Rachel Gustafson serves as a certified financial planner with the Financial Investment Team, a firm based in Portland, Oregon. Over the course of a 12-year career in the field, she has a specialty for helping her clients figure out the best and most efficient ways to retire. When reverse mortgages first showed up on her […]
A financial planner shares her journey to understanding reverse mortgages Read More »
Few events in recent real estate history have rattled the industry more than the antitrust lawsuits filed against major brokerages and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), accusing them of artificially inflating agent commission rates. NAR settled the Sitzer-Burnett case for $418 million and agreed to rules that the plaintiffs believed would help bring down
Are settlement rules pushing down agent commissions? New survey says the opposite Read More »
Equity release — a class of financial products that involve unlocking home equity and converting it into cash flow — currently has global annual volume of roughly $17 billion. This class includes reverse mortgage products in the U.S., the United Kingdom and elsewhere, but a European equity release authority projects that volume will more than
Global equity release market projected to top $56B by 2035 Read More »
Real estate software provider Lone Wolf Technologies is launching an integration with Zillow-owned customer relationship management system Follow Up Boss as it aims to connect transaction, marketing and accounting tools in one system. Follow Up Boss will be linked with Lone Wolf’s Foundation platform, which includes products such as Boost for digital advertising, Cloud CMA
Lone Wolf, Follow Up Boss integrate platforms Read More »
The Federal Reserve held benchmark rates steady in the range of 4.25% to 4.5% following its two-day meeting on Wednesday, a decision with implications for the mortgage industry. The move, expected by virtually all monetary policy watchers, underscores the challenge facing the Federal Reserve — deciding when it’s appropriate to cut rates. It’s a delicate
Fed holds rates steady amid inflation concerns, resilient job market Read More »
Even though new home sales showed growth last month, the homebuilders — both big and small — have no desire to grow housing permits or starts with 7% mortgage rates. Housing starts and permits peaked in 2022 and have been fluctuating at levels similar to the early stages of the COVID-19 recession for some time
Homebuilders have no motivation to grow permits with 7% rates Read More »
Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), a division of First Citizens Bank, and lending partner Setpoint announced on Wednesday that they’re providing a $200 million warehouse facility to Austin-based mortgage tech firm UpEquity. The funding is expected to support $1 billion in originations over the next two years, helping homebuyers purchase new homes before selling their current
UpEquity gets warehouse facility from Silicon Valley Bank, Setpoint Read More »
Loan volume through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is up 45% during the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. That’s according to an analysis of VA loan data released Wednesday by Veterans United Home Loans. The analysis, based on lending data from the first half of fiscal year
VA loans are up 45% annually as Gen Zers lead the charge Read More »
It happens, but it’s rare. A Fed “dot plot” day has come and gone with mortgage rates almost perfectly unchanged from the previous day. This speaks to the level of indecision not only in the market, but also among Fed members. First off, what’s a “dot plot day?” The dot plot (or simply, “the dots”)
Remarkable Absence of Mortgage Rate Volatility Read More »
Provisions restoring the mortgage insurance premium deduction are included in the Senate reconciliation bill, the latest path for its supporters to bring it back to the Tax Code. It is one of several real estate and housing provisions up for debate, including one that addresses low income housing tax credits. The MI deduction first was
Senate reconciliation proposals would help, hurt housing Read More »