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.
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The latest real estate news, market data, and expert insight from RealtyWire.
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.
Home Prices Rose in 71% of Metros as the Map Fractures
NAR: prices rose in 71% of metros in Q1 while nearly 29% went flat or negative β the most fragmented price map in years. San Jose tops $2 million.
Miami Leads Sun Belt Home-Price Growth as Rivals Slip
Miami home prices rose 1.1% in April while Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa and Denver all fell β the Sun Belt correction now has a conspicuous exception.
Lennar’s 12.9% Incentives Show the Cost of Moving New Homes
Lennar delivered 20,519 homes with incentives at 12.9% of price β about $48,000 a home β while trimming 2026 guidance. What it says about new construction.
Entry-Level Buyers Finally Catch a Break on Inventory
Pending sales in the cheapest 5% of listings rose 10.3% as inventory grew 12.2% β the entry level is loosening faster than the market at large.
Title Premiums Jump to $4.5 Billion as Deal Volume Returns
Title insurers wrote $4.5 billion in Q1 premiums, up from $3.9 billion, while claims fell β a clean confirmation that transaction volume is recovering.
Home Values Cushioned a $1.8 Trillion Stock Slide in Q1
Households lost $1.8 trillion in stocks in Q1 β yet net worth rose, because real estate gained $0.8 trillion. Housing’s stabilizer role, quantified.
A Third of Forecasters Saw a Fed Hike Next. Then CPI Cooled
A July survey found 34% of economists expecting a Fed hike next β quadruple January’s share. Days later, June’s CPI drop rewrote the story.
Digital Realty Pays $7.8B for Blackstone’s Virginia Stakes
Digital Realty agreed to buy Blackstone’s stakes in three fully leased Virginia data centers β 288 MW for $7.8 billion, an AI-era valuation benchmark.
Virtual Staging vs. Physical Staging: What Sellers Should Know
Virtual staging is cheaper and faster, but physical staging can create a stronger in-person experience. Hereβs how sellers should choose.
FHFA: New England Climbs While Mountain-State Prices Slip
The FHFA index was flat in April β but regions ran opposite directions, from New England’s +1.0% month to the Mountain division’s -0.8% drop.
Texas Tilts Toward Buyers as Supply Hits 5.2 Months
Texas’s median price slipped below last year as supply reached 5.2 months β yet sales keep growing. Inside the most orderly correction in the country.
Real Home Prices Fall for an 11th Straight Month
Case-Shiller shows prices up 0.8% in a year when inflation ran 3.8% β meaning inflation-adjusted U.S. home values fell for an 11th straight month.
Inside the OCC’s $2.6 Trillion Window on Bank Mortgages
The OCC’s Q1 report tracks 10.2 million bank-serviced mortgages β $2.6 trillion, 19.1% of the market β the regulator-grade check on mortgage health.
Washington Housing Inventory Jumps 16% as Prices Ease
Active listings across Washington’s NWMLS rose 16.4% year over year in June while the median price eased 3% to $650,000 β a market tilting toward buyers.
Rents Fall for a 35th Straight Month as Supply Does the Work
The median asking rent fell 1.5% year over year to $1,692 in June β the 35th straight decline β while weak permitting threatens future supply.
Mortgage Credit Tightens to Its Lowest Level Since December
The MBA’s credit availability index fell 2% in June, led by a 4.6% drop in FHA and VA programs β tightening options for stretched borrowers.