As part of HousingWire’s Editor’s Choice awards spotlight series, we’re spotlighting past Women of Influence honorees whose careers, leadership and insights continue to influence the industry. This series offers a closer look at the experiences and decisions that have shaped their paths. HousingWire

Sunlife Homes, despite kickstarting operations during the economically wobbly and environmentally volatile pandemic era in Southwest Florida, operated among the fastest-growing homebuilders in the nation last year.  The company ranked 11th fastest-growing builder in the 2025 HousingWire Homebuilder

Ask any real estate agent what threatens their business, and they’ll mention market slowdowns, rising interest rates or fierce competition from other agents. Rarely will they mention the one problem that quietly costs them commissions every single week — unanswered phone calls and slow response time

The housing market has spent three years talking about one number: the mortgage rate. That makes sense. The mortgage rate matters. It decides the monthly payment. It decides who can buy, who can refinance, who can move and who has to wait. But the lock-in has lasted long enough that the rate is no l

Elevated mortgage rates, affordability pressures and economic uncertainty continue to shape the housing market in 2026, prompting homebuilders to adopt a more disciplined operating approach. Across the industry, builders are refining product mix, tightening inventory levels and pursuing strategic ho

Though there is still a lot of uncertainty, it looks like we could have an actual end to the Iran conflict as tankers are starting to move through the Strait of Hormuz. If we don’t have to worry about oil prices getting much higher for longer, what are the implications for mortgage rates? And what h

There’s been a noticeable shift in how clients approach this business. Buyers and sellers aren’t just hiring agents anymore. They’re vetting them more carefully, asking sharper questions and paying closer attention to how you show up before, during, and after the transaction. The dynamic has flipped

U.S. House appropriators unveiled a fiscal 2027 spending bill that includes the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with proposed cuts drawing criticism from housing advocates. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations (THUD) Act, 2027, appr

For some real estate brokers and team leaders, coaching can be difficult to scale. Individual coaching offers more personalized guidance but can be costly, while group training reaches more agents but may not address each agent’s specific needs. Phillip Gagnon, founder and CEO of broker management p

Like other segments of the broader housing industry, the appraisal space is rapidly evolving through consolidation, technology adoption and federal policy shifts. Reverse mortgage professionals should be mindful of these factors as they work with appraisers to close deals. Erik Morin, CEO of Miami-b

For years, the mortgage industry wore integrations like a badge of honor. Legacy loan origination systems have hundreds of them, connecting to every vendor, service provider and data source imaginable. The more, the merrier. Sounds impressive? Look closer. Think about the incentives. For a service p

It’s been a day full of news about a possible peace deal with Iran, which would be great news for housing. However, even though mortgage rates have risen due to the conflict lasting longer than anyone initially thought, housing demand has held up, and housing inventory is now on the verge of going n

As states take varying approaches to regulating home equity investment (HEI) products, the industry faces an increasingly fragmented legal landscape shaped by consumer protection concerns and uncertainty over whether the products should be treated as mortgage loans. Under an HEI, homeowners receive

National mortgage banking company All Western Mortgage (AWM) announced on Thursday that HouseAmerica Financial has joined the company as it continues its national expansion. HouseAmerica Financial, based in La Cañada, California, produces about $500 million annually in mortgage volume, according to

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill that increases benefits for veterans and their surviving families, offsetting the cost by raising fees on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) refinance transactions. The legislation — H.R. 6047, also known as the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmu

Chicagoland area listings are back on Zillow and Trulia as of Friday afternoon, after Chicago-based federal Judge John Tharp, Jr. granted in part Zillow’s preliminary injunction motion seeking to prevent Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) from suspending its listing feeds.  On Monday, Zillow filed the

The California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) voiced strong support for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $100 million allocation for the Southern California Rebuild Fund included in this month’s revised state budget proposal, the trade group said this week. The proposed funding is designed to expan

The battle between Zillow, Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) and Compass International Holdings, reached a zenith this week when MRED suspended its IDX and VOW listing feeds to Zillow and Trulia. This came after the portal allegedly refused to cure what the MLS called a “material breach” of its licens

Ohio-based Epcon Communities, a leader in the active adult segment, celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, while positioning itself for continued expansion amid strong demand from lifestyle-driven 55+ homebuyers. Phil Fankhauser and Ed Bacome founded the company in 1986, focusing on low-maintena

I’d like to share a New York expression because it’s very appropriate for this situation. “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, I should slap myself in the head.” I am watching colleagues I respect, smart people in this industry, telling agents to get on board with the new Google listing pilot.