NAR: Home prices are up in 83% of metros

Home prices rose in more than 80% of U.S. metro areas in the first quarter of 2025 — even as affordability remained stretched and fewer markets posted double-digit gains.According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 189 of 228 metro areas (83%) saw year-over-year increases in the median p

As economic concerns mount, home equity lending is viewed more favorably

Nearly 30% of U.S. homeowners would consider tapping their home equity via products like a home equity line of credit (HELOC) due to ongoing concerns about the economic climate, stemming from a rise in volatility and uncertainty over the past three years.This comes from survey data collected by Meri

Major title insurers post strong Q1 earnings, fueled by commercial real estate deals

A surge in commercial real estate transactions helped drive solid first-quarter 2025 earnings for the country’s largest title insurers.First American Financial, Fidelity National Financial, Old Republic International and Stewart Information Services all reported year-over-year gains in commercial ti

Michael Maher to lead referral training for KW MAPS

Keller Williams has a new training program for KW-affiliated agents looking to up their game this summer. On Thursday, the firm announced that it is welcoming Michael Maher to the KW MAPS coaching team. Maher will lead a referral training program at KW MAPS.“At the core of every great business are g

House bill markup pushes sale of federal land for housing development

A markup of a budget reconciliation bill from the House Committee on Natural Resources saw an amendment added that would authorize the sale of thousands of acres of federal land in Nevada and Utah, according to reporting by The Hill and NPR.The move could have significant implications for housing. T

Slow burn: Inside the 2025 luxury home market

Concierge Auctions‘ 2025 Luxury Home Index reveals a market at a crossroads.Prices remain high and inventory is tight. Demand hasn’t vanished, but luxury properties are taking longer to sell, listing discounts are widening and macroeconomic shifts are reshaping buyer behavior.“Luxury hasn’t collapse

Zillow posts strong Q1, touts listing transparency and app traffic

Zillow reported a strong start to 2025, exceeding its first-quarter 2025 outlook with $598 million in revenue, up 13% year over year.The company also posted $153 million in adjusted EBITDA and achieved GAAP profitability — driven by cost management and margin expansion, leaders said. During an earni

Finance of America posts a profit, beats funded volume estimates in Q1 2025

In beating its estimates for funded loan volume — and by posting a profit — in the first quarter of 2025, reverse mortgage lender Finance of America (FOA) saw its volume improve by nearly one-third compared to numbers from Q4 2024. The company is maintaining a bullish outlook for business in the mon

Is it a good time to sell a house? ‘No’ is increasingly the answer

President Donald Trump’s trade war has turned perceptions of the U.S. economy upside down, and data is beginning to trickle in on how tariffs might impact consumer behavior in the housing market.The latest numbers come from Fannie Mae‘s Home Purchase Sentiment Index, which measures consumer attitude

The Fed is preparing for rate cuts, but waiting on job losses

During Wednesday’s FOMC press conference, Jerome Powell discussed how the economy was performing well before the trade war began and acknowledged that the tariffs were much larger than anticipated. As a result, the Fed has increased its projections for the risk of higher unemployment and inflation. 

Property insurers must prepare for aging population: report

The global population is expected to hit nearly 9.7 billion people by 2050, but beyond that, the nature of the population itself is changing due to aging. This is expected to fuel a rise in the “global dependency ratio,” or the proportion of people ages 65 and older to those of traditional working a

Top-producing California team joins Coldwell Banker Realty

The Joe Velasco Group — a high-performing Silicon Valley real estate team — has joined Coldwell Banker Realty in Northern California, moving over from Intero Real Estate Services, an affiliate of HomeServices of America.Velasco, who launched his group in 2011, has built a reputation as one of the to

Homeowners say high costs, emotional stress are influencing renovation projects

Amid higher interest rates and a tight housing market, U.S. homeowners are increasingly choosing to renovate rather than relocate — and many are doing so under financial and emotional strain, according to a newly released nationwide survey.A report released by Block Renovation, based on responses fr

KW CEO Czarnecki brings in former colleague as new CFO

More executive changes are happening at Keller Williams. Shortly after a large investment from Stone Point Capital and the appointment of Chris Czarnecki as CEO, Keller Williams has brought on Tim Dieffenbacher as its new chief financial officer.Dieffenbacher most recently served as the CFO of a pub

Real CEO Tamir Poleg talks AI’s role in redefining real estate

On this week’s episode of RealTrending, Tamir Poleg, CEO of The Real Brokerage, joins Tracey Velt to unpack how artificial intelligence (AI) is not just enhancing real estate — but redefining it.Poleg explains how Real is embedding AI into the company’s core functions, using tools that handle thousa

Civil rights, housing and consumer advocates urge HUD to rescind ‘watered down’ fair housing rule

A coalition of more than 100 consumer, housing and civil rights advocates have submitted a letter to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner, “strongly” opposing the department’s 2025 Interim Final Rule that changes the scope of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair

eXp posts steady Q1 earnings, reinforces Clear Cooperation stance

eXp World Holdings, the parent company of eXp Realty, reported first-quarter 2025 earnings on Tuesday that highlighted modest growth in revenue, an assertive stance on real estate listing transparency and investments in artificial intelligence (AI).The company reported revenue of $954.9 million for

loanDepot’s Q1 revenue jumps 23% as Hsieh prepares to take the wheel again

loanDepot on Tuesday reported that its first-quarter 2025 revenue increased by 23% annually to $274 million, while its adjusted revenue was up 21% to $278 million on higher mortgage sales volumes and stronger margins.Revenues also increased on a quarterly basis, growing from a baseline figure of $25

Your voice matters: Shape the future of real estate in your community

The real estate industry is facing another change. This isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. In 1908, agents formed the National Association of Real Estate Exchanges, a precursor to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). They soon formalized a code of ethics and operating policies.

Trump wants to cut rental assistance. His first-term budget requests show he’s serious

The Trump administration released an outline of its 2026 federal budget proposal on Friday, and it calls for steep cuts to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).The cuts total $32.9 billion, and they include the elimination of three programs in their entirety. The document — com