HW+ provides career-making insights and analysis for those in Mortgage, Real Estate and FinTech. This long-form digital content provides members with news nowhere else and digs deeper into the “why” behind the daily news cycle. To join the HW+ community, click here.
The Green Team named founding member of eXp’s Sports & Entertainment
The Ohio-based team led by Gordon and Tedra Green was named as founding member of eXp Realty’s new Sports & Entertainment Division.
Investor activity could be hampering buyer affordability
A report from Realtor.com shows that investors purchased 10.8% of all homes bought during the second quarter of 2025.
Northeast, Midwest markets lead the way for home-price appreciation
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Thursday that 77% of the 230 markets it analyzed in Q3 2025 saw annualized home-price increases. That was up from 75% in the second quarter.
Affordability for first-time homebuyers: Beyond rates and prices
We’ve all heard the refrain: it’s never been harder to buy your first home. The narrative almost always circles back to two usual suspects – mortgage rates and home prices. While rates and prices are undeniably visible and powerful levers, they are not the whole story.
For industry insiders, the challenge (and the opportunity) lies in understanding the layered, less visible forces shaping affordability for today’s first-time homebuyers. The truth is that affordability isn’t shaped only by where rates land or how quickly prices climb; it’s increasingly a function of a borrower’s balance sheet, monthly cash flow and income, which all factor into debt-to-income ratios (DTI) and ultimately getting approved for a loan.
Rocket’s integrations of Redfin, Mr. Cooper lift Q3 results above forecasts
Rocket CEO Varun Krishna said that Q3 2025 marked the strongest purchase and refinance quarter for the company in the past three years.
Debate heats up around GSEs’ potentially larger role as MBS buyers
Overall, the perception is that having new buyers of MBS would be positive for the industry, although some question whether the GSEs would be the best actors to play this role.
Real Brokerage reports strong Q3 results, previews major tech innovation
Real closed 53,512 transactions in the third quarter — up from 35,832 a year earlier — with total transaction value rising to $21.4 billion.
Court denies Compass’s order to compel documents from Redfin
The court not rule on Compass’s motion because it was not filed in the court district when Redfin’s compliance is required.
Shutdown slows housing activity in federal worker-heavy markets
Early signs of shutdown effects have emerged in metro areas such as Washington, D.C., Virginia Beach, Baltimore and Oklahoma City.
Westcor joins Fannie Mae title waiver pilot
The pilot, relaunched by Fannie Mae in March 2024, allows approved mortgage lenders to use an automated title review process.
Michael Campbell joins Title Resources Group as Michigan underwriting counsel
He will support Title Resource Group title agents and escrow officers across Michigan and the broader Midwest.
After departing First American, Kevin Wall lands CEO role at Title Resources Group
Wall, fresh off a tenure at First American, will take over at TRG as J. Scott McCall transitions to a new role at the company.
HW+ Member Spotlight: John Brenan
This week’s HW+ member spotlight features John Brenan, vice president of Valuation Policy and chief appraiser at Clear Capital, as he touches on the biggest trends he is watching in the appraisal space.
CFPB is the latest agency to criticize the Appraisal Foundation
A collection of federal agencies, including the CFPB, HUD and the FHFA, took the Appraisal Foundation to task for deficient anti-bias guidance.
Like it or not, desktop appraisals are here to stay
In January, Fannie Mae said it would start accepting desktop appraisals, where an appraiser need not perform a walk-through, for some agency-backed loans after March 19.
