Luxury agent Frank Aazami joins Compass in Arizona

Frank Aazami, a longtime luxury real estate adviser in Arizona, has joined Compass. Aazami, who previously worked with Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty, is bringing along several of his colleagues from the Private Client Group team — including Dinesh Wilson, Fletcher Wilcox and Zoya Pedenko.

The Great Stay: Why the US housing market is divided in two

I recently gave a talk to a few hundred real estate professionals in Chicago. I started with the map below of the U.S. showing the days on market for pending home sales in different states. It’s a stark illustration that the country is divided into two distinct real estate markets.  The states with

Barron and Tessa Hilton join Compass

Compass announced that Barron Hilton and Tessa Hilton have joined the brokerage — rebranding their California luxury real estate business under the Compass banner in Beverly Hills and expanding into Palm Beach. The couple, known for representing high-end properties and clients across Los Angeles and

Atlas VMS promotes Anneta Pope to chief brand officer

Appraisal technology and management firm Atlas VMS has named Anneta Pope as its chief brand officer, the company announced. Pope — who joined Atlas in 2023 — previously served as chief growth officer. Anneta Pope In her new role, she will advise CEO Erik Morin on market intelligence and customer ins

Everything you need to know about the Compass-Anywhere merger

The Compass and Anywhere Real Estate merger is reshaping the real estate landscape, raising questions about market share dominance, culture, agent retention and opportunities for other brokerage firms. Industry leaders weigh in on the potential impacts and future challenges.  Below is an updated lis

Existing home sales show year-over-year growth again 

Existing home sales have shown year-over-year growth for two consecutive months, as mortgage rates have remained below 6.64% for the same period. However, let’s remember that the bar is very low for yearly growth. In fact, for many months, I’ve said that the reports coming out from June to October —

Planet Home Lending appoints John Adams as renovation leader

Planet Home Lending on Thursday announced the appointment of John Adams as retail renovation leader as the company seeks to enhance its home renovation expertise and unlock more housing opportunities for borrowers. Adams will focus on training and supporting Planet’s distributed retail loan originat

FHA extends servicer deadline for new loss-mitigation rules

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has extended the timeline for mortgage servicers to comply with the new loss-mitigation waterfall, according to a mortgagee letter issued Wednesday. While the provisions may be implemented by Oct. 1, they must be fully in place no later than Dec. 30, 2025, ac

De-risking the MLS: CEOs say consumer friendliness is the best line of defense

The legal teams at multiple listing services (MLS) have been getting quite the workout over the past few years, first with the commission lawsuits and more recently with lawsuits related to Realtor association membership and MLS access. Given these circumstances MLSs are naturally looking for ways t

New home sales shocked, but are these numbers legit?

Today’s report on new home sales printed one of the most surprising results I’ve seen in a while, showcasing significant growth. Now, we should have expected some growth in new home sales, given that mortgage rates have declined recently. In fact, each time mortgage rates have approached 6% since la

Compass-Anywhere deal sparks MLS reckoning

For many in the multiple listing services (MLS) industry, Monday’s announcement that Compass was acquiring Anywhere served as a wake-up call of sorts.  Over the past year, Compass has worked to grow its stockpile of exclusive listings, but many did not consider the Robert Reffkin-helmed firm a serio

loanDepot challenges class-action suit tied to LO comp rules, steering

loanDepot has filed a motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit in Maryland alleging violations of loan officer (LO) compensation rules and borrower steering, arguing the plaintiffs failed to show they suffered a “concrete injury.” The lawsuit, filed in July by five borrowers who obtained mortgages f

Baltimore launches $6.2B housing redevelopment effort

Baltimore is embarking on what civic leaders call ‘the nation’s most ambitious housing redevelopment program’ — a 15-year effort that aims to turn around more than 37,000 vacant or at-risk properties and influence market conditions for another 33,000 homes and lots. The strategy is supported by $1.2

CrossCountry Mortgage raises conforming loan limit to $819,000

Top 10 U.S. mortgage lender CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) on Wednesday announced that it has increased its conforming loan limit to $819,000, joining the list of lenders that are moving in advance of the projected 2026 loan limits to be released later in the year by the Federal Housing Finance Agency

Expert speaks on Compass-Anywhere market share, consolidation

Compass’s acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate creates a national brokerage powerhouse — but industry veteran Steve Murray says the deal’s biggest effects will be in scale, services and back-office consolidation. Murray — senior advisor for HousingWire and founder of RealTrends and RTC Consulting —es

Neptune Insurance Holdings prices IPO, seeks $2.8B valuation

Neptune Insurance Holdings Inc., the parent company of Neptune Flood, on Monday announced the launch of its initial public offering (IPO) of 18.4 million shares of its Class A common stock. The shares will be sold by existing stockholders, who also intend to grant underwriters a 30-day option to pur

Breaking away: MLSs explore separation from Realtor associations

In many real estate markets across the country, the local and state Realtor associations are one and the same with the local multiple listing service (MLS). However, as the real estate industry evolves, many are calling for MLSs and associations to consider “a separation of church and state.”  “For

Interlinc Mortgage adds Gary Royal as Southeast sales manager

Interlinc Mortgage announced Wednesday that Gary Royal has joined the company as its Southeast regional sales manager. Royal has nearly 40 years of mortgage industry experience and “brings a proven track record of leadership, growth, and team development across multiple markets,” Interlinc said in a

Tech Trendsetters share their best advice for emerging industry leaders

As the housing industry continues to evolve at the speed of technology, staying ahead requires more than just keeping up with the latest tools — it takes vision, adaptability and a focus on real impact. To celebrate the 2025 Tech Trendsetters awards, we asked past honorees to share their best advice

Homeowners cashing in with ‘Airbnb for anything’ rentals

Homeowners are turning underused private spaces into sources of income — renting out pools, backyards, and home gyms by the hour. From Los Angeles to Miami, residents are tapping into what some call the “Airbnb for Everything” trend. Pools are booked for small social gatherings, backyards host yoga