Purchase

Mortgage loan officers keep an eye on the long game, but making a sale is more than the sale; ushering people through the biggest purchase of their lives requires the ability to maintain relationships over time.

Lennar Corp. agreed to buy WCI Communities Inc. in a deal that values the Florida real estate company at about $643 million.

Sales of previously owned homes unexpectedly declined to a six-month low in August, signaling buyers are getting discouraged by a lack of properties to choose from.

Mortgage applications decreased 7.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier as refinance activity was at its lowest level since June.

House hunters frustrated by a shortage of listings should consider the Sunshine State.

Gains in employment and income are beginning to have a positive influence on home sales, according to First American Financial Corp.

The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals has created a glossary that provides Spanish translations of terms used by the real estate and mortgage industries.

Lennar Corp., the second-largest U.S. homebuilder, reported fiscal third-quarter earnings that beat analysts' estimates as low borrowing costs and job growth bolstered buyer demand for houses nationwide.

Economic growth in the second half of 2016 is expected to outpace the rate seen in the first half of the year, according to Fannie Mae.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development is taking a harder look at how mortgage lenders treat borrowers with limited English language skills.

New American Funding and Alterra Home Loans are partnering on a new loan program using Freddie Mac's low-down-payment Home Possible mortgages.

Home sales in California are beginning to show signs of weakness as a lack of affordable housing begins to weigh on the Golden State's real estate market.

Affordability constraints and a lack of awareness about low-down-payment mortgage options are tempering confidence about buying a home, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Mortgage applications increased 4.2% from one week earlier driven by a boost in purchase activity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Provident Financial Holdings has restated earnings from its most-recent quarter after it booked higher loan-origination costs.

A slowdown in the upward climb of home prices allowed the housing market as a whole to move more toward buying a home than renting one during the second quarter.

Walter Investment Management Corp. subsidiary Ditech Financial will begin to enroll a number of rejected loan applicants in a new program aimed at helping people qualify for a mortgage.

From gathering information on buildings to complex income and asset profiles of buyers, loan officers in New York have many bases to cover and hurdles to leap. Debra Shultz of Guaranteed Rate makes it look easy.

The average down payment percentage rose 49 basis points for a conventional 30-year fixed-rate mortgage between the first and second quarters, according to LendingTree.

Home purchase lending hit its highest point since 2007 as low interest rates and growing consumer confidence continue to support the housing market.