The latest real estate news, market data, and expert insight from RealtyWire.
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.
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.
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