Economy

Mortgage and real estate professionals are navigating new technology to support a better consumer experience and grow their customer base, but those who lose sight of the end goal are in danger, according to Remax CEO Adam Contos.

Sales of single-family houses in Rhode Island dropped 15.6% in December from the same month a year ago, the Rhode Island Association of Realtors said.

Mortgage originations for the next two years will be higher than previously expected as lower interest rates at the end of 2018 will lead to more refinance volume, Freddie Mac said.

Even with a vibrant residential real estate market in Maine's major cities, homeowners in the state tend to stay put longer than those in the 50 largest American cities.

Current housing market conditions are sending the real estate and mortgage industries back to the drawing board to craft strategies ultimately in support of customer acquisition and retention at a time when competition is tight.

Some hopeful souls in Washington believe the commercial banking industry will return to originating and servicing higher-risk mortgages, but most banks are more likely to continue withdrawing from the sector.

CrediFi helps bankers pursuing commercial real estate loan growth minimize the risk in lending to customers they historically haven't served.

Portsmouth, N.H., officials have been talking for years about the need for more housing in the city.

The Bay Area's affordable housing stock got a major shot in the arm, with the launch of a $500 million fund to build and preserve homes for low- and middle-income residents.

As suspense builds over which firm will be the first to seek the special-purpose charter, a side discussion has emerged over which financial services sector has the most to gain — or lose — from the new option.

Independent mortgage banks have been instrumental in filling the void left by banks that have retreated from the home lending market since the Great Recession.

The real estate industry is expecting homebuilders to add more inventory this year, but new-home sales tanked in the closing months of 2018, according to Redfin.

Plans to begin rating securitizations backed by fix-and-flip mortgages may help lenders create new capacity and satisfy growing demand for short-term financing of house flipping projects.

While Fannie Mae's multifamily origination volume took a step back from 2017's record high of $67 billion, its delegated underwriting and servicing program provided $65 billion in financing in 2018, led by Wells Fargo.

The number of home sales in New Hampshire in 2018 hit a three-year low, echoing a nationwide slump, but local Realtors are confident the housing market remains healthy.

The Austin area's housing market continued its record-breaking pace in 2018 with both the number of homes sold and the median sales price of those homes reaching all-time annual highs.

As homebuyers try to get more for their money and flee the expensive coastal housing markets, the largest jumps in annual home appreciation took place all around the country's interior, according to Zillow.

While the London interbank offered rate won't go dark until 2021, the commercial real estate finance industry should start preparing for the transition now, says the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Home sale prices in Connecticut got a welcome bump up in 2018, but overall prices are still far below the peak prior to the last recession a decade ago.

For many first-time homebuyers, former renters and downsizing baby boomers in the Twin Cities metro, 2018 was one of the most challenging on record.