"January 2025" Archives

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Compass attracts top Connecticut team

Compass is strengthening its presence in the Nutmeg State. On Friday, the largest brokerage in the country by sales volume announced that The Jennifer Leahy Team will be leaving Douglas Elliman to join the Robert Reffkin-helmed firm. Based in Greenwich, Connecticut, the team is led by Jennifer Leahy and consists of seven agents. The team…

Rising mortgage rates zap builder confidence

Today’s housing starts data exceeded estimates; however, a closer examination of the report with the builder confidence reveals that the recent rise in mortgage rates, approaching 7.25%, has negatively affected builder sentiment. Since late 2022, our analysis indicates that mortgage rates in the 6%-6.5% range are positive to grow sales, whereas rates at 7% and…

WaFd Bank exits home mortgage lending, says model is ‘unsustainable’

Seattle-based WaFd Bank, which has offered home loans for more than 100 years, announced Thursday in an earnings report that it will exit the single-family mortgage lending business. WaFd president and CEO Brent Beardall said in a LinkedIn post that the move will involve layoffs for about 8% of the company’s employees and called it…