This is a piece aimed at owners and agents, with an emphasis on the importance of providing information. Information gathering and sharing is crucial in our industry; agents providing relevant information to their customers, owners to their agents, and

Regulators have proposed new mortgage rules that will give more Americans access to mortgage credit, generating a positive reaction from housing stakeholders. The proposal would align the qualified residential mortgage rule (QRM) with the qualified mortgage rule (QM), finalized

Mortgage rates have risen rather dramatically since May; what impact could those increases have, though, on the housing market? At the beginning of May the average mortgage rate for a 30-year FRM was just 3.35 percent. Since then, as

So, what do you do when there is a real estate appraisal contingency and the contract price exceeds the list price? A) Pray B) Cross your fingers C) Hope D) Prepare E) All of the above F) None of

The rapid rise in home prices has been one of 2013’s major economic stories, but there’s mounting evidence that those increases will slow down – and soon. If there’s been a poster child for the housing recovery, it’s been

The second quarter was a spectacular one for Freddie and Freddie, but are such successes problematic for the government’s reform efforts? Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had mighty good second quarters – not only did the GSEs post respective

President Obama devoted an entire speech yesterday to the housing market, specifically reforms he’d like to see made to our home financing system. President Obama called for reforms to both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a policy speech

The housing market has grown in many interesting ways so far this year, and agents will have some interesting details to consider for 2013’s second half. The housing market has cut an encouraging path the last six months. What

The National Association of Realtors has approved changes to the Realtor.com website that will open the site to non-Realtor listings and rentals. The National Association of Realtors’ Board of Directors yesterday approved a number of amendments to its popular Realtor.com website

VA loans can be an excellent way for veterans to become homeowners, but how can agents make sure they understand the program? Anna Mayer-Huls explains. We owe a lot to our veterans. They give up their time, families, and

Mortgage rates are at their highest levels in years, but how are they impacting the decisions of potential homebuyers? A new Trulia survey explains. Well, it was fun while it lasted! After falling for a sustained, seemingly endless length

Foreign homebuyers contributed $68.2 billion in sales in 2013, a number that, though certainly big, actually represents a step back from 2012. Are foreign homebuyers losing their appetite for U.S. real estate, or are international economic forces prohibiting them

NAR’s existing-home sales report for May, which came out last week, offered a very interesting glimpse at where housing is right now in its recovery. Last week’s existing-home sales report from the National Association of Realtors was a smorgasbord

NAR’s existing-home sales report for May, which came out last week, offered a very interesting glimpse at where housing is right now in its recovery. Last week’s existing-home sales report from the National Association of Realtors was a smorgasbord

Though the Mortgage Forgiveness Act will likely expire at the end of the year; Bert Gor offers a critical refresher of the act’s main tenets. Whether you have done one, or you have done 50, you know that there

Though some headlines on rising mortgage rates have bared apocalyptic overtones, the housing market has some room to spare on rate increases. Mortgage have ticked up in recent weeks, and already, the doomsday headlines (many of them broadcasting the