From left, John De Souza, Christopher Pfeiffer, Dawn Pfaff and Donny Samson. Photo by AJ Canaria.  WASHINGTON, D.C.—The real estate industry is feeling more like a landmine right now, with professionals carefully navigating internal and external forces that threaten their businesses. But where some see potential threats, others see opportunities—even as market uncertainty and bitter…

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The latest University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index, released Oct. 9, fell to 46.3 in October, down 1.8 points from September’s reading of 48.1. It was a five-month low, as various negative factors weigh on the minds of Americans. “Consumer sentiment was little changed this month, inching down a scant 1.8 index points from September,”…

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SmartMLS and Property Shield—a real estate fraud detection and prevention company—announced a new partnership that will bring listing fraud detection and removal tools to more than 20,000 real estate professionals across Connecticut. The new service is expected to launch in mid-October. According to a release, the Connecticut-based MLS will integrate Property Shield’s Listing Fraud Protection…

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The Real Brokerage has announced the launch of Real Young Professionals (Real YP), a new division dedicated to connecting and developing the next generation of real estate professionals. According to a release, Shaylie Fraser will serve as director of Real Young Professionals, with Jana Pierce serving as assistant director. Fraser is co-founder of Coastline Real…

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Above, Sue Yannaccone. Photo by AJ Canaria WASHINGTON, D.C.—Compass International Holdings (CIH) COO Sue Yannaccone has been through a pretty big transition. Serving as president and CEO of Anywhere Brands for six years, she is now leading operations for the largest real estate brokerage in the world, as it seeks to reshape the industry on…

The post Sue Yannaccone Says ‘Different Expectations’ After Merger, Tells Brokers to ‘Keep Powder Dry’ appeared first on RISMedia.

Editor’s Note: The Mortgage Mix is RISMedia’s highlight reel of need-to-know mortgage-industry happenings. Watch for it every other Friday afternoon. The numbers: Mortgage rates continue to reach new highs each week, quickly climbing in the 7% range and hitting a “nearly three year high,” as noted by Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) President and CEO Bob…

The post Mortgage Mix: Rates Rise to Mid-7%; Garg Celebrates Win Over Better appeared first on RISMedia.

At Salt Lake City’s eXpcon on Oct. 8, eXp Realty and Newrez announced a new mortgage joint venture, Revenos Mortgage. According to a release, the project is powered by Newrez and designed to serve eXp Realty agents and their clients. The joint venture brings together eXp’s national brokerage scale and agent network with Newrez’s mortgage…

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The number is getting worrisome for buyers. This week Freddie Mac posted the new mortgage rate of 7.40%. Gulp. That’s a three-year high.  Luckily for Americans with imperfect credit they have more mortgage routes to investigate, but the easiest lender to say yes may also be the most expensive one to repay. For buyers already…

The post Buying With Weak Credit: Financing Options From First to Worst appeared first on RISMedia.

Above, Alex Vidal, right, and John Featherston at RISMedia’s CEO Exchange. Photo by AJ Canaria.  Five months after the April announcement of the Real Brokerage acquiring the iconic REMAX brand, Alex Vidal, former president of ERA Real Estate, was announced as the new president of REMAX in September.  Bringing nearly three decades of experience in…

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In an effort toward making credit evaluations simpler and more borrower-friendly, mortgage lender United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) has announced a process enhancement that automatically selects the best credit score returned for a consumer by obtaining FICO® Scores and VantageScore® 4.0 on all credit pulls. The firm says the move will ensure it provides the borrower…

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