Douglas Elliman expands into DC metro market
Independent residential real estate brokerage Douglas Elliman Realty is expanding into three new locations around the beltway, including Washington, D.C., Arlington, Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland, the company announced on Thursday. This is in addition to Douglas Elliman’s expansion into Nevada, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, California and Colorado in 2022. “Establishing this new home in our nation’s […]
Avoid these 6 outdated real estate marketing trends
The real estate industry has radically evolved over the past decade, probably changing more in the past 10 years than it had in the preceding 50. Smart real estate agents need to keep up with new trends and strategies, or they risk falling behind the market. Let’s look at some of the most outdated real […]
Adverse market fee fueled g-fee profitability in 2021
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac purchased a record $2.52 trillion in single-family loans in 2021, with the average guarantee fee — expected to cover credit losses, administrative costs and cost of capital — rising 2 basis points from the prior year to 56 bps. That uptick is largely thanks to the controversial 50 bps “adverse market […]
Waterstone Mortgage hires new digital marketing director
Wisconsin-based mortgage lender Waterstone Mortgage Corporation appointed Chik Quintans its new director of digital marketing, the company announced Thursday. In his new role, Quintans will oversee the digital marketing strategy to advance Waterstone Mortgage’s online presence through social media campaigns and content creation, in collaboration with graphic designers and communications specialists. Quintans will focus on […]
Opinion: Why it’s time to cut mortgage fees
FHA’s Tuesday release of its MMIF Report showing that FHA continues to build its capital reserve ratio to 11.1% will no doubt add fuel to the public debate about whether FHA should cut premiums for the borrowers it serves. This debate comes at a time when mortgage rates have doubled since the beginning of the […]
Builders apply the brakes amid canceled contracts
The best way to fight inflation is to add more supply, and when I look at the housing completion data for the past two years, it just makes me want to puke. In previous expansions, builders’ housing completion data would move in line with housing starts and permits. However, for the first time in recent […]
Russia’s Forced-Deportations of Ukrainian Orphans Highlights its Imperial Agenda
As an adoptee from Russia, I’m pained to see Vladimir Putin is exploiting Ukrainian orphans and making them pawns in an imperialistic campaign to “Russify” Ukraine. Since February 2022, Russian government affiliates have taken more than 10,000 Ukrainian children, according to the Ukrainian government. Many have been sent to Russia, while others have been sent […]
Carrington to pay $5.25M to CFPB for improper forbearance practices
After two years of negotiations, California-based Carrington Mortgage Services has agreed to pay a $5.25 million penalty to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) for ‘improper practices’ related to forbearance plans provided for homeowners during the Covid-19 pandemic, the parties announced on Thursday. “Carrington Mortgage unlawfully withheld legally mandated pandemic protections, wrongly imposed fees, and […]
Ginnie Mae rule is the ‘elephant in the room’ for the MSR market
Mortgage industry executives are echoing the sentiment that Ginnie Mae’s risk-based capital requirement is currently the main concern for companies holding mortgage servicing rights (MSR). According to industry leaders, the rule can force a sell-off wave, reduce values and put some lenders and services in a difficult spot. “That’s the ‘elephant in the room’ right […]