Scissor stairs may lower Washington multifamily building costs

Zoning reform has grabbed most of the attention in housing policy circles, but sometimes it’s the unglamorous, technical building code changes that save builders real money. Single-stair reform was the first to sweep through state legislatures and city halls as a tool to spur missing-middle housing.

StreetMatrix adds Arizona and Utah to its housing index

StreetMatrix has expanded its independent real estate analytics platform into Arizona and Utah, adding two fast-growing Western states to a housing index that already covers California and Nevada, the company announced on Wednesday. StreetMatrix was created by housing analyst Jonathan Miller, presid

Rocket expands on VantageScore 4.0 pilot for agency, VA loans

Rocket Mortgage and Rocket Pro provided additional details this week on their rollout of VantageScore 4.0 in mortgage lending after officially announcing last week that they have started using VantageScore 4.0 alongside Classic FICO scores. Heather Lovier, chief operating officer of Rocket Companies

Clariti AI Studio launches to help cities solve permitting delays

As municipalities adopt AI tools to cut days or weeks from permitting and approval timelines, one company has introduced a free training initiative for local governments taking baby steps to explore deploying the technology internally.  Clariti recently announced the launch of Clariti AI Studio, whi

Realty ONE Group launches ZONE Pro AI platform

Realty ONE Group International has launched ZONE Pro, a rebuilt proprietary tech platform that uses artificial intelligence to centralize business operations, referrals and training for its more than 20,000 real estate professionals, the company announced on Tuesday. The Laguna Niguel, California-ba

The case for Non-QM: Serving the new American workforce

I’d like to tell you about someone who did everything right. She built a wedding photography business from the ground up. What started as a side hustle became a full-time operation, then a team, then something that could support not just her, but her entire family. Her income wasn’t inconsistent, bu

Anthony Lamacchia: Zillow-MRED battle shows risks of ‘listing war’

I interviewed Anthony Lamacchia on this episode of the HousingWire Daily podcast about mounting tensions over listing distribution and MLS rules. He is the founder and CEO of Lamacchia Realty and Crush It in Real Estate — and a fiery advocate for Realtors. Lamacchia had a lot to say about the ongoin

CMLS urges antitrust regulators to back MLS collaboration

The Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS) has asked federal antitrust regulators to explicitly recognize multiple listing services (MLSs) as pro-competitive collaborations as the government updates guidance on how competitors can work together. In a May 26 comment letter to the U.S. Department

Fidelity data shows record retirement savings, rising Roth adoption

Retirement savers continued to build momentum in early 2026, even as markets fluctuated, according to the latest quarterly analysis from Fidelity Investments. The firm reported that total savings rates reached record levels in the first quarter. Combined employer and employee contributions for 401(k

New home sales stumble in April, as affordability pressures mount

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that new home sales fell well short of economists’ and investors’ expectations in April, amid a challenging spring selling season marked by elevated mortgage rates, persistent inflation and broader economic and geopolitical uncertainty.  Sales of newly

Elizabeth Warren presses Bilt on payment disruptions during bank shift

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is demanding answers from Bilt Rewards over reports that customers experienced payment disruptions and account issues during the company’s transition between banking partners. In a letter sent Wednesday to Bilt CEO Ankur Jain, Warren — the ranking member of the S

Rent stabilization fracas shapes Providence mayoral contest

Providence, Rhode Island’s city council passed rent stabilization but failed to override the mayor’s veto. Rent stabilization is now one of the sharpest fault lines in the 2026 mayoral race. In September, voters will decide between a Democratic mayoral incumbent who vetoed the ordinance and a Democr

Epique Realty bets on specialized AI tools to modernize agent workflow

Real estate agents are being asked to do far more than sell homes — and that growing workload is exactly what Houston-based Epique Realty hopes artificial intelligence (AI) can solve. Epique Realty has grown rapidly in recent years — climbing to No. 15 among brands in RealTrends Verified’s 2025 rank

Compass adds Miguel Salvat and Daniel Golik in Miami

Longtime Miami real estate partners and family duo Miguel Salvat and Daniel Golik have moved their luxury business to Compass in South Miami, the brokerage announced on Thursday. The uncle-and-nephew team brings a combined 35 years of experience and more than 1,500 closed transactions to Compass, ac

Urban Institute study makes the case for a 100% LTV FHA mortgage

A new study from the Urban Institute concludes that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) could offer zero-down payment mortgages to first-time homebuyers without significantly increasing default risk or endangering its insurance fund. “Allowing zero-down payment mortgages would level the playing

A start-up with a deep tech pedigree launches AI to train the trades

For a decade and a half coming out of the Global Financial Crisis and housing crash of the 20-oughts, a shortage of skilled labor has bedeviled homebuilders and their ecosystem of stakeholders, stalling projects, driving up costs and growing worse as skilled front-liners age out of their roles on jo

AI paralysis is real. Here’s how to move past it

The conversation around artificial intelligence has reached a tipping point. For many professionals, the barrier is no longer skepticism. It’s saturation. AI is everywhere. Headlines, product demos, internal meetings and daily workflows. And yet, despite constant exposure, a large number of people r

The insurance market at halftime: What builders need to know for the rest of 2026

The spring housing market came in with genuine momentum. Mortgage rates had moderated. Affordability was improving at the margins. Pent-up buyer demand was real. And running beneath all of it, quietly reshaping what buyers could actually afford, was the continued rise of homeowners insurance costs.

New research: Homebuyers value digital mortgage solutions

High rates and low inventories have beleaguered homebuyers for far too long. At a time when they should be exhilarated at the prospect of making their homeownership dreams come true, many instead feel stressed out, frustrated and uncertain as they face sticker shock, rate volatility, bidding wars, n

Make payments with a reverse mortgage?

Most homeowners who obtain a reverse mortgage do it for one primary reason: to eliminate the required monthly principal and interest mortgage payment. And that makes perfect sense. For retirees living on a fixed income, removing a large monthly obligation can dramatically improve cash flow, reduce s