Today, the new home sales data perfectly explains why housing permits are near cycle lows and why we can’t get any traction on building more homes in America, as we have been basically stuck in one sales range for 10 years. If I take away the surge in new home sales early in COVID and the lows in 20

Miami Realtors + RWorld has completed its second merger in just over two months, joining with Martin County Realtors of the Treasure Coast to create a single association and multiple listing (MLS) service spanning five counties in southeast Florida. The merger expands the organization to approximate

New mortgage default activity remained stable in June, with new defaults among Federal Housing Administration (FHA) borrowers falling 15% from a year earlier, marking the largest annual decline in more than four years. That’s according to Intercontinental Exchange’s (ICE) latest First Look Mortgage

In the mortgage industry, no word carries more stigma than subprime. For anyone who lived through 2008, it brings up memories of falling home values, rising foreclosures and a financial system that nearly came apart at the seams. Pinning that same reputation on non-QM lending is a mistake the indust

When rates surged and the mortgage market shifted almost overnight, lenders were forced into difficult decisions. Growth plans changed. Costs were reassessed. Teams had to adapt quickly to a different operating reality. At Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group, that moment reinforced a simple truth: While mar

A House Judiciary subcommittee is pressing Compass International Holdings and Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) to explain their nationwide private listing network partnership, citing concerns that the arrangement could limit transparency, reduce competition and harm homebuyers and sellers. The House

The market-driven forces for greater homebuilder margins, sales pace and efficiency in 2026 take a variety of shapes, sizes, risks and opportunistic tactics. For PulteGroup, a key margin-enhancing strategy is leveraging improved build-cycles and a balanced sales pace to swell its mix of build-to-ord

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation that would make a series of changes to federal banking regulations, including easing certain capital, supervisory and merger requirements for community banks and other smaller financial institutions. The bill is sponsored by House Commi

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released its second-quarter update on the 2026-2028 strategic plan on Wednesday outlining progress on lobbying, legal strategy, MLS guidance, technology and education designed to protect member businesses and reinforce the value of membership. NAR CEO Nykia

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer took a big step toward clearing the path for developers to build smaller apartment buildings more affordably. Whitmer signed Michigan’s single-stair legislation into law this week, a green light for developers to build multifamily housing up to six stories more economically, wi

Transaction activity slowed across much of the housing market as mortgage rates remained elevated, but metros where homes remain within reach of buyers continued outperforming higher-priced markets. Mortgage rates remained above 6.64% for most of the week, creating another headwind for housing deman

SERHANT. appointed Nick Janovsky director of luxury sales for Tampa, St. Petersburg and the Gulf Beaches, the company announced on Wednesday. Based in St. Petersburg, Janovsky brings more than $250 million in career sales volume across 340-plus transactions, according to the announcement. He was a t

National mortgage lender HighTechLending has rolled out major enhancements to its EquitySelect product line, expanding borrower eligibility, raising maximum loan-to-value ratios and widening access to low-payment qualification options for home equity loans. The changes, announced Wednesday, are effe

Building codes are ripe for change as policy analysts and the housing reform movement at large move beyond land use and zoning alone. After working through several hundred hours of building code reviews in Minnesota over the past decade, reforms are needed, even with our robust local adoption proces

On Monday, President Donald Trump threatened to impose 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, raising questions about the potential impacts on homebuilders and residential construction costs.  The tariffs, which would take effect in 30 days if the United States and Canada can’t negotiate an agreement,

Few homebuilding enterprises look so voraciously at other homebuilding operators’ share of new-home sales in any given arena as present and future opportunity as does D.R. Horton. When those Horton flags flap in the dry summer wind, you can almost hear them as lips smacking in anticipation of a good

When Keller Williams announced its acquisition of the Jason Mitchell Group (JMG) earlier this month, Steve Murray, the co-founder of RealTrends Consulting, felt it was an historical moment for real estate companies with models similar to JMG, such as Mark Spain Real Estate, PLACE or Robert Slack Gro

Institutional investors are listing significantly more single-family rental homes for sale following passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, but economists and real estate professionals say the legislation is unlikely to dramatically reshape the national housing market. New data from Parcl

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is proposing a new structure, called Reinstatement Advance Payment (RAP), that would change how servicers document and service partial claims and payment supplements.  Under the draft, attributed to Joseph M. Gormley, who is performing the delegable duties of

Equifax will keep its $1 VantageScore 4.0 price in place through the end of 2027 as it pushes mortgage lenders to adopt the alternative credit score model, CEO Mark Begor told investors. The initiative was first launched in March, when the company also continued to offer free VantageScore 4.0 credit