DOJ Challenges Constitutionality Of CFPB
The U.S. Department of Justice filed an amicus brief in federal court on Friday, March 17, challenging the constitutionality of the structure of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.
CFPB Imposes Largest HMDA Fine To Date Against Nationstar Mortgage
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) last week ordered Nationstar Mortgage LLC to pay a $1.75 million civil penalty for violating the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) by consistently failing to report accurate data about mortgage transactions for 2012 through 2014.
Technology Makes Green Building More Affordable, Popular
As more consumers demand high-performance components in their homes, builders have gone from lowering energy costs to eliminating them – and are now building comfortable homes that actually produce more energy than they consume in a year. And thanks to the popularity of the fast-growing green building movement, those homes are in high demand.
Two Largest MLSs In Connecticut Approve Merger
The Connecticut Multiple Listing Service Inc. (CTMLS), and the Greater Fairfield County CMLS (GFC CMLS) together representing over 17,000 real estate professionals in Connecticut, announced yesterday they will merge to form one MLS that will be called SmartMLS.
New Home Mortgage Applications Up In February
New home mortgage applications were up 2.2 percent in February compared to February 2016, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS).
U.S. Residential Foreclosure Crisis: Ten Years Later
A report released today from CoreLogic, a global property information and analytics firm concludes that in the decade following the peak of the U.S. foreclosure nearly 7.8 million homes were lost nationwide.
Another Rookie Year
Jeff Criswell was a starting tackle in the NFL (Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs) for a dozen seasons – more than twice the league average – before retiring in 1998.
Remodeling Spending Expected To Reach All-Time Highs In 2017
Nationwide spending on remodeling is expected to increase 6.7 percent to $317 billion in 2017 from $297 billion last year, according to a report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. And contractors in the Nutmeg State are already seeing the...
NAR Reports National Housing Market Continued Its Recovery In 2016
The best quarterly sales pace of the year pushed available housing supply to record lows and caused price appreciation to slightly speed up in the final three months of 2016, according to the latest quarterly report by the National Association of Realtors. The report also revealed that sales prices in over half of measured markets since 2005 are now at or above their previous peak level.
Like Father, Like Son
Carl Lantz started his professional life as a professional chef, a career he says is one of the few that forces people to work longer, later hours than real estate does.
Study Says Home Renovation Spending To Peak In 2017
A recent report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University predicts that home remodeling spending in the U.S. will peak in the middle of this year.
Responsiveness Gets Rewarded
Lauren Freedman started selling real estate during one of the worst markets in memory.
Blazing A Trail On The Internet’s Frontier
Kim Gifford already had sales experience when she began her real estate career, but in the early 2000s, she knew she had to learn how to market herself online. These days she could hardly be any busier. When she’s not selling houses, she enjoys spending time with her sons, Michael and Peter, and her 8-year-old border collie/golden retriever mix, Oreo. She’s an avid flower gardener and enjoys tennis and long walks – when time allows.
Low Interest Rates Fueled A Strong Real Estate Market
The final numbers won’t be in for another month, but 2016 has been a good year for real estate. Leaders in different areas of real estate each saw it a little differently, but all agreed that low interest rates helped more than anything to fuel the Nutmeg State’s busy residential real estate market.
Successful Real Estate Pros Use Slow Season To Refuel And Reconnect
As the holidays descend upon us, most people in the residential real estate world welcome the relaxed pace. Savvy business people recommend more than relaxing during the slow part of the real estate cycle; they say it’s also a great time to re-tool.
Embrace Technology Or Get Out Of The Business
Rebecca Zandvliet likes to keep busy. In addition to managing the Coldwell Banker franchise she owns, she sells real estate, flips houses, does a lot of volunteer work, and owns an eight-parcel residential development she’s also selling. She’s got four sons and five grandchildren and spends what little free time she has with them. Her husband is from the Netherlands, so they love traveling in Europe as well.
Concrete Basements In Connecticut Are Crumbling
Since 1992, hundreds of northern Connecticut homeowners have discovered the concrete foundations that support their homes are crumbling and have to be replaced.
It’s A Family Affair
Jim Guarrera became a lifelong Red Sox fan after growing up two blocks from controversial Red Sox center fielder Jimmy Piersall, in Waterbury. After four years as a general manager with Tom Brennan real estate, he started his own firm with a partner 27 years ago. Working in the Naugatuck Valley and upper Fairfield County gives his agents a wide range of properties to sell. In October, his office sold single-family homes ranging from $50,000 to $720,000.
Marketing To Millennials
John Hodgkins has worked through some of the best and worst markets in recent memory – but before that, he was a tackle for the University of Maine-Orono Black Bears, and today loves following UConn Huskies with his wife, an alum.
Home Prices Down, Sales Up … For Now
If current trends continue, it could spell trouble for the Nutmeg State, according to the National Association of Realtors’ report on the impact of residential real estate sales on the local economy. According to NAR’s report, Connecticut’s 2015 median home sale price
