ROAD wins House nod, carving BTR out from institutional investor ban

The build-to-rent (BTR) industry, which has been under siege from legislative uncertainty since March, just got a modicum of welcome news.  On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amended version of the U.S. Senate’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by a margin of 396 to 13 that re

“Humans over houses”: Charis Moreno on why industry noise shouldn’t distract agents from what matters

As part of HousingWire’s Editor’s Choice awards spotlight series, we’re spotlighting past Women of Influence honorees whose careers, leadership and insights continue to influence the industry. This series offers a closer look at the experiences and decisions that have shaped their paths. HousingWire

The return of ‘legacy gold’: CENTURY 21 Real Estate embraces its iconic past while betting on Compass tech

For decades, the iconic gold blazer was synonymous with the CENTURY 21 Real Estate brand. From appearances in television shows like Gilmore Girls to movies like WarGames and the 1984 Ghostbusters film, the gold blazer was a hallmark of the real estate industry and a marketing calling card for real l

Lenders wrestle with the nuances of modern credit score pricing

Mortgage lenders are currently wrestling with a high-stakes puzzle: how to accurately compare the new credit score models hitting the market. The differences are significant and carry major implications for risk assessment, loan pricing and secondary market returns. In late April, the Federal Housin

Industry coalition lauds adoption of home equity investment regulations in Illinois

Regulators in Illinois have approved what a group of home equity investment (HEI) providers calls the most comprehensive state regulatory framework to date for shared equity products, a fast-growing alternative to traditional home equity loans and reverse mortgages. The rule was adopted under the Il

MortgageOne TPO integrates with ARIVE, launches Pathway CDFI

MortgageOne TPO, a wholesale mortgage lender and Department of the Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), has integrated with the ARIVE platform and launched Pathway, a flagship CDFI loan program aimed at borrowers underserved by traditional mortgage guidelines, the c

The guardrails that decide the outcome of a brokerage sale

For many real estate brokerage owners, selling the business is not just a transaction. It’s the result of years spent building a company, recruiting real estate agents, serving clients, carrying risk, managing payroll, protecting your brand and pushing through market cycles that weren’t always easy.

Owning the first click: How digital brand ownership shapes visibility and lead generation

The home search now starts online, but many real estate and housing professionals still do not fully own their own digital presence. Instead, they often rely only on brokerage-provided pages or third-party portals to represent their business online. While relying on these pages alone may seem easy a

The land-light multiplier: Infrastructure finance can amplify the Land Banking Model

The land-light model has fundamentally reshaped the homebuilding industry. What began as a post-Great Recession correction has become a structural shift in how builders capitalize their businesses. Today, builders of every size, ranging from the top-ten publics to regional privates, are using land a

Escrow audit readiness: A checklist for title agencies

We’re guessing that escrow audits aren’t necessarily your favorite part of the job. The reality is that they’re unavoidable. And when title agencies find themselves scrambling, it’s usually because reconciliation and documentation have fallen behind. The good news is that escrow audit readiness does

DRB Group and Sumitomo Forestry mark a 10-year arc of growth

“Top-five-ranked U.S. homebuilding companies don’t happen overnight. Except when they do. These two lines almost wrote themselves in early 2024 when Sekisui House skyrocketed into the top tier of U.S. homebuilding with its $4.9 billion acquisition of MDC Holdings.  Sumitomo Forestry’s announced $4.5

Kevelyn Guzman on leadership, growth and navigating change

As part of HousingWire’s Editor’s Choice awards spotlight series, we’re spotlighting past Women of Influence honorees whose careers, leadership and insights continue to influence the industry. This series offers a closer look at the experiences and decisions that have shaped their paths. In this fea

AI-powered data remaps builders’ landbuying art and science

Not long ago, artificial intelligence was considered a headline-grabbing, yet futuristic and perhaps unreliable concept. Now, companies, including homebuilders, are increasingly leveraging AI in their day-to-day decision-making.  Oliver Alexander, Founder & CEO at Prophetic, an AI-driven platform th

Study: Bipartisan Social Security plan to borrow and invest unlikely to pay off

A high-profile proposal to borrow $1.5 trillion and invest the money in stocks to salvage Social Security’s finances would likely leave taxpayers saddled with enormous debt, even under optimistic market conditions, according to a new analysis from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

Fault lines surface as projects tap California’s CEQA exemption law

Last July, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a landmark law shielding apartment and residential projects from lengthy environmental review processes to boost the state’s housing supply and improve affordability. It’s working – but not without a fight. Developers wasted no time seizing the opportun

Cultural symbolism is influencing some homebuyers in the Year of the Fire Horse

Real estate professionals spend a lot of time talking about interest rates, inventory, concessions and price reductions. We should, of course. Those factors shape affordability and timing in every market. But, homebuying has never been only a financial decision. For many buyers, a home is also emoti

A common-sense approach to housing affordability

Our elected leaders have a unique opportunity to strengthen small businesses, sustain critical industries, combat inflation in the housing market and make homeownership more accessible for millions of Americans. Today’s housing market remains trapped in a cycle of limited supply and elevated costs.

Independent single-family rental owners insulated from broader market trends

TurboTenant’s State of the Rental Industry Report for 2026 highlights a split in the rental property market and an interesting nuance: independent landlords and why many single-family rental owners are largely insulated from broader market trends. The split could be as simple as recognizing the diff

Ginnie Mae’s Joseph Gormley sounds the alarm on ‘risk-layered’ FHA portfolios

Ginnie Mae President Joseph Gormley, who is also serving as acting commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), said the counterparties participating in Ginnie Mae’s program have evolved significantly since the Great Financial Crisis, with greater exposure to independent mortgage banks

FHA turns attention to the ‘flipping rule’ and AVMs

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) would like to review its anti-flipping rule and reforms to automated valuation models (AVMs), according to Matt Jones, deputy assistant secretary for the FHA’s Office of Single-Family Housing. “We think our AVM, our valuation technology, has improved signific