An Increasing Number of Homeowners Tapping Into Home Equity
As the housing market finally displays signs of continued cooling, home prices across the nation remain at inflated highs, with Americans sitting on a record $27.8 trillion in home equity, according to a new study from LendingTree —an estimated $333,000 worth of...
Wire Fraud Is An Epidemic: Take These Three Steps To Protect Your Company From Cybercriminals
There are certain things that business executives—and even security experts—don't have full awareness of when it comes to cybercrimes. In recent discussions with cyber insurance firms and U.S.-based businesses, I realized how little was understood relative to...
Mortgage demand falls even further, as rates shoot back up to July highs
After falling back earlier this month, mortgage rates began rising sharply again to the highest level since mid-July. That caused mortgage demand to pull back even further. Total mortgage application volume fell 3.7% last week compared with the previous week,...
A 1031 exchange is a tax-deferred way to invest in real estate
A 1031 exchange is a type of real estate purchase allowed under Section 1031 of the US Internal Revenue Code. It allows you to defer capital gains taxes when selling a property, as long as the proceeds are used toward a similar investment within a certain time frame....
Cyber Attacks Against Title Companies Continues to Increase
Cyber attacks targeting title and settlement companies remained the same or increased over the past year, according to a recent ALTA survey. Results showed that 86% of respondents said the volume of cyber attacks either increased or remained the same last year when...
The Fed’s inflation fight has hit the housing market. Here’s what buyers need to know
By Jeff Ostrowski The fate of the housing boom is on the minds of both homeowners and homebuyers these days. Will record home values lead to a crash reminiscent of the one that made the Great Recession so painful? Or will prices simply take a breather from their...
Fed Talking About Big Rate Hikes, But Mortgage Rates Moved Lower
By: Matthew Graham It was a week for paradoxes on several fronts, most notably when mortgage rates moved lower just after the Fed floated the idea of an even bigger hike. There's a popular misconception that the Fed sets mortgage rates, or controls them directly in...
Survey Finds Many First-Time Homebuyers Have Misconceptions
Americans who have never owned a home believe 20% down payments are required. KEY TAKEAWAYS 80% of prospective first-time homebuyers are stressed about affording a down payment. More than a third of Americans and 41% of those who’ve never owned a home believe they...
Scammers are targeting a new generation of homebuyers
BY DIANE TOMB With homebuying season in full swing, homebuyers are deciding to make one of the biggest purchases of their lives. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that a safe and comfortable home environment is crucial. That’s why, despite rising housing...
Title insurance is vital to protecting the American dream
Title insurance plays an essential role in the economics of homeownership As someone who spent a career in the title insurance industry – both as a builder of a title business and leader of the industry’s trade group, — I am proud of the role we play in helping to...