Source: HousingWire.com You can read HousingWire’s article in full here. The House of Representatives passed S. 2393 yesterday to extend the one-year protection from foreclosure in the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The Senate already signed the bill in 2015, and will extend relief to veterans through 2017. “Extending the one-year… Read more
How can lenders and REALTORS® with different levels of experience and areas of expertise come together in this competitive market to provide the best services to homebuyers? That was the focus for the panel discussion hosted by the Washington Mortgage Bankers Association (WMBA) on March 15. Four representatives from Seattle… Read more
The National Association of REALTORS® advocates policy initiatives that promote and protect a fundamentally sound and dynamic U.S. real estate market. NAR’s focus in 2016 will largely be centered around tax policies, credit and lending, business operations, and commercial. Both parties have expressed a lot of interest in reforming the… Read more
By Dave Porter In today’s red-hot market, with low inventory and multiple offers, buyers are only successful when they come to the table fully prepared. My advice for your clients—don’t just get pre-approved, get fully approved at the maximum limit they are willing to go and assemble all the paperwork… Read more
Jerry Giovaniello, the chief lobbyist for the National Association of REALTORS®, praised REALTORS® in Washington for their engagement on important real estate issues. “You make my job easier in Washington D.C.” said Giovaniello, who travelled to Olympia to address over 400 REALTORS® from across the state, 55 from King County.… Read more
UPDATE: It’s official, borrowers won’t have to pay an extra fee when obtaining a mortgage thanks to lobbying by REALTORS. More than a fifth of REALTORS® across the country, or about 197,000 members, participated in a Call for Action that NAR launched in October to prevent Congress from enacting “G-fees”… Read more
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE KIRKLAND, Washington (November 5, 2015) – With holidays approaching, real estate brokers usually expect a slowdown as buyers and sellers shift their attention elsewhere. “This year is different,” say some industry leaders. “Today we have one of the best markets we’ve ever seen for sellers,” observed Ken… Read more
BY VIJAY YADLAPATI, CHARLES DAWSON, DANIEL BLAIR Original article by NAR found here On September 9, 2015, NAR submitted letters to the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives requesting all Members of Congress oppose any legislation that utilizes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s credit risk guarantee fees (g-fees) to offset… Read more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has released a new online toolkit to help real estate professionals understand the new TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule and how to explain those changes to their clients. As part of the CFPB’s larger mortgage initiative campaign called “Know Before You Owe”, the “Real… Read more
“Are you ready for TRID” was the featured topic of a free seminar for brokers sponsored by the Affiliate Council of the Seattle King County REALTORS® recently. Speakers at the forum focused on the new disclosure rule going into effect October 3, 2015, that consolidates the Truth in Lending Act… Read more