Editor’s Note: The Mortgage Mix is RISMedia’s biweekly highlight reel of need-to-know mortgage-industry happenings. Watch for it every other Friday afternoon. As of Nov. 20, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate sat at 6.26%, slightly up from the previous week’s reading of 6.24%. Tracking with higher rates, mortgage applications—tracked by the Mortgage Bankers Association—found that…
While the uncertainty of the government shutdown is now more than a week behind us, consumer outlook on the economy has shown little improvement, per the latest index of Consumer Sentiment from the University of Michigan. In the latest index, consumer sentiment was reported at a near record low of 51; for reference, 100 is…
Thanksgiving week is here, and while many call this holiday “turkey day,” it’s better understood as a day for reflection and making sure you’re practicing gratitude. Striving and hustling are essential for an agent, but if you don’t also feel thankful for what you have, you’ll never feel satisfied. While it may go against every…
Despite a prolonged government shutdown that lasted throughout the month, October still saw a slight increase in existing-home sales, according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). NAR’s October Existing-Home Sales report found that sales grew 1.2% to a rate of 4.10 million, slightly down from the 1.5% growth seen in…
New analysis by Zillow claims major disparities in how homes are marketed through Chicago’s private listing network, with homes in majority-white neighborhoods over twice as likely to be listed privately compared to those in majority-non-white areas. Released today, the research examined over 40,000 residential listings from Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the multiple listing service…
After the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) made comprehensive updates to MLS policies—saying that most are meant to “modernize” and remove “outdated practices”—brokers who are currently suing NAR are citing the changes as an acknowledgment that these policies ran afoul of the law. In a court filing yesterday, lawyers representing three real estate professionals in…
In a delayed report on job growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Nov. 20, U.S. employers added 119,000 jobs in September, with the unemployment rate rising slightly to 4.4%. Employment continued to trend up in healthcare, food services and drinking places, and social assistance. Job losses occurred in transportation and warehousing and…
In a class-action lawsuit focused on Zillow’s mortgage referral and fee structures, plaintiffs just added a bevy of new accusations, citing a handful of “confidential witnesses”—current and former loan officers and agents who worked with the company—who claim Zillow sought to hide the fact it was funneling customers to its mortgage business. Alleging violations of…
At a recent public appearance at Oxford University, Federal Reserve Board Governor Christopher Waller confirmed that he plans to vote for a 25-basis-point cut at the next Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in December. However, during a subsequent Q&A, Waller foretold that observers may find there is currently less “groupthink” at the Fed. The…
AI has entered the real estate chat—and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. While some say the AI bubble may burst in the next year or two, that’s not the feeling you get perusing real estate tradeshow exhibit halls where vendors pitch AI solutions for just about everything. Whether it’s the promise…
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