Scaling from Freelancer to Business Owner

The Mortgage Bankers Association's index of home-purchase applications rose 5.1% in the week ended Jan. 16, data from the group showed Wednesday. View the full article

The Mortgage Bankers Association's measure of refinancing dropped 7.1% to 634.1 in the week ended May 23. View the full article

Roughly 40,000 home-purchase agreements were canceled in December, equal to 16.3% of homes that went under contract,according to a report from Redfin. View the full article

At the same time builders and lenders report contracting credit on offer, sentiment in the residential construction industry improved in the latter half of 2024. View the full article

Measures of current sales of single-family homes and prospective-buyer traffic, dropped to their lowest levels since the end of 2023. View the full article

Confidence among US homebuilders unexpectedly fell in January, as costly sales incentives outweighed a recent boost from lower mortgage rates and the president's housing proposals. View the full article

US homebuilder confidence barely rose this month on a pickup in current sales, though demand expectations stumbled to a more than one-year low and prices of construction materials are climbing on the heels of higher tariffs. View the full article

In markets across the US, homebuilders sitting on unsold inventory are subsidizing mortgage rates so heavily they sometimes match the record lows last seen during the Covid-19 pandemic. View the full article

For the second consecutive week, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage increased as investors were still sorting through the lack of information due to the shutdown. View the full article

The national median payment applied for by purchase applicants fell to $2,039 in October from September, the Mortgage Bankers Association said. View the full article

The average purchase loan size hit a four-month high of $447,500 as fewer home shoppers are applying for government-backed mortgage products. View the full article

Between the estimated damages in Los Angeles and rising home insurance prices, policyholders are left wondering how the market will fare in 2025. View the full article

Despite the decrease, average profit margins approached 50%, as the lock-in effect continues to stymie inventory growth and keep home values elevated. View the full article

A group of homeowners filed a class action lawsuit against the largest homebuilding company in the United States, seeking all money lost. View the full article

Slow repair cycle times, widespread premium increases and the volume of catastrophic events all contribute to dissatisfaction, according to the U.S. Property Claims Satisfaction Study from J.D. Power. View the full article

The deal was highly vetted with regulators following the publicly traded company's failure to obtain approval in a past agreement, an executive said. View the full article

The Massachusetts attorney general noted some consumers were caught by surprise when they realized the full cost of their agreements after signing. View the full article

The company's latest funding announcement caps off a year of tailwinds that propelled growth for home equity investment platforms and related lending products. View the full article

As homeowners insurance becomes expensive and hard to find, mortgage loan officers should work closely with insurance agents, said Travis Hodges of Viu by Hub. View the full article

A markup of the bipartisan Housing for the 21st Century Act was passed by a 50-to-1 margin by the House Financial Services Committee earlier this week. View the full article

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., led a group of Democrats in challenging Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the current state of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. View the full article

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the Committee on Financial Services' ranking member and other members of her party plan to confront HUD Secretary Scott Turner. View the full article

House Democrats argue that HUD's cut to the Continuum of Care Program could push 170,000 people to homelessness. View the full article