GSE: Climate Risk Should Factor into Mortgage Underwriting

Originally published on March 20, 2023, by Diana Olick for CNBC.

Global warming has already caused irreversible damage to the earth’s ecosystems and communities, according to a critical report just issued from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

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Home Flipping Increased in 2022, Spurred by Investors, Data Shows

Originally published on March 23, 2023, by ATTOM.

ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its year-end 2022 U.S. Home Flipping Report, which shows that 407,417 single-family homes and condos in the United States were flipped in 2022. That was up 14 percent from 357,666 in 2021, and up 58 percent from 2020, to the highest point since at least 2005.

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Welcome New Members

We’d like to welcome our newest chapter members:

  • Spencer Brown
  • Paul Chambers, Jr.
  • Adria Hardy
  • Wendell Helms
  • Corey Lewis
  • Michael Morris
  • Robin Perry
  • Claudia Ray
  • Melinda Webb
  • Jessica Williams

CRE Values and Volume Expected to See Significant Drop, Banking Firm Predicts

Originally published on March 13, 2023, by Erik Sherman for GlobeSt.com.

Median Rents Continue to Drop, Experience Smallest Increase in 2 Years: Redfin

Originally published on March 10, 2023, by Kenneth Applewaith for Redfin.com.

The median U.S. asking rent rose 1.7% year over year to $1,937 in February—the smallest increase in nearly two years and the lowest level in a year, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. Rents were up nearly 10 times that much (16.5%) a year earlier.

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Coworking Spaces are Growing in Popularity, Expanding Reach, Report Shows

Originally published on March 8, 2023, by Laura Pop=Badiu for CoworkingCafe.com.

Demand for flexible workspaces registered significant growth in recent years, mainly due to the wider availability of remote work and hybrid workstyles. At the same time, the uncertain economic waves led many businesses to downsize their office footprints and move past rigid, long-term leases toward more flexible and cost-efficient solutions. What’s more, according to a recent JLL report, the office sector remains under pressure in 2023, with tenants not only looking to increase efficiency and productivity but also to reduce their existing footprint and positively influence their bottom line.

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FHFA Delays Fee for Buyers with Higher Debt-to-income Ratios

Originally published on March 15, 2023, by Adam Russell for FHFA.

​​The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has taken a number of steps since January 2022 to update Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises) single-family guarantee fee pricing framework with a special focus on upfront fees. In January 2023, FHFA announced redesigned and recalibrated grids for upfront fees in addition to a new upfront fee for certain borrowers with a debt-to-income (DTI) ratio above 40 percent. These updated pricing grids include the upfront fee eliminations announced in October 2022 to increase pricing support for purchase borrowers limited by income or by wealth.​

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Racial bias often creeps into home appraisals. Here's what's happening to change that

Originally published on March 13, 2023, by Jennifer Ludden for NPR.

Years of homeowner horror stories and a growing body of research has cast a harsh light on how frequently racial bias can skew home appraisals. It's an industry that's dominated by white men whose methods for valuing homes haven't changed much in decades.

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More Lakefront Properties Available; Lake Michigan Takes the Lead: Report

Originally published on March 15, 2023, by LakeHomes.com.

There are more than 70,000 lake homes and lots for sale in the U.S. with a combined value of more than $33 billion, up from the 60,000 or so properties available last spring with a combined value of around $26 billion, according to the Lake Real Estate Market report released March 9. Lake Michigan has the largest available inventory, followed by Puget Sound in Washington and Lake Norman in North Carolina.

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Share of $1 Million Homes in the US Drops: Redfin

Originally published on March 6, 2023, by Kenneth Applewhaite for Redfin.com.

Just over 7% of U.S. homes are worth $1 million or more, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That figure is as of January 2023, the most recent data available. The share has dropped from June 2022’s all-time high of 8.6% and remains essentially unchanged from a year earlier–but it’s up from 4.2% just before the pandemic began.

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Pace of Interest Rate Hikes May Increase: Fed

Originally published on March 7, 2023, by Brian Cheung for NBC News.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell told lawmakers Tuesday that policymakers may have to speed up their interest rate hikes to tame high inflation.

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Surge in Multifamily Construction to Create Short-term Oversupply: CBRE

Originally published on March 9, 2023 by Michael Tucker for the Mortgage Banker's Association.

CBRE, Dallas, said delivery of a near-record 716,000 new multifamily units over the next two years will create a short-term oversupply, but noted the new supply will keep long-term fundamentals healthy.

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Available Housing Inventory, Home Prices Continue to Rise: Realtor.com

Originally published March 2, 2023, by Sara Wiskerchen for Realtor.com.

 

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US Supreme Court Takes Case that Could Shutter CFPB

Originally published on February 27, 2023, by Nina Totenberg for NPR.

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to take up a case that could threaten the existence of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and potentially the status of numerous other federal agencies, including the Federal Reserve.

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Fannie Mae: Appraisals No Longer the ‘Default Requirement’

Originally published on March 8, 2023, by the Appraisal Institute.

Fannie Mae on March 1 updated its Selling Guide to include a range of options for property valuations as the government-sponsored enterprise moves away from suggesting that an appraisal is a “default requirement.” Fannie notes that home valuation options include value acceptance, value acceptance plus property data and hybrid appraisals.  
 
Read Fannie Mae’s updated Selling Guide
 

Member Profile: Michael Elwell, MAI, SRA, R/W-AC

Where do you live and who do you work for?
Greensboro, NC at Cushman and Wakefield - Infrastructure Practice - Valuation & Advisory

How long have you been appraising?
20 years
 
Who was your supervisor as a Trainee and how did you meet them?
My supervisor was Steve Norris, MAI. I met him through a job posting for a real estate researcher position at his company.
 
What is the most unique property you’ve appraised?
All the properties I appraise are unique since they are all impacted by right of way/eminent domain issues that are unique to each property.
 
What is a fact about you, outside of work-life, that people would be surprised to know?
I grew up in Wisconsin, so I am a Green Bay Packers fan (Beer brats and sauerkraut too).

Top 10 U.S. Counties with Most Foreclosure Starts in January 2023

Originally published by  on February 10, 2023 for ATTOM.

According to ATTOM’s just released January 2023 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, there were a total of 31,557 U.S. properties with foreclosure filings in January 2023. That figure was up 36 percent from a year ago and up 2 percent from the prior month.

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AI Launches New Season of Face Value Podcast in Both Audio and Video Formats

Originally published on February 17, 2023 by the Appraisal Institute.

The Appraisal Institute on Feb. 17 premiered season 2 of its monthly podcast series, Face Value. Hosts Warren Boizot, SRA, AI-RRS, and Tonia Vailas, MAI, AI-GRS, talk with President Craig Steinley, MAI, SRA, AI-GRS, AI-RRS, and President-Elect Sandy Adomatis, SRA, about the year ahead, project updates and how AI is helping residential appraisers.

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Price Gap Between Most and Least Expensive Homes is Shrinking, Data Shows

Originally published on February 16, 2023 by Thomas Malone for CoreLogic.

Quick Takes:

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Strong Demand Anticipated for Outpatient Healthcare Facilities, According to JLL  

Originally published on  b

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