Steve Thompson is a staff reporter for RealtyWire, where he covers residential real estate, mortgage trends, home sales, housing market data, real estate finance, industry regulation, and the issues affecting Realtors, buyers, sellers, lenders, and property owners.
Before joining RealtyWire, Steve worked as a mortgage broker, giving him direct experience with the financing side of real estate transactions. His background in the mortgage business gives him valuable insight into how interest rates, lending standards, affordability, buyer demand, and regulatory changes influence the broader real estate market.
Steve brings a practical understanding of home sales, market analysis, real estate trends, financing issues, and the laws and regulations that shape residential real estate. His reporting focuses on making complex market and mortgage-related topics clear and useful for readers across the real estate industry.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Central Florida and currently lives in Orlando, Florida.
Steve Thompson 
Realtor.com’s analysis of FHFA data shows the rate lock-in barely eased in the second quarter, with a record 42.8% of mortgages originated during the pandemic boom and the 6%-plus share projected to reach 27% to 28.5% by mid-2027.
Auction.com’s Q3 2026 report shows completed foreclosure auctions at their highest since early 2020, with FHA-insured loans and mortgages originated since 2022 driving the increase and more auctions already scheduled for the fourth quarter.
Dutch manager Bouwinvest formed a U.S. office account with Tishman Speyer, joining a group with about $1.5 billion of purchasing power; the first investment is the Chrysler Building.
PulteGroup earned $476 million in the third quarter, down from $586 million, as orders fell 6%. Florida orders rose while the West and Southeast dropped about 15% or more.
Northpointe Bancshares signed a non-binding letter of intent to sell its distributed retail and consumer direct mortgage channels to CMG and expects $6 million to $7 million in restructuring costs.
Total U.S. construction starts fell 1.5% in September to a $1.33 trillion annual rate, Dodge said, as gains in schools and highways offset an 18.4% commercial pullback.
Poland supplied three of the week’s five highest-priced sales, including both the newest and the oldest homes on the list.
A Mediterranean Revival home from the 1920s and a custom-built Exmoor residence top a list that reaches from village streets to country acreage with a pond.
A contemporary on the bluff, a ranch on 20 acres and a brand-new home in Edwards were among the week’s priciest sales.
A gated estate on acreage led a week of five-bedroom homes, and agents at BHHS Ambassador Real Estate listed three of the five.
A stone home on Oconomowoc Lake led the week, followed by a riverfront horse property in Mequon, a Summit Downs estate, a Beerline condominium and a remodeled ranch in Elm Grove.
A contemporary home on a wooded Verona lot led the week, with a lakefront condominium in Monona and a 1930s Colonial in Nakoma also among the top sales.
A farmhouse in Oldham County topped a week otherwise centered on Jefferson County, where homes in Indian Hills, Highland Preserve, Lake Forest and Woodstone filled out the list.
A horse property in Versailles led the week, ahead of four Lexington sales that ranged from a ranch in Lakewood to a downtown condominium.
A home on the water in Bath, a wooded Cape Cod in East Lansing and a country property with a pool near Eaton Rapids were among the week’s top sales.
Waterfront living, wooded acreage, a brand-new custom build and a walkable in-town Craftsman made up a week of top sales on both sides of the Hamilton and Marion county line.
A lakefront ranch, a home set among acres of flower gardens and a newly finished build all made the week’s list, which reached across three counties.
Two ranches, a pair of Flushing colonials and a Grand Blanc family home made up the week’s top sales, with country land at one end of the list and quiet subdivision streets at the other.
A lakefront Colonial, a Craftsman on Silver Lake, a golf course ranch, a riverside horse farm and a Colonial in the heart of Northville made up the week’s top sales.
Five suburban homes in five communities, from a newly built ranch in Waukee to acreages in Ankeny and Adel, made up the week’s top sales.
Three of the week’s five top sales were in Greene County, on lots that ranged from about a third of an acre to more than 21 acres.
A newly built home leads the week, followed by two New Albany sales, a lakefront home and a wooded property in Powell.
Country acreage, a city contemporary and a new home on paper share a week in which two of the five top sales came from Chagrin Falls.
Four of the week’s top sales were in Clarksville, and the fifth, the highest-priced of the group, was in Indian Mound in Stewart County.
A renovated 1960s estate on more than 10 acres, a pair of newly built homes and a remodeled family home with a sport court were among the week’s top sales.
Lake views, Tudor detailing and room to spread out set the tone for the week’s top sales in Akron, Hudson and Richfield.
The Supreme Court of Ohio unanimously denied a developer’s bid to force Lordstown to review a four-building data center plan under pre-moratorium rules, holding that a preliminary site-plan submission creates no vested right.
CBRE will pay £460 million (about $610 million) in cash plus an earnout of up to £300 million for Onnec, a London-based data center infrastructure services firm, expanding its push into hyperscaler work in Europe and Asia Pacific.
Newmark formed a North American IOS practice, citing its research showing outdoor storage rents up 123% from 2020 to 2025 and vacancy at 5.8%.
Every sale on this week’s list was in Williamson County, with three in Franklin and two in College Grove.
Get expert insights, market updates, and new opportunities delivered to your inbox.