Accomplice in Ridgeland Mortgage, Smith Douglas Houses, went public in January and targets price-conscious entry-level and empty-nest homebuyers within the South and Southeast.
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With scarce inventories persevering with to crimp gross sales of present properties in lots of markets, loanDepot is relying on a confirmed technique to spice up its buy mortgage enterprise: Forming joint ventures with homebuilders.
LoanDepot’s newest three way partnership companion is Woodstock, Georgia-based Smith Douglas Houses, which targets price-conscious entry-level and empty-nest homebuyers within the Southeast and Southern U.S.
“Smith Douglas Homes’ approach to the new construction market is perfectly aligned with loanDepot’s commitment to serving the needs of first-time homebuyers,” loanDepot govt Dan Peña mentioned, in an announcement Monday.
As soon as it’s up and working, the plan is for the brand new three way partnership, Ridgeland Mortgage, to function in Atlanta; Houston; Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; and Chattanooga and Nashville, Tennessee.
“Our partnership with loanDepot allows us to focus on what we do best — delivering incredible value to our customers with high quality homes at an affordable price point — while leveraging loanDepot’s mortgage lending expertise to provide a smooth and seamless home loan process,” Smith Douglas Houses CEO Greg Bennett mentioned in an announcement.
Smith Douglas Houses, which raised $173 million in a January preliminary public providing, constructed and offered 2,297 properties final yr, and owned or had choices to construct on almost 13,000 extra tons, the corporate mentioned in its most up-to-date annual report back to buyers.
The builder presently works with a secure of most popular lenders within the markets the place it’s lively. In Atlanta, for instance, Smith Douglas Houses works with BankSouth Mortgage, NorthStar Mortgage Advisors and Motion Mortgage.
LoanDepot’s different joint ventures embrace NHC Mortgage (with Nationwide HomeCorp), LGI Mortgage Options (with LGI Houses), Henlopen Mortgage (with Schell Brothers), BRP Mortgage (with Brookfield Residential), MTH Mortgage (Meritage Houses), MSC Mortgage (with Michael Saunders & Firm), TRI Pointe Join (with Tri Pointe Houses) and Day 1 Mortgage (with Century 21 Redwood Realty).
In its most up-to-date annual report back to buyers, loanDepot reported $21 million in web earnings from its joint ventures in 2023, up 22 % from 2022 and almost double the $11.9 million in income its joint ventures generated in 2021.
New properties taking extra market share
With elevated mortgage charges making many owners reluctant to place their properties up on the market, Fannie Mae economists anticipate new house gross sales will develop 7 % this yr to 713,000. New properties are projected to make up 15 % of 2024 house gross sales, up from 11 % in 2022.
LoanDepot’s joint ventures with homebuilders “typically experience their highest level of activity during November and December as home builders focus on completing and selling homes prior to year-end,” the corporate mentioned in its annual report.
E-mail Matt Carter