Rocket offering renters up to $5K in closing credits

RocketRentRewards lets homebuyers earn closing cost credits equal to 10 percent of their verified rent payments over the past year, or $2,160 for those paying the average $1,800 in rent.

Cash offer pioneer Evergreen Home Loans expands to Southeast

Partnerships with real estate agents and builders laid the groundwork for the foray into Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee led by former Guild Mortgage exec John Porath.

Flyhomes’ NeighborVote reveals neighborhood political leanings

NeighborVote combines precinct-level voting data aggregated by the MIT Election Data & Science Lab with Flyhomes AI, allowing users to ask questions, such as  “Is this home in a red or blue neighborhood?” or view political insights directly on a home’s listing page, according to the report.

Fannie and Freddie will let more buyers off the hook for an appraisal

Appraisal waiver programs that rely on automated valuation models will be expanded next year to allow participation by homebuyers putting less than 20 percent down.

HomeLight lands $20M, adds 40 new ‘Buy Before You Sell’ states

HomeLight is partnered with more than 10,000 loan officers and 28,000 real estate agents to offer Buy Before You Sell in 46 states and Washington, D.C. — everywhere but Alaska, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island.