Builders planned for undersupply, now demand is the swing factor

The “emerging trends” in housing story over the past decade or more has been a tale of magnitude variations on a theme: constrained supply eclipsed by growing demand. If there is one conclusion that rises above all others in this year’s “The State of the Nation’s Housing 2026” report, it is that the

Realtor.com: Investor home purchase activity was stable in 2025

Investor activity in the U.S. housing market remained resilient in 2025 even as overall home sales fell to one of their lowest levels in decades, according to a report released Tuesday by Realtor.com. Investors purchased roughly 534,000 homes last year, a 0.7% increase from 2024, while their share o

Finance of America announces three new hires to drive brand, product alignment

Finance of America (FOA) announced on Tuesday that it has appointed three senior executives to lead its brand, communications and product functions as the reverse mortgage lender looks to expand its retirement-focused home equity offerings. Colm Murphy has joined as chief brand officer, Jordan Baucu

NAR subpoenas American Real Estate Association in ThePLS.com Clear Cooperation lawsuit

As part of the ongoing lawsuit between Mauricio Umansky’s ThePLS.com and the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the trade association has attempted to subpoena documents from the American Real Estate Association (ARA), the NAR alternative founded by Umansky and Compass agent Jason Haber.  The s

HUD adopts 14 changes to FHA policies, aiming to lower costs and ease credit access

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is rolling out 14 changes to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)’s single-family mortgage insurance program, including less stringent appraisal rules, expanded flexibility for the 203(k) rehab loan program and simplified closing forms. 

Keys to the housing market for the rest of 2026

As we gear up for the second half of 2026, what are the key things we should be watching for? With the first six months being a dramatic version of the show 24, we can hope for a calmer second half of 2026 now that the conflict with Iran is hopefully ending.  Housing has outperformed some people’s e

What a 50-year-old letter says about accountability in homebuilding

Exactly 50 years ago this time of year, a 51-year-old man handwrote a four-page letter on a legal pad to his then 21-year-old son, one of seven children – six of them sons and one angel of a daughter – who was spending a semester studying in Dublin, Ireland. The letter’s narrative arc, now mostly a

Four rules for underwriting secondary Texas markets in a slower cycle

For the better part of a decade, the Texas growth playbook was remarkably simple. If you wanted scale, liquidity and appreciation, you went to the Texas Triangle: Austin, Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio and tried to be early to the next ring of rooftops. Those four metros captured the li

ICE executives detail AI cybersecurity efforts through Project Glasswing

At the start of June, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) announced it had joined Anthropic’s cybersecurity initiative, Project Glasswing. ICE will deploy Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview across its operations, including the New York Stock Exchange, to identify and remediate vulnerabilities before they

Home flipping slowed in early 2026 but investors saw returns tick up

ATTOM data shows that home flipping activity declined in early 2026 even as investor profits edged higher, signaling a modest rebound in returns after a prolonged downturn. A total of 64,348 single-family homes and condominiums were flipped in the first quarter of 2026, representing 8% of all home s

Aging in place is reshaping housing demand — and most homes aren’t ready

For decades, the American dream of aging gracefully at home has collided with a harsh reality — housing stock simply wasn’t built for it. Cameron Carter, founder and CEO of Rosarium Health, is out to change that. His health tech startup is reimagining the home as a core site of health care delivery,

Retirement plan participation reaches record high, but financial pressures persist

Retirement plan participation among eligible U.S. workers reached a record 86% last year, according to Vanguard‘s 2026 How America Saves report, which analyzed retirement savings behavior across nearly 5 million defined contribution plan participants. The annual report found that automatic enrollmen

Beazer refinancing raises Dream Finders deal cost by $53 million

For weeks, a central question surrounding Dream Finders Homes‘ pursuit of Beazer Homes has been unambiguous: Will Dream Finders’ offer for the company and its public relations campaign be enough to convince Beazer shareholders that a sale should occur? A just-completed debt refinancing by Beazer Hom

With Warsh’s Fed overhaul, mortgage rates face a new risk

Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s new framework for the U.S. central bank carries significant implications for the mortgage industry and broader housing market — a sector that he admits is already facing a restrictive monetary stance. While his hawkish tone points to higher-for-longer mortgage rat

HUD aims to help multi-story manufactured housing go vertical

For decades, manufactured housing has excelled at producing lower-cost homes. What it has struggled to do is go vertical. Fact is, America’s most severe housing shortages are no longer in places where inexpensive land is abundant. They’re in high-cost metropolitan markets where making housing pencil

Intent beats volume: What real estate teams are learning from AI-powered follow-up

Real estate has always had a complicated relationship with lead follow-up. Everyone knows speed matters. Everyone knows consistency matters. And almost every team believes there is missed opportunity sitting somewhere inside its database, even if they’re using real estate AI follow up. The common re

The next test for master-planned communities is staying power

Master-planned communities are gaining renewed relevance as buyers seek a sense of predictability in an uncertain housing market. Even as the broader housing market continues to wrestle with affordability pressure, interest rate sensitivity and uneven buyer demand, many master-planned communities ha

How Higharc is turning floor plans into intelligent data

The housing industry has spent the last several years trying to understand what artificial intelligence means for builders. Most of the conversation has focused on generative AI and large language models, but a new category of AI is emerging for homebuilding operations: spatial AI. Unlike traditiona

Taylor Morrison names Mike Carlo Sarasota division president

Taylor Morrison, the sixth-largest builder in the HousingWire Homebuilder Rankings, has appointed Mike Carlo as president of its Sarasota division.  Carlo brings more than 25 years of homebuilding experience to the role. “Mike is a proven leader with an impressive track record of operational excelle

What to look for in Kevin Warsh’s first Fed meeting

Today, as I write this article, oil prices are at $75.80, which is a big deal because tomorrow the Federal Reserve will announce its monetary policy under new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh. For many months, Federal Reserve hawks have said that the Iran conflict was a major reason they’ve been more hawkish,