Modus wants to make earnest deposits as easy as Venmo-ing

Modus hopes to bring that same ease of use to the process of paying earnest money. In an email, Modus co-founder and chief operating officer Jai Sim told Inman that users can connect Digital Earnest Money Deposit to their bank accounts, though it is no… Continue reading

Housing discrimination by zodiac sign?

While most discrimination laws apply only to landlords and brokers rather than people seeking roommates for themselves, any tenant would have a difficult time making a discrimination case due to their astrological sign, said Dr. David Wachsmuth, a McGi… Continue reading

HomeSmart’s new website serves up listings from wherever you go

When the listing agent is not a HomeSmart agent, users receive the property info they requested as well as contact information for the HomeSmart office closest to the listing. The office manager then distributes to lead according to internal business r… Continue reading

HUD releases new income limits for housing programs

According to a primer provided by HUD, eligibility for programs is based on three income levels — extremely low income (less than 30 percent of the median family income), very low (less than 50 percent of the median family income), and low (less than 8… Continue reading

Vacasa launches interior design service for rental owners

Kimberly White, the company’s head of interior design services, told Inman that the program has three different service tiers, which are flexible enough to accommodate everyone from DIYers to property owners looking for a full service experience. Continue reading

How Vancouver college kids live in mansions on the cheap

As a result, owners of luxury homes, many of which happen to be close to the university, have been renting out bedrooms to avoid being hit with extra taxes. Since most students are already expecting to have roommates rather than a whole apartment, they… Continue reading

War of the rankings: T3 Sixty hits Real Trends with cease-and-desist

Several days ago, T3 Sixty, creator of the Swanepoel Mega 1000 ranking of top U.S. real estate firms, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Steve Murray,  president and editor of Real Trends (the firm that produces the Real Trends 500 rankings)… Continue reading

Total Expert wants to let banks, lenders track people’s lives

Journey Creator, as the tool is called, is designed to let banks and lenders craft marketing campaigns around major events in consumers’ lives. It draws on data to identify those life events, and the company believes the end result will be that financi… Continue reading