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 
A six-bedroom Delmar home sold for $1.52 million, the highest-priced sale reported in the Albany, New York metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A lakefront property spanning more than 18 acres on Dawns Pass sold for $2.80 million, the highest-priced home sale reported in the Knoxville, Tennessee metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A townhome in Chapel Hill’s Meadowmont community sold for $2 million to lead five reported home sales in the Durham metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
Realty Income and KKR said Sept. 14 they will form a euro-denominated joint venture holding net lease assets in Spain, Ireland, Poland and the Netherlands, with KKR taking 49% for €528 million and Realty Income keeping control and the management fee.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced separate settlements Sept. 14 with JBG Smith and Mid-America Apartments, which will pay $8.1 million and $1.2 million and stop using revenue management software built on competitors’ confidential data.
Ordinance 127491 lets Seattle homeowners bar brokers, agents and investors from approaching them about selling, with penalties that compound daily once a name is on the list.
A mountain estate remodeled in 2022 sold for $6.98 million in Evergreen, the highest-priced home sale reported in the Denver metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A 1930 house on 24 acres in Hanover sold for $1 million, the highest reported home sale in the York, Pennsylvania metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A custom home built in 2024 on 5.21 acres in Cunningham sold for $1.04 million, the highest reported sale in the Clarksville, Tennessee metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A gated Banana Lake estate sold for $2 million, the highest-priced home sale reported in the Lakeland, Florida metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A wooded-lot house in Johnston’s Enclave sold for $1.65 million to lead the Des Moines metro area’s reported home sales for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A custom-built home on the Bent Creek Country Club golf course in Lititz sold for $1.64 million, the highest reported sale in the Lancaster metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A Mason property on just over 10 acres sold for $653,000 to lead five reported home sales in the Lansing metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a rent emergency on Sept. 10, backing six proposed ordinances and more than $30 million in spending, including a 10 percent annual ceiling on banked rent increases and capital improvement pass-throughs.
A newly built Alys Beach home sold for $9.75 million, the highest reported sale in the Crestview, Florida metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
Mayor Daniel Lurie broke ground Sept. 9 on FivePoint’s 270-acre Candlestick Point redevelopment, which is planned for 7,200 homes and a 2.8-million-square-foot innovation district in the Bayview.
The entry point to the top 10% of U.S. listings fell 4.0% to $1,200,005 in August, Realtor.com said, while Los Angeles took the top metro spot by declining less than its rivals.
A riverfront home in Anchorage Point sold for $15 million, the highest reported sale in the Port St. Lucie metro area for the week ending September 6.
A 2018 farmhouse with a renovated 1928 stable in Aiken’s historic district sold for $2.20 million, the highest reported home sale in the Augusta, Georgia metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A seven-bedroom home in The Estates at Donath Lake sold for $4.19 million, the highest reported sale in the Fort Collins metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
The all-stock combination announced Sept. 9 creates a middle-market apartment REIT with 44,354 units across 163 communities in 17 states, an $8.1 billion enterprise value and roughly $24 million in expected annual synergies.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s survey for the week ending Sept. 4 shows the 30-year fixed rate at 6.85%, refinance applications at their slowest weekly pace since May 2025, and adjustable-rate loans taking their largest share since June.
A 35-acre Kennebunkport estate built around a 1782 post-colonial house sold for $5.25 million, the highest reported home sale in the Portland, Maine metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A renovated estate on nearly 14 acres in Greenway Crossings sold for $2.69 million, the highest reported home sale in the Ocala metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
A Dillard-Jones-built home in The Cliffs at Walnut Cove sold for $5.80 million, the highest reported sale in the Asheville metro area for the week ending September 6, 2026.
FHFA Director Bill Pulte ended a four-month limited rollout and instructed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to accept VantageScore 4.0 from every lender, effective immediately. Fair Isaac shares fell 16% on Friday as investors weighed the first real competition to FICO in mortgage underwriting.
Maryland opened applications Sept. 4 for First Homes for First Responders and Teachers, offering eligible first-time buyers a rate half a point below standard Maryland Mortgage Program pricing plus a 5% interest-free deferred loan for down payment and closing costs.
AHR took ownership of six of eight Kensington Senior Living communities for about $572 million, pushing year-to-date investments past $2 billion, and named Public Storage’s Aric Chang chief financial officer a day later.
Northwest Multiple Listing Service will launch a First Look status on Sept. 4 that hides days on market and price cuts for up to 21 days while keeping listings open to all 30,000-plus member brokers, resolving Compass’s antitrust suit.
H.R. 10184 would move the CFPB onto congressional appropriations, cut the maximum daily penalty for a knowing violation from $1 million to $50,120, raise the bank supervision threshold to $30 billion and narrow nonbank oversight of mortgage lenders.
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