Blue states lead the way for highest property taxes

Property taxes are a thorn in the side of some U.S. homeowners, depending on the state or region. As home prices and property values rise in 2025, rising property taxes are impacting some places more than others.Personal finance website WalletHub released its 2025 Property Taxes by State report on M

Final Offer acquires off-market listings platform Private Collection

A month after launching its new Private Exclusive Listings (PX) feature, agent-driven offer, negotiation and collaboration platform Final Offer has acquired Private Collection, a source of listing information for off-market properties. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Final Offer said

DeSantis wants to ban property taxes in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that he wants to eliminate property taxes in the state. In a post on X, the governor said that taxing land/property “is the more oppressive and ineffective” form of taxation.“Property taxes are local, not state. So we’d need to do a constitutional amendment (requires 6

Stavvy integrates with Encompass Partner Connect platform

Boston-based fintech Stavvy announced a new integration using the latest Encompass Partner Connect Application Programming Interface (API) framework from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) for mortgage technology.In an exclusive interview with HousingWire, Kosta Ligris, CEO and founder of Stavvy, expla

6 time management hacks to help agents sell more homes in 2025

A majority of agents believe 2025 is going to be a great year for the housing market. Around 85% have an optimistic outlook, and 70% believe the market will be more stable, according to a new survey from Clever Real Estate.   Although agents are split on whether it’s going to be a buyers or a seller

Windsor Mortgage CEO explores technology services, coaching in the wholesale market

In the most recent episode of the Power House podcast, host and HousingWire President Diego Sanchez sits down with Chris Vinson, CEO of Windsor Mortgage, a division of Plains Commerce Bank. The conversation covers Windsor’s growth and success in recent years, including its focus on wholesale lending

Win some, lose some: Appraisers wrestle with the CFPB’s dismantling

Some housing industry professionals have cheered the Trump administration’s actions to disable the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), but appraisers have mixed feelings about it.On one hand, they welcome the end of the Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) Interagency Task Force,

These are the functions of the HUD offices targeted for mass firings

The White House and key leaders aimed at cost-cutting inside the federal government have reportedly trained their eyes on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and that reporting suggests it is culminating in a series of cuts that could include as much as 50% of the department’

Optionality of NAR’s no-commingling rule takes center stage at REX appeal hearing

The appeal of REX Real Estate’s antitrust suit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Zillow began in earnest on Thursday when the three parties, along with the Department of Justice (DOJ), gathered at the Ninth District Court of Appeals in Honolulu for oral arguments before a three-

The ‘silver tsunami’ could slam into California’s economy

Older residents of the state of California, meaning those aged 65 or older, made up roughly 14% of the state’s population in 2020. That figure is poised to rise to 22% by 2040, marking a 59% increase, while the number of residents between the ages of 20-64 is projected to remain largely unchanged du

Homebuilders conflicted on 2025 apartment construction outlook

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released its Multifamily Market Survey that covers results from the fourth quarter of 2024. The survey also highlighted mixed sentiment among homebuilders in terms of multifamily construction this year.The organization redesigned the survey to align w

Mortgage rates dip below 7% after retail sales surprise

This Valentine’s weekend brought an unexpected gift to the housing market as a weaker-than-expected retail sales report sent the 10-year yield tumbling, bringing mortgage rates down to under 7%. Although it’s a welcome decline, we’re still seeing rates considerably higher than the near-6% levels we

HUD to cut 50% of its workforce in latest Trump purge

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the latest housing agency to be targeted by the Trump administration’s cost-cutting efforts. On Thursday night, Bloomberg Law reported that HUD’s union president told the publication that HUD plans to “discharge 50% of its workforce.”“Ant

As White House scrutinizes HUD programs, union leaders offer a waste target

The White House has reportedly solicited information from staff at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to justify the existence of various contracts. According to reporting by NPR, a spreadsheet was sent to employees, asking them to assess the importance of contracts, whether

Executive shakeups continue at Douglas Elliman

The C-suite shakeups at Douglas Elliman are still going. Last week, an internal memo informed Douglas Elliman agents and employees that Stephen Kotler was stepping down as the CEO of the brokerage’s western region, as first reported by The Real Deal. Kotler will remain at the firm, joining his son M

Housing supply hits five-year high, but buyers aren’t playing ball

Nationwide housing inventory showed a glimmer of recovery toward the end of 2024. But these new listings aren’t attracting buyers, and pending home sales dropped 4.2% month over month in January.That finding comes from two Redfin reports released on Thursday. Each tell similar stories, albeit from d

Could government funding scrutiny come for reverse mortgage programs?

Housing leaders are naturally interested in knowing how recent cost-cutting efforts by the federal government could be focused upon the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and its wide array of programs, including reverse mortgages.In the first Trump administration, housing offici

Legal experts weigh in on the CFPB and the future of regulation

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) may have yet another new director in Jonathan McKernan, but the bureau is still effectively shut down thanks to actions taken by McKernan’s two most recent predecessors, Scott Bessent and Russell Vought, who both served as acting director. While enforc

One in 10 ‘gray divorce’ couples finance split with housing wealth

New data from U.K.-based financial services firm Legal & General shows that as many as 11% of all couples over the age of 50 use their real estate wealth — either through the proceeds of a home sale or a home equity release product — to finance the costs of divorce.“The research, which explored the

Julie Kheyfets on home renovation trends: Demand is approaching 2022 levels

In this week’s episode of the Top of Mind podcast, host Mike Simonsen is joined by Block Renovation CEO Julie Kheyfets. The duo explore current and upcoming trends in the home renovation market.This interview has been edited for length and clarity. To start the conversation, Simonsen and Kheyfets di