Mortgage Insights

Plain-English guidance on rates, home buying, and refinancing from the The Lending Stars team.

Housing Industry News

The new listing wars and why agents need to pay attention

May 19, 2026 · 5:34 PM Tim and Julie Harris HousingWire

For years, the MLS was something agents barely thought about. It was simply part of the landscape. You entered listings. You searched homes. You scheduled…

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Housing Industry News

Can the housing market weather the storm as mortgage rates climb past 6.7%?

May 19, 2026 · 5:03 PM Neil Pierson HousingWire

Mortgage rates continued to move higher in the past week as geopolitical turmoil caused the 10-year Treasury yield to soar, although mortgage spreads remain…

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Housing Industry News

2026 GameChanger: Lamacchia Realty defies market slump with 68% growth

May 19, 2026 · 5:00 PM Jonathan Delozier HousingWire

While higher interest rates pushed thousands of real estate agents out of the business, Anthony Lamacchia saw opportunity. Lamacchia Realty — based in…

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Housing Industry News

CrossCountry Mortgage expands RON, eNote closings with Blend

May 19, 2026 · 4:28 PM HousingWire Automation HousingWire

CrossCountry Mortgage has overhauled its closing operations using Blend Close, Blend’ s digital closing software, allowing the company to cut average…

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Housing Industry News

New-home purchase applications slip 2.4% year over year in April

May 19, 2026 · 3:51 PM HousingWire Automation HousingWire

Mortgage applications for new home purchases fell 2.4% in April 2026 compared to a year earlier, the first annual decline since October 2025, according to…

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Housing Industry News

Pending home sales rise 1.4% in April, NAR says

May 19, 2026 · 3:47 PM Brooklee Han HousingWire

Pending home sales were up again in April, rising 1.4% from a month prior according to data released Tuesday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR).…

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Housing Industry News

Two Harbors delays shareholder vote on CCM deal amid UWM rivalry

May 19, 2026 · 3:28 PM Flávia Furlan Nunes, HousingWire Automation HousingWire

Two Harbors Investment Corp. has pushed its special meeting of stockholders to May 28 to give investors more time to vote on its proposed sale to an…

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Housing Industry News

What happens if Zillow loses MRED listings tonight?

May 19, 2026 · 3:00 PM Darryl Davis HousingWire

A federal courtroom in Chicago is about to settle a question the industry has avoided for years. Who decides where a home gets advertised? Tonight at 11:59…

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Housing Industry News

Rocket Mortgage, Redfin introduce savings program valued at up to $20K

May 19, 2026 · 2:46 PM Sarah Wolak HousingWire

Rocket Mortgage and Redfin , both part of Rocket Companies , on Tuesday announced an incentive program that offers eligible home buyers and sellers up to…

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Housing Industry News

Opendoor’s ‘grand reopening’: Courting agents with a new RealScout integration

May 19, 2026 · 2:30 PM HousingWire Automation HousingWire

Opendoor has launched its Cash Now, More Later product nationwide through a new partnership with RealScout , making RealScout the first lead nurture…

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