Home prices are still climbing, but the pace is slowing

Home prices continue to outpace last year, but at a pace that’s slowing down.The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index for April rose 2.7% year over year, a deceleration from 3.37% in March, 3.9% in February and 4.1% in January. It’s the first data for the Case-Shiller that includes the period

Christie’s affiliate adds five top agents in Northern California

Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno, the largest locally owned and operated independent real estate brokerage in Northern California, is continuing its growth with the addition of five top-producing agents — formerly with Intero Real Estate Services — to its South Santa Clara County operatio

Volly’s new tech tool aims to improve collaboration between lenders, agents

Williston Financial Group (WFG) announced the release of a new digital tool through subsidiary Volly that aims to enhance collaboration between mortgage loan officers and real estate agents.The new feature, known as Volly Network Connections, is part of the company’s broader marketing suite and offe

Does Zillow’s policy really restrict Compass’s business?

While the more attention-grabbing parts of Compass’s complaint in its suit against Zillow included late night calls between Robert Reffkin and “co-conspirator” Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman, and a tense meeting with Zillow executives, the complaint also detailed the business impacts Compass is feeling as

CFPB cuts short monitoring of BofA mortgage practices

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) cut short a five-year agreement with Bank of America over the bank’s alleged submissions of false mortgage data. The agreement was supposed to be in place through at least November 2028.In a filing made public Monday, the CFPB said the bank “fulfilled

Jerome Powell says the Fed isn’t budging on interest rates

The Federal Reserve has come under renewed fire from the Trump administration in recent weeks as the president and key housing officials battle with Chair Jerome Powell over the direction of interest rates.On Tuesday, while speaking to members of the House Financial Services Committee, Powell was re

Four charts that perfectly illustrate the housing affordability crisis

Look at all the variables at play in the housing market and it’s hard not to feel pessimistic about the affordability crisis.Mortgage payments continue to increase thanks to high mortgage rates, home insurance premiums are on the rise in markets vulnerable to natural disasters and the rent is still

Why it’s time to rethink the appraisal default in home equity lending 

With mortgage rates still hovering near multi-decade highs, homeowners are opting to hold onto their ultra-low first mortgages. Instead of refinancing, they’re tapping into their equity through home equity loans and HELOCs to finance renovations, cover tuition, or consolidate high-interest debt. Len

House passes abusive trigger leads ban

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (H.R. 2808) late Monday, bringing a national ban on abusive trigger leads one step closer to reality. The move was widely applauded by mortgage trade groups.The House’s action follows the U.S. Senate’s approva

Anywhere welcomes Barri Rafferty as chief communications officer

Anywhere Real Estate has appointed Barri Rafferty as its new chief communications officer and head of public affairs. In this role Rafferty will lead Anywhere’s public relations, communications, government relations, and events and productions functions.“I’m honored to take on a new challenge at Any

The juiciest details in Compass’s lawsuit against Zillow

Given the animosity between Compass and Zillow over the portal giant’s listing standards policy, it came as little surprise when the Robert Reffkin-helmed firm filed a lawsuit against Zillow Monday morning. While the complaint contains many of the anticipated claims, including that Zillow enacted th

The mortgage market hopes for rate cuts amid war moves

Global tensions between the United States and Iran have led many in the mortgage industry to wonder whether the bombing of Iran nuclear sites would move bond yields and lead to a drop in mortgage rates. On Monday, just as economists were factoring in the possibility of war with Iran, at least one me

Inventory is rising, but existing home sales remain in a major slump

The May existing-home sales report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) shows sales at just 4.03 million, a 0.7% decrease year over year and up 0.8% compared to April. It was the slowest May for existing home sales since 2009 and the fourth consecutive month with a year-over-year decline

FICO to add Buy Now, Pay Later data to credit scores

Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO) will incorporate Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) data into two of its credit scores set to launch in Fall 2025. The company, which owns the rights to the market’s most widely adopted consumer credit risk assessment methodology, announced the move on Monday.The change will provide m

Fed Vice Chair Michelle Bowman supports July interest rate cut

After the weekend’s global events, many expected that the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities would influence bond yields, either up or down, today. However, the real surprise came from Michelle Bowman, Federal Reserve Vice Chair of Supervision, who talked about a potential rate cut in July.In a sp

The concerning math behind aging-in-place

Though more than half of Americans believe Medicare will cover long-term care expenses (58%), coverage is actually limited and short-term. Many families will need to adapt to rising healthcare costs, and it is a particular challenge as they seek to age-in-place in their home.That’s according to insu

No hacks, just hustle: The truth about real estate success

I’ve been in this business long enough to know the truth that most agents don’t want to hear: The road to real estate success isn’t paved with hacks or shortcuts. It’s built on consistency, accountability, and the willingness to do what’s hard, especially when you don’t feel like it.So let’s talk ab

How will mortgage rates react to US bombing of Iran?

On Saturday night, the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites, sending shockwaves around the world and leading people to ask me what this means for mortgage rates. This type of global event can lead to significant market movements in oil prices, the U.S. dollar and the 10-year yield in the short term. Ho

New listings slowdown shows lack of home seller stress in 2025

The most notable housing trend for me in 2024 and 2025 has been inventory growth, particularly the increase in new listings during this time. I had set a minimal target of 80,000 new listings per week for 2025 and we’ve met that goal two times this year. However, the data for new listings is losing

Tech Pulse: Longbridge talks AI senior inclusivity, UWM details lending advancements

Welcome back to Tech Pulse — a new weekly series rounding up the latest in technology, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate.Here’s what happened this week:Longbridge’s Bill Packer on crafting AI that’s inclusive of seniorsAs AI becomes more common in financia