Unlock agrees to restitution, compliance with Colorado laws on home equity agreements

Unlock Partnership Solutions Inc., dba Unlock Technologies, has agreed to treat its home equity agreements (HEAs) as consumer credit under Colorado law, pay restitution to affected homeowners, and meet state licensing and disclosure rules, the Colorado attorney general’s office announced June 24. Th

Now’s the time: Market forces and AI align to make property management an appealing option for brokers

The residential real estate market today is fundamentally different than just a few years ago. In April, 5.8% of homes were taken off the market, reaching delisting rates not seen since March 2020. Plus, economic uncertainty and rising inflation have made generating sufficient income a challenge for

The AI edge for builders: Why institutional knowledge is becoming the industry’s most valuable asset

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming part of every conversation in homebuilding. But as builders invest in AI to improve sales, marketing and operations, many are overlooking the factor that will determine whether those investments succeed: organizational knowledge. AI is only as valuabl

The other half of the lake: Why lifecycle lending is becoming mortgages’ next growth strategy

Loan originator pipeline growth has followed a familiar formula: originate a purchase loan, capture a refinance when rates fall and hope the borrower returns for their next home purchase. But in today’s housing market, that model is producing fewer opportunities. Purchase volume remains constrained,

AI is changing mortgage lending. Business intelligence is making it possible.

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded across the mortgage lifecycle, lenders are rethinking how they use data to drive decisions and automate workflows. Chris McEntee, Vice President of Corporate and Product Development at ICE, discusses how AI mortgage lending is transforming mortgage bu

Former Stockton Mortgage employees, Novus deny trade secret allegations

Several former Stockton Mortgage Corp. employees have denied allegations that they misappropriated trade secrets and interfered with the company’s business after leaving to join competitor Ixonia Bancshares, operating as Novus Home Mortgage, according to court filings. Eighteen defendants filed thei

North Carolina kicks parking rules to the curb in statewide reform

North Carolina housing advocates have tried for years to pass state-level zoning reform. They kept falling short. Broad reforms met the same fate in the recently ended session – except one: parking reform. What started as a stormwater management bill became one of the most aggressive parking reforms

Zillow, MRED, Compass await ruling in Chicagoland MLS fight

The hearing regarding Zillow’s motion for a preliminary injunction in its ongoing antitrust battle with Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) and Compass International Holdings may have concluded last Thursday, but the parties are still waiting for an answer.  This week, all three parties must file post-h

Compass adds RealTrends Verified Palm Beach agent Daniel Ekerold

Compass recently added Palm Beach luxury real estate professional Daniel Ekerold to its Florida roster, the brokerage said Tuesday. Ekerold, who is coming to Compass from Douglas Elliman, is known for working with ultra-high-net-worth clients, hedge fund principals, developers and investors, accordi

Mortgage rates rise past 6.75% as inflation uncertainty persists

Mortgage rates took a brief U-turn last week, but they resumed their upward path again this week as hawkish statements from the Federal Reserve over inflation and monetary policy are guiding the direction of borrowing costs. At HousingWire‘s Mortgage Rates Center on Tuesday, rates for 30-year confor

Realtors slam focus on trademark policing: ‘Is this really the next hill NAR is going to stand on?’

When the National Association of Realtors (NAR) asked its members to help the trade group identify misuses of its trademarks during the association’s legislative meeting late last month, it unsurprisingly stirred up reactions among real estate professionals.  “While agents are fighting for listings

Congress has a chance to expand affordable homeownership. It shouldn’t waste it.

America’s housing affordability crisis has reached a breaking point. Home prices remain out of reach for millions of families, apartment rents continue to climb and the dream of homeownership is slipping further away for first-time buyers, working families, seniors and young Americans. Manufactured

San Diego to get more transit housing density as SB 79 row settles

San Diego has spent recent years earning a reputation as one of California’s most aggressive housing builders, streamlining permits citywide. But city leaders hesitated when state law required them to draw boundaries for new housing near neighborhood bus stops. San Diego officials proposed a far tig

$95M funding, USLBM deal back Higharc AI push in homebuilding

Artificial intelligence has reached homebuilding’s proving ground. Not the proving ground for a demo or a pitch deck, nor the conference-stage jumbo-screen promise that technology will transform an industry whose complexity has humbled generations of would-be transformers. It’s the real sniff test.

ONE Sotheby’s International Realty adds sales director

ONE Sotheby’s International Realty has appointed Shelley Figueroa as sales director in its development division, where she will oversee sales for Anantara Miami Resort & Residences. Figueroa brings more than 15 years of experience in luxury residential real estate development. According to the broke

TitleEase integrates with Contract2Close platform

TitleEase has launched a software integration with transaction management platform Contract2Close.com that allows real estate agents and mortgage loan officers to order title services from within the platform. The integration is designed to incorporate title ordering into the existing transaction ma

NAR tells members to report Realtor brand misuse

As part of its three year strategic plan, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) promised members the trade group would work to “elevate” the Realtor brand. For the first half of the year, NAR’s vision for exactly what this effort would look like remained a bit unclear but at the association’s l

The Agency’s Zane Burnett: AI success starts with clean data, not hype

For Zane Burnett, technology isn’t about chasing the next shiny object — it’s about building a foundation first. As he oversees technology, digital strategy and innovation at The Agency, Burnett brings a career’s worth of perspective from leadership roles at proptech companies, luxury real estate br

NRMLA urges HUD to loosen FHA property rules

The National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA) is urging the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to overhaul several single-family property standards, arguing that current rules under the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)’s minimum property requirements are creating

The IDX debate: Is it time to do away with the Internet Data Exchange?

A question is starting to circulate among brokerage leaders and at industry tables: Is it time to do away with IDX? On the surface it sounds like a housekeeping matter, a debate about website feeds and display rules. It is not. The IDX question is one of the most important structural questions our i