The latest real estate news, market data, and expert insight from RealtyWire.
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 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.
JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Bank of America grew mortgage originations roughly 32% on average in Q2 β banks are competing for home loans again.
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, Cisco and NVIDIA will deploy standardized ‘AI factories’ across Equinix’s global footprint β packaged demand for the scarcest real estate in tech.
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 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.
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 Real Estate opened its first office outside California, launching Southern Nevada operations led by Jason Lindstrom and Melissa Dominguez-Martin.
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’s 14-change FHA package streamlines appraisal reviews, eases 203(k) renovation draws and cuts duplicate paperwork β modest but real borrower savings.
Blackstone-affiliated LivCor agreed to pay $7 million and drop competitor-data rent software in a proposed nine-state deal. It denies wrongdoing.
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 International Realty acquired Majestic Realty Collective β eight affiliates from Vail to Lake Tahoe β as luxury brokerage consolidates.
Zillow’s Pro membership β consumer browsing signals, client collaboration and CRM integration β goes national after 20,000 agents tested the beta.
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.
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 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 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.
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 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.
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 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 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 is cheaper and faster, but physical staging can create a stronger in-person experience. Hereβs how sellers should choose.
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’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.
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.
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.
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.
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