home sales came out yesterday showing slight year-over-year growth, but the headlines were all about home prices at an all-time high. However, most people weren’t focused on the fact that wages have been outpacing home prices for some time now, which is a positive. Yesterday I went on Yahoo

New policy impact may ignite a manufactured housing blue-sky era

With a major policy win at hand, one of America’s most promising housing affordability solutions hidden in plain sight may get the close-up moment its stakeholders have fought for decades to earn. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act – on a white-knuckle countdown to midnight before going into law a

Data centers emerge as real estate’s newest pricing wildcard

This is part 1 of a 3-part HousingWire special series on the impacts of data centers on housing. Data centers are creating a split-screen effect in housing markets: They can boost regional demand and land values, while homes near controversial sites may face buyer resistance over noise, water use, c

The most overlooked source of homes for first-time buyers

One of the most consistent mistakes that buyers’ agents make today is ignoring one of the best sources of affordable housing available to their clients: distressed properties — short sales in particular. After more than 40 years in the real estate business and involvement in over 25,000 distressed p

Compass, MRED, Zillow trade post-hearing briefs in Chicagoland MLS lawsuit

Legal battling between Zillow, Compass and Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) continued Thursday with all parties filing competing post-hearing briefs — Zillow alleging an “unlawful conspiracy” to cut off its access to Chicagoland listing data while defendants Compass and MRED counter that the company’

Opinion: Why the dual credit score mandate raises costs for small businesses without clear benefits

Washington says it wants to lower costs and expand access to credit. For millions of entrepreneurs, access to credit depends not only on the health of their businesses but also on their personal credit profiles. That is why regulatory decisions that make borrowing more complex or expensive deserve c

The capital stack evolution: How proprietary preferred equity behind Freddie Mac loans solves a key borrower dilemma

The multifamily capital stack is evolving. As elevated interest rates and tighter loan proceeds continue to reshape acquisition and refinancing strategies, investors are challenged by a market where senior loan proceeds and liquidity preservation are constrained. One effective solution is proprietar

Duplexes and townhomes do not always make housing cheaper

Not every housing policy labeled “affordable” is actually designed to make housing more affordable. That is the central problem with today’s “missing middle” debate. Across the country, duplexes, triplexes, courtyard apartments, townhomes and small multifamily buildings are being promoted as the sol

Florida county’s impact fees put new Live Local projects at risk

Indianapolis-based apartment developer Milhaus started building an apartment project in Manatee County, Florida, under the state’s Live Local Act after securing its funding earlier this year. It may be one of the few to be built in the county, next to Sarasota, under the law, until lawsuits over a m

At $32, Dream Finders-Beazer risk is now double-jeopardy

[Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part article in the aftermath of filings this week from Dream Finders Homes and Beazer Homes, as Dream Finders pursues Beazer as an acquisition target. Here’s the link to Part 1].  The surface question in the Dream Finders Homes–Beazer Homes takeover conte

A Colorado project is now a proving ground for 3D-printed homes

In Salida, a small town in Central Colorado with about 6,000 residents, a long-vacant property serves as a reminder of the community’s past while offering a glimpse into the future.  Cleora, a small railroad town established in 1880 in what is now the Salida area, served as an early settlement in th

Rate adds 14 loan officers from New American Funding

Chicago-based mortgage lender Rate announced on Thursday that more than a dozen loan officers have joined the company from California-headquartered New American Funding (NAF), bringing “nine figures in production volume with them.” The group includes 14 loan officers: Lori Crabb, Maria Castorena, Co

Fed names task force members as it examines monetary policy decision-making

The Federal Reserve on Thursday outlined a slate of five new task forces led by prominent academics and business leaders. They will scrutinize how the central bank communicates, manages its balance sheet, interprets data, evaluates productivity and jobs, and responds to inflation. The initiative, de

Bright MLS speaks on rule updates aimed at flexibility, seller privacy

Bright MLS is set to implement a series of rule updates later this summer designed to give agents more options and sellers greater control over property data. Changes also establish new protections around the use of listing information in artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Other moves includ

Housing groups push FHFA to delay, revise GSE condo loan changes

Three housing organizations sent a letter this week to leaders at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and their regulator, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), regarding pending changes to condominium lending rules through the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). On July 8, the Community Home Lenders

How top-performing real estate agents win AI recommendations

Homebuyers and sellers are beginning to treat ChatGPT and other large language models (LLMs) like a genie in a bottle. They often trust AI recommendations implicitly because the suggestions are the result of personalized, deep-diving research and an authoritative verification process. The phenomenon

The $32 Beazer bid is in, now the fight is over standstill terms

A little more than a month into a hostile homebuilder takeover saga that has not quite reached midsummer, Dream Finders Homes’ pursuit of Beazer Homes is beginning to resemble a Shakespearean tale of unrequited love. The ardent suitor has returned again. And again. The latest offering is richer: $32