California MBA backs $100M fund in governor’s budget proposal for wildfire rebuilding

The California Mortgage Bankers Association (CMBA) voiced strong support for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $100 million allocation for the Southern California Rebuild Fund included in this month’s revised state budget proposal, the trade group said this week. The proposed funding is designed to expan

Everything you need to know about Zillow’s listing war with MRED and Compass

The battle between Zillow, Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) and Compass International Holdings, reached a zenith this week when MRED suspended its IDX and VOW listing feeds to Zillow and Trulia. This came after the portal allegedly refused to cure what the MLS called a “material breach” of its licens

Epcon Communities, 40 years in, charts new pathways to growth

Ohio-based Epcon Communities, a leader in the active adult segment, celebrated its 40th anniversary this year, while positioning itself for continued expansion amid strong demand from lifestyle-driven 55+ homebuyers. Phil Fankhauser and Ed Bacome founded the company in 1986, focusing on low-maintena

Is a new portal model coming for our listing inventory?

I’d like to share a New York expression because it’s very appropriate for this situation. “Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, I should slap myself in the head.” I am watching colleagues I respect, smart people in this industry, telling agents to get on board with the new Google listing pilot.

New Fed Chair Warsh loses dove as Waller turns hawkish

Today the Fed hawks killed the doves. On the day Kevin Warsh is sworn in as Fed Chairman, he has lost one of the few doves left on the Fed board: Governor Christopher Waller, whom I would have wanted as Fed chairman. Today, Waller gave a speech about how policy risk has changed and to me this seals

We have met one enemy of housing affordability … it is us

America’s housing affordability debate has become one of those national arguments that sounds complete until you look at the product itself. The prevailing story holds that homes became unaffordable because prices outpaced incomes. That is true, but incomplete. The uncomfortable truth is that Americ

Homeowners need more than a mortgage — they need the tools to stay

Homeowners are facing a crisis. A crisis in property insurance. A crisis in affordability. And with hurricane season fast approaching, a growing sense of anxiety across the Southeast about what comes next. We have seen this before. Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused more than $100 billion in damage

As retirement costs surge, more homeowners turn to their equity

Americans may need roughly $2.57 million to retire comfortably by 2043, up sharply from the $1.75 million projected for 2033, according to a 2025 Goldman Sachs retirement survey. The increase reflects years of inflation that have driven up the costs of housing, health care and daily expenses. Househ

The MRED Zillow legal fight just hit agents and sellers directly

Real estate professionals across the Greater Chicagoland area awoke Wednesday to find their listings removed from Zillow, as the fight between the listing portal giant and the local MLS, Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), which already includes an antitrust lawsuit, escalated.  On Wednesday morning, M

Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Pro adopt VantageScore 4.0

Rocket Mortgage and Rocket Pro announced Thursday that they have begun using VantageScore 4.0 alongside Classic FICO scores in the mortgage qualification process, a move the company said is aimed at expanding access to home financing. Rocket’s crosstown rival, United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) began a

New brokerage Showings bets on buyer leads over listing commissions

A new real estate brokerage aims to eliminate traditional listing agents and listing fees altogether — a model its founder says could challenge decades-old assumptions about agent compensation. Showings announced it will officially launch May 22 in New York City, Atlanta, Chicago and Orlando. The co

Single-family housing starts fell in April, but multifamily gained momentum

Housing starts increased in April compared with a year ago, but a deeper dive into the data reveals that this uptick was driven by a noisier boost in multifamily development activity, while single-family starts declined.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s new residential construction data releas

AI adoption in mortgage servicing is accelerating, BlackWolf says

A new white paper from BlackWolf Advisory Group says adoption of artificial intelligence in mortgage servicing is accelerating as firms seek to reduce costs, improve compliance and automate routine tasks. While the paper says servicers are ready and actively adopting AI, regulatory scrutiny and lega

CFPB prioritizes Reg X, GSE streamline refis as LO Comp hopes fade 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) could finalize changes to its Regulation X servicing rules while creating a regulatory pathway for streamlined refinances through the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) by the end of this year, mortgage industry sources told HousingWire.Meanwhile,

Why housing construction can’t grow at current demand levels

The U.S. has too much supply of single-family homes and not enough demand. But why can’t housing starts grow when the White House says we are 10 million homes short?I go back to the 1984 movie “Ghostbusters” and this quote from from Dan Aykroyd’s character: “Personally, I liked the university. They

Smaller mortgage vendors face squeeze from lenders, regulators

Mortgage vendors are entering a new phase of consolidation as they respond to rising regulatory and cybersecurity pressures, according to a white paper released this week by investment banking firm Houlihan Lokey. Scale is also becoming a decisive advantage for companies that sell mortgage technolog

Toll Brothers lifts 2026 delivery outlook as luxury demand holds

The late, legendary Bob Toll once laid bare the fact that he was personally incapable of installing a curtain rod in a living room, let alone knowing the first thing about building a home from the ground up. What Bob did intuit was that the second-floor walls of a typical 1960s two-story home could

Why agents will ignore your expensive AI tool — and how to fix it

For many real estate brokers, the dream of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered efficiency has crashed against a hard reality; agents are reluctant to use tools that force them to change habits. Tyler Morton — broker-owner of REMAX Victory + Affiliates in Beavercreek, Ohio — learned this lesson the

HUD urges states to cut fees, simplify codes and fast-track permits 

On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a detailed deregulation roadmap aimed at state and local governments that, it argues, could lower per-unit costs and shorten cycle times for homebuilders. HUD’s new “State and Local Best Practices for Home Construction

Land leases, ARM buydowns emerge as lending options while mortgage rates stay elevated

Mortgage lenders are getting creative to combat the housing affordability crisis fueled by rising interest rates, rolling out novel products and blending existing options to keep borrowers in the market. Bayview Asset Management — which closed its acquisition of Guild Mortgage in November — rolled o