Washington state regulator hits West Capital Lending with $75K penalty

Regulators in Washington state have fined West Capital Lending Inc. (WCL) $75,000 after alleging the mortgage lender committed multiple violations of the state’s Consumer Loan Act, including allowing unlicensed individuals to conduct mortgage-related activities and failing to meet certain disclosure

America’s accidental landlords: The hidden consequence of the mortgage lock-in effect

For the past several years, the real estate industry has talked about the mortgage-rate lock-in effect mostly as an inventory problem. That is understandable. When a homeowner has a 3% or 4% mortgage, and today’s replacement mortgage is in the mid-6% range, selling can feel financially irrational. F

Gaining that local edge to outperform competition amid market consolidation 

The fight for market share in real estate has never been more intense. National portals, institutional investors and well-funded disruptors are all competing for the same buyers and sellers, pushing many brokerages to believe they need to spend more to keep up. But independent brokerages won’t win b

New York City posts notice of new tax levy to pied-a-terre owners

Tax attorneys and accountants are about to make bank helping owners of non-primary homes navigate New York City’s pied-à-terre tax notifications, which started landing in mailboxes before the weekend. “If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5 (million), check your mailbox when y

Lot demand shifts to terms and timing at Forestar, Five Point

In 2024 and early 2025, homebuilders large, medium and small were smitten with the strategic notion of “land light.” In 2026, and for the near future, most everybody is more preoccupied, and rightly so, with “land right.” Many of the U.S.’s most prolific new-construction markets undergoing some form

Ruth Reffkin launches Compass real estate team in NYC

Although she’s no stranger to the real estate industry, Ruth Reffkin, the mother of Compass International Holdings founder and CEO Robert Reffkin, has decided to start her own real estate team. Reffkin announced the launch of her eponymous Ruth Reffkin Team, which will unsurprisingly be brokered by

Agent movement stalls as retention takes hold in Q2

The landscape for real estate agent recruiting is undergoing a structural shift, with agents increasingly choosing to move within their existing brand rather than switch to a competitor, according to a new report from Recruiting Insight and Lone Wolf Technologies. The Q2 2026 Agent Migration Report,

FirstTeam Real Estate, Purlin partner on AI-powered operations

FirstTeam Real Estate has partnered with Purlin to deploy an AI-powered operating system across the brokerage, giving agents a unified platform for managing contracts, negotiations, transactions and client communications. The California-based independent brokerage will implement PurlinOS, Purlin Clo

MBA’s HMDA analysis finds proprietary reverse mortgages jumped 118% in 2025

Proprietary reverse mortgages continued to gain market share in 2025, fueled by rapid growth in originations and larger loan balances, according to a Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) analysis of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data. The analysis, released Monday as MBA’s Chart of the Week, com

MBA warns FHFA about changing manufactured home definition in Duty to Serve rule

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) is urging the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to move carefully as it finalizes changes to its Duty to Serve (DTS) rule. The trade group backs the shift toward more flexible “eligible actions” while warning about potential unintended consequences for manu

BKeeperAI launches AI-powered text messaging expense assistant for real estate

BKeeperAI has officially launched its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered expense assistant designed to help real estate professionals and independent business owners manage business expenses entirely through text messages. According to the company, “solopreneurs” lose an estimated $4,000 to $10,00

When your AI vendor gets it wrong, you’re still responsible 

Mortgage servicers are misreading the current moment. Enforcement looks quiet, but accountability has never been broader. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued zero consent orders against servicers in 2026. Enforcement staffing is being cut by 80%, and the Office of the Comptrol

From weeks to minutes: How AI-native land acquisition is changing the game for homebuilders

Land acquisition has become one of the homebuilding industry’s most important competitive advantages. Yet many teams still rely on manual research, disconnected data and broker-listed opportunities, leaving them competing for the same limited pool of properties. AI is beginning to change that equati

Beyond the mortgage: Alex Song on how Made Card is building homeowner loyalty through everyday engagement

Homeownership really starts at closing, yet that’s often where the relationship between borrowers and lenders ends. As affordability pressures continue to reshape the housing market, borrower engagement needs to shift from periodic marketing to creating continuous value throughout the homeowner jour

Home sales are positive but higher rates slowing demand

Mortgage rates hit a yearly high last week and even though housing demand is still positive year over year, it is slowing down, just not in a big way yet. Typically, in the past few years, when mortgage rates get above 6.64% and then break over 7%, housing demand slows. Housing data always improves

Coldwell Banker Warburg folds into Compass in New York

Coldwell Banker Warburg is folding into Compass. Both Compass and the Coldwell Banker brand are owned by Compass International Holdings.  The former New York-based Coldwell Banker franchise will now operate as Warburg at Compass, according to a Compass spokesperson.   “We’re excited that Warburg’s a

Don’t fall for a fake foreclosure crisis

Recently, the foreclosure data showed a 21% year-over-year gain, and the floodgates of doom porn were flung wide open, with people marketing an impending home-price crash because they say so many Americans are struggling and it’s about to get worse. The hucksters of America are back at it again, and

Deed theft remains a growing threat for seniors, Black homeowners

For generations, real estate has been the primary vehicle for building intergenerational wealth in America. But for older adults and Black homeowners, that vehicle has also made them a target, says Scott Kohanowski, general counsel at the Center for NYC Neighborhoods. New York City recently establis

Berkshire completes Taylor Morrison deal valued at $8.5B enterprise value

Berkshire Hathaway has completed its acquisition of Taylor Morrison Home Corp. in a cash deal that values the Arizona-based homebuilder at about $6.8 billion in equity and $8.5 billion in enterprise value, the companies announced on Friday. The companies announced the proposed acquisition in late Ma

NVR is land light by design, Q2 2026 reveals the strategy has limits

If you do not build it, they cannot come. If you cannot permit it, you cannot build it, and they cannot come. NVR Q2 2026 results offer a sharp counterpoint to the strategic shifts now underway across public homebuilding. Lennar has boldly reset its enterprise around a more asset-light on-demand lan