Washington state lawmakers working on commercial-to-residential conversion bill

The House of Representatives in the state of Washington last week approved a bill that seeks to expedite the process of converting commercial buildings into residential complexes. The measure passed overwhelmingly in a vote of 95-2.HB 1757 is sponsored by Rep. Amy Walen (D) and would modify the regu

John Burns: Rising property taxes are forcing retirees out of some states

Rising property taxes are a thorn in the side of many Americans in today’s housing market. Older Americans in particular are feeling the brunt of higher tax payments in key metro areas and are being forced to move, a recent report concluded.John Burns Research & Consulting (JBREC), a leading real es

Are AMCs the next target of class-action lawsuits?

Appraisers concerned about the rising role of appraisal management companies (AMCs) were dealt a blow by the turmoil that’s engulfed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.Leaders in the appraisal profession had turned to the CFPB in

Reverse mortgage endorsements, securities issuance fell in February

Reverse mortgage industry performance metrics continued their 2025 softness on the basis of endorsement volume and securities issuance, February data shows.Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) endorsements and HECM-backed securities (HMBS) issuance saw declines in February, although the number of

Warren blasts CFPB, FHFA nominees as they advance to Senate confirmation votes

Fresh off a marathon confirmation hearing to assess the fitness of four Trump administration appointees, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is castigating each of the candidates after reviewing their answers to her questionnaires.This comes as the Senate banking committee on Thursday advanced the nomin

25 Canadians charged in ‘grandparent scam’ targeting U.S. seniors

A group of 25 Canadian nationals have been charged in what the U.S. Attorney for the District of Vermont is referring to as a “grandparent scam” that allegedly defrauded older U.S. citizens across 41 states.23 of the alleged participants were arrested in Canada on Tuesday, according to an announceme

3 metrics in Friday’s jobs report that will affect mortgage rates

All eyes are on the jobs report tomorrow after a string of weak economic reports over the last week. Large-scale layoffs of government workers, President Trump’s back-and-forth tariff policies and a negative forecast for first-quarter GDP have sparked questions about a recession and how that would i

Anthony Hsieh returns to loanDepot as Frank Martell departs

loanDepot founder and controlling shareholder Anthony Hsieh is returning to an operational role at the California-based mortgage lender and CEO Frank Martell is departing.In an announcement made Thursday, loanDepot said Hsieh, the company’s chairman of the board, has returned as executive chairman o

Trump adds Canada to tariff pause on USMCA-compliant goods

Canada has been invited to the tariff pause party.President Donald Trump signed an agreement Thursday for a one-month pause to 25% tariffs on Canadian goods covered by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This includes the majority of materials used in home construction, including lumb

TransUnion, Truework add mortgages to income verification tool

TransUnion has expanded its partnership with Truework to provide mortgage lenders with broader access to income and employment verification data.The collaboration integrates Truework’s verification system into TransUnion’s advanced programming interface (API), allowing lenders to verify borrower inc

DC housing inventory ticked up last week: Altos data

The housing market in Washington D.C. is being closely watched amid widespread layoffs of federal government workers. Sweeping cuts by Elon Musk’s DOGE agency have sent many government employees packing, while other staff need to find housing in the area to comply with return-to-work mandates.Will i

United expands westward with addition of MORE Realty

United Real Estate is expanding to the west. Portland, Oregon-based MORE Realty announced Thursday that it’s joining United’s national network. The move marks United’s entrance into Nevada and New Mexico, and it expands the company’s footprint to 34 states with 170 offices and more than 22,000 agent

Trump grants one-month tariff delay on most Mexican building materials

Tariffs on Mexican building materials are off — for now.President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that tariffs on Mexican goods that fall under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), his replacement for NAFTA that was implemented in July 2020, will be delayed until April 2.In a social

Is Your Home Priced Too High?

Even if your house is staged and well-maintained, it is only worth what the market will bear. To increase your chance of a quick sale, consider these signs that it may be time to adjust your selling price.Low TrafficAre you limiting your exposure? Since most buyers sort listings by price and locatio

Appeals court affirms ruling that ‘no commingling’ is not an antitrust violation

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed a U.S. District Court’s summary judgment ruling that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Zillow did not commit antitrust violations in the lawsuit filed against them by REX Real Estate.“The district court correctly concluded that there

NAR appoints Jonathan Waclawski as its general counsel

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has a new general counsel as Jonathan Waclawski is joining the national trade group. The story was first reported by Bloomberg Law. Waclawski is succeeding Katie Johnson, whose 17-year tenure at NAR ended in October 2024. While new to this role, Waclawski i

Trump confirms 25% tariffs on Mexican, Canadian imports will start Tuesday

President Donald Trump said on Monday that 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada would start Tuesday, March 4, the Associated Press reported. And there’s no going back on it, he said.“Tomorrow — tariffs 25% on Canada and 25% on Mexico. And that’ll start,” Trump told reporters this afternoon.

Will mortgage rates allow for ‘peak’ homebuying season?

Over the last two months with economic uncertainty, the bond market has responded and the yield for the 10-year Treasury has declined by 60 basis points from 4.8% to 4.2%. The 30-year fixed mortgage has followed suit, recently falling as low as 6.75%, the lowest level since mid-December.It’s quite o

Compass adds Boschetti Realty Group in Florida

Compass announced Monday that it’s adding Florida-based Boschetti Realty Group and its two leaders, Maurice and Silvia Boschetti, to its ranks.The Boschettis bring decades of expertise and more than $500 million in career sales, according to a press release from Compass. Boschetti Realty Group arriv

CFPB employees told to continue “performing statutorily required work”

An email from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) COO Adam Martinez, which was obtained by Bloomberg Law, told employees of the Bureau to continue working on “statutorily required work,” despite news mid-February in which the Bureau’s new head closed the headquarters and instructed emp