I became a grandma recently, which has been equal parts magical … and also mildly humiliating. Because apparently, everything we did thirty years ago is now wrong. Like, way wrong. I marvel that my daughter survived to age one. Put the baby on their stomach? Wrong. Kiss that baby on the face? Not ye

While many of the same real estate firms may grace the top echelons of the RealTrends Verified Rankings year after year, that is where, at least for many of these firms, the similarities between them end. From cloud-based to franchise networks, specializations and network approaches the top performi

For nearly two decades, real estate technology followed a predictable playbook: Build an all-in-one platform that does everything, with the CRM, dialer, transaction management and nurture campaigns all under one roof. But a quiet reversal is underway. A growing number of agents, teams and brokerages

Tri Pointe Homes shareholders overwhelmingly voted to approved the previously announced merger with Japanese firm Sumitomo Forestry during a special meeting of stockholders held on Thursday.  While the deal is not yet finalized, the acquisition is expected to close sometime during the second quarter

Homeowners associations (HOAs) filed 284,933 liens against U.S. homeowners in 2025 — an 8.6% increase from the 262,446 filings in 2024 and the equivalent of roughly one lien recorded every 90 seconds — according to property records compiled by Benutech. An HOA lien is a legal claim placed on a prope

While the mortgage industry lobbies to reduce credit report costs, the idea of allowing borrowers to use the same file across multiple lenders has slowly emerged. In this consumer-controlled portable credit report model, borrowers would authorize the use of a single credit report during their mortga

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger left in limbo legislation that would let faith-based organizations build affordable housing on their land without rezoning. Instead of vetoing or signing the Faith in Housing Act, Spanberger recommended changes. The recommendations keep the bill’s core intact but mak

The U.S. housing market is chronically underbuilt, resulting in a decades-long shortage. Burdensome regulations take part of the blame, but they are not the only cause. A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis indicates that regulations are just one piece of the puzzle. Labor shortage

On Thursday, Dark Matter Technologies announced the promotion of Vikas Rao from chief technology officer to CEO, with Rao replacing Sean Dugan. At the same time, the Florida-headquartered company announced layoffs impacting 5% of its workforce. The roles affected were not immediately announced. Rao,

Maine Gov. Janet Mills this week signed LD 1901, making Maine the first state to enact comprehensive consumer protections for home equity investments (HEIs), which the new law defines as “shared appreciation mortgage loans.” The bill, titled “An Act to Regulate Shared Appreciation Agreements Relatin

A borrower’s age should shape every financing recommendation, yet it is often treated as a secondary detail when a senior wants, or needs, access to a portion of their equity. Consider that most mortgage advice is built on the assumptions that the borrower will continue working and has time and reso

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is reversing course and throwing support behind a proposed annual tax on high-end second homes in New York City. Hochul, who had previously resisted the measure, now says affluent property owners — particularly those with multimillion-dollar second homes — should help

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools equip real estate agents with unprecedented capabilities. While ChatGPT has become a go-to tool for many of us, there are tons of AI tools for real estate that offer a more efficient, data-driven approach to generating new client leads. From automated chatbots that

Side has embedded a new suite of AI tools into its proprietary Side App to automate document checks, extract offer details, auto-tag signatures and deliver real-time business reporting for real estate agents and team leaders. The San Francisco-based brokerage platform announced the launch at Side x

Auction.com announced Tuesday that it has appointed President Ali Haralson as co-CEO and a member of its board of directors, formalizing a shared leadership structure with Jason Allnutt at the distressed real estate marketplace. Haralson, who has served as president since 2021, will lead the company

Williston Financial Group (WFG) announced a series of executive appointments, including Ryan Ozonian taking over as senior director of innovation and AI at MyHome. In the role, he will guide artificial intelligence (AI) and automation initiatives across the organization — working to integrate new te

Mortgage industry veteran Jeremy Moreithi has joined Waterstone Mortgage Corp. as branch manager of its office in Ashburn, Virginia, the company announced Wednesday. Moreithi, who has more than 20 years of mortgage lending experience, will be based in Ashburn but will primarily serve homebuyers in t

Florida-based AD Mortgage released a study this week that compares the costs of renting and owning a home, with the analysis showing that home equity accumulation often pays more over time versus the alternative of renting and investing a potential down payment in the stock market. The analysis comp

The Agency and Realty ONE Group Excel have joined the growing number of real estate entities who have settled the homebuyer commission lawsuit claims via the Tuccori lawsuit opt-in settlement.  The two firms informed Illinois-based Judge Georgia Alexakis, who is overseeing the Cwynar homebuyer commi