Chicago Industrial Market Faces Rising Vacancy
Chicago’s industrial vacancy rate climbed to 5.06% in the second quarter, according to Colliers, as absorption slowed and previously leased warehouse space returned to the market.
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Google Named End User of 8 Million-Square-Foot Data Center Project in Columbia, Georgia
Columbia County, Georgia officials announced Thursday that Google will be the sole end user and operator of an 8 million-square-foot, 23-building data center campus in Appling, part of a deal tied to a Ratepayer Protection Pledge and local tax relief plans.
Howard Hanna Acquires Maine’s Top Independent Real Estate Brokerage
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services is entering Northern New England, announcing a partnership to acquire Portside Real Estate Group, the brokerage it calls Maine’s top independent firm, extending its footprint to 18 states.
Manhattan Apartment Rents Hit All-Time High in June 2026
Manhattan’s median rent hit a record $5,295 in June 2026, up 8% year-over-year, according to The Corcoran Group’s June market report, as listings fell to a three-year low.
Coldwell Banker Warburg, NYC’s Largest Coldwell Banker Franchise, to Join Compass
Coldwell Banker Warburg, Coldwell Banker’s largest New York City franchise, is folding into Compass and will operate as “Warburg at Compass,” The Real Deal reports, following Compass’s completed acquisition of parent company Anywhere Real Estate.
Greenwich $10M+ Sales Near Record Pace on Stock Wealth
Fourteen Greenwich sales above $10 million by mid-June β plus six pending and a private $27.8M deal β put the trophy market on a near-record pace.
FHA Mortgage Defaults Post Annual Decline, ICE Mortgage Technology Data Shows
New FHA-backed mortgage defaults fell 15% year over year in June, the largest annual decline in more than four years, even as overall delinquencies and foreclosure activity ticked higher, ICE Mortgage Technology reports.
EQT Real Estate Secures $268 Million Financing for 2.8 Million-Square-Foot Industrial Logistics Portfolio
ING Capital provided a fully underwritten $268 million acquisition facility to EQT Real Estate’s Core Plus Fund IV for an 11-property, 2.8 million-square-foot logistics portfolio across six U.S. markets.
Digital Realty Trust Posts Strong Q2 2026 Earnings as AI Data Center Demand Surges
Digital Realty Trust topped Wall Street estimates in the second quarter of 2026 and raised its full-year guidance, citing strong leasing tied to AI-driven data center demand, according to its SEC-filed earnings release.
Opus Starts Construction on 898,500-Square-Foot Spec Industrial Park in Canal Winchester
Opus has broken ground on Canal Crossing Commerce Center, an 898,500-square-foot, three-building speculative industrial park near Columbus, Ohio, targeting a June 2027 completion with no tenants yet signed.
Berkshire Hathaway Completes $8.5 Billion Acquisition of Taylor Morrison
Berkshire Hathaway has closed its $8.5 billion acquisition of Taylor Morrison, merging the homebuilder with Berkshire’s Clayton Properties Group to form the nation’s fourth-largest homebuilding operation.
Keller Williams Announces Key Leadership Appointments
Keller Williams named five leaders, including a new head of divisions and co-heads of U.S. growth and attraction, in a leadership reshuffle aimed at accelerating agent growth and commercial expansion.
Miami Overtakes New York and the Bay Area as Top Ultra-Luxury Home Market
Miami-Dade recorded 24 home sales above $30 million in the first half of 2026, nearly double last year’s pace, overtaking New York and the Bay Area in ultra-luxury deal volume as wealthy buyers migrate to Florida, according to data from Analytics Miami cited by Bloomberg.
U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Grows to 5,975 Projects in Q2 2026, Lodging Econometrics Reports
Lodging Econometrics’ Q2 2026 data shows the U.S. hotel construction pipeline reached 5,975 projects and 703,001 rooms, with record highs in luxury, upper upscale, and conversion activity.
U.S. Housing Economy Shifts From Stagnation to Contraction, Fitch Analysts Warn
Fitch Ratings analysts said in a July 24 webinar that the U.S. housing economy has moved from stagnation into contraction at mid-2026, citing weak new-home sales, elevated mortgage rates and a mortgage lock-in effect even as home prices hit record highs.
Santa Cruz County Named Nation’s Most Expensive Rental Market for Fourth Straight Year
Santa Cruz County topped NLIHC’s Out of Reach 2026 report for a fourth straight year, requiring an $81.04 hourly wage to afford a $4,214/month two-bedroom rental.
Big Banks Post a Sharp Second-Quarter Mortgage Rebound
JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Bank of America grew mortgage originations roughly 32% on average in Q2 β banks are competing for home loans again.
HUD Withholds Records on AI Used to Review Housing Rules
Reporting says DOGE used AI to flag HUD rules for deletion β and HUD withheld 100+ documents about it, citing a FOIA privilege that doesn’t exist.
Equinix Brings Plug-In AI Factories to Its Data Centers
Equinix, Cisco and NVIDIA will deploy standardized ‘AI factories’ across Equinix’s global footprint β packaged demand for the scarcest real estate in tech.
Mortgage Rates Climb to Highest Level of 2026, Freddie Mac Says
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 6.58% this week, its highest level of 2026 and a third straight weekly increase, Freddie Mac’s survey shows.
New Home Sales Edge Up in June, but Prices Keep Falling
New home sales rose 1.6% in June to a 628,000 annual rate, Census and HUD data show, but the gain isn’t statistically significant and median prices fell 3.3% from May.
House Subcommittee Summons Compass, MRED CEOs Over Private Listings Deal
A House Judiciary subcommittee asked Compass and MRED to brief lawmakers by August 5 on a private-listing partnership raising antitrust and affordability concerns.
Equity Union Expands Into Nevada, Its First Market Outside California
Equity Union Real Estate opened its first office outside California, launching Southern Nevada operations led by Jason Lindstrom and Melissa Dominguez-Martin.
Harvard’s Housing Report Explains Why the Market Is Stuck
Harvard’s State of the Nation’s Housing: sales near 30-year lows, $120K income needed for the median home, and a 7.2-million-unit affordable-rental gap.
HUD Rolls Out 14 FHA Changes to Cut Costs and Delays
HUD’s 14-change FHA package streamlines appraisal reviews, eases 203(k) renovation draws and cuts duplicate paperwork β modest but real borrower savings.
LivCor Agrees to $7 Million Deal in Rent-Software Case
Blackstone-affiliated LivCor agreed to pay $7 million and drop competitor-data rent software in a proposed nine-state deal. It denies wrongdoing.
Real’s RE/MAX Deal Clears a Key U.S. Antitrust Hurdle
The DOJ granted early termination of the HSR waiting period for Real’s proposed RE/MAX combination β one hurdle down, shareholder votes still ahead.
Sotheby’s Buys Majestic Realty in Major Resort-Market Deal
Sotheby’s International Realty acquired Majestic Realty Collective β eight affiliates from Vail to Lake Tahoe β as luxury brokerage consolidates.
Zillow Takes Its Pro Agent Membership Nationwide
Zillow’s Pro membership β consumer browsing signals, client collaboration and CRM integration β goes national after 20,000 agents tested the beta.
Meta Commits Over $50 Billion to Louisiana Data Center
Meta is expanding its Louisiana campus to nearly 10 million square feet and 5 gigawatts β a $50 billion bet that reshapes land, power and labor markets.