REMAX posts higher 2025 net income despite U.S. agent drop

For REMAX, U.S. agent count remains a challenge, even as the company reported a larger net income in 2025 than it did in 2024, according to an earnings report published on Thursday evening.  In 2025, REMAX reported a net income of $8.2 million, up from $7.1 million. This increase came despite revenu

Kiavi closes $350M RTL securitization, nears $7B in total issuance

Kiavi, a digital nonbank lender for residential real estate investors, announced Thursday that it closed a $350 million rated securitization of residential transition loans (RTLs). The transaction marks Kiavi’s sixth rated securitization and 24th deal under its LHOME shelf, bringing its total offere

Study finds wide credit score gaps across bureaus amid tri-merge debate

A study by Andrew Davidson & Co. found meaningful credit score discrepancies among the three major bureaus — a key data point for those arguing in favor of maintaining the tri-merge standard rather than shifting to a bi-merge or single-report model. According to the paper, released Friday, 35% of th

Supreme Court overturns Trump’s tariffs in 6-3 decision

The Supreme Court on Friday ruled in a 6-3 decision that President Donald Trump overstepped his authority by imposing sweeping tariffs under a federal law intended for national emergencies, a decision that marks a rare defeat for the administration at the high court, which holds a 6-3 conservative m

Older women worry about retirement security, making them prime reverse mortgage candidates

Women who are 50 and older are feeling the pinch of rising costs and economic uncertainty, even as they enjoy time with their family and hobbies, according to a new AARP survey. The research, part of AARP’s “She’s the Difference” series, highlights financial concerns that weigh heavily on older wome

Gov. Pritzker calls for zoning reform to buoy Illinois housing access

Illinois state lawmakers took up housing affordability last year. The results underwhelmed. Now, Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pushing to put housing at the center of Illinois’ broader affordability agenda.​ “The problem is clear – rent is too high and home ownership is too far out of reach,” Pritzker said

Huntington Bank’s Carolyn Gorman on expanded mortgage footprint with Cadence, Veritex partnerships

Huntington Bank — which is poised to become a $280 billion institution after its acquisitions of Cadence Bank and Veritex Bank — is aggressively expanding its mortgage footprint across Texas and the Southeast while emphasizing a “partnership” culture over a traditional acquisition model. That’s acco

For Toll Brothers, disciplined execution beats market uncertainty

Today’s headwinds new-home market rewards homebuilding teams that do the hardest things the best. In that light, a glib explanation for Toll Brothers’ Q1 2026 performance would be to point to geography and demographics: a luxury buyer profile, higher incomes and lower sensitivity to mortgage rates.

No exodus after all? Manhattan luxury market sales accelerate under Mamdani

For months, some affluent New Yorkers warned they would leave if progressive policies took hold at City Hall. With Zohran Mamdani now mayor and debate intensifying over a possible city wealth tax or property tax increase, early market data shows no sign of a luxury exodus. Instead, Manhattan’s top t

FirstHome IQ partners with MBA to boost loan officer advocacy on Capitol Hill

FirstHome IQ, a nonprofit focused on first-time homebuyer education and financial literacy, announced Thursday that it’s teaming up with the Mortgage Bankers Association to bring a coalition of loan officers to Washington, D.C., for the MBA’s National Advocacy Conference in April. The initiative aim

Bachman Realty Group joins The Real Brokerage

The Real Brokerage has added Bachman Realty Group — a 65-agent team serving the Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston metro areas. Led by Tiffany and Greg Bachman, the team closed 650 transactions in 2025 totaling $245 million in sales volume, according to the company. The group joins Real from Fathom Realt

Leading the digital shift: DocMagic’s Leah Sommerville on scaling sales and paperless innovation

For more than a decade, the HousingWire Rising Stars award has recognized professionals ages 40 and under who are driving measurable impact across housing. Since being named a 2025 Rising Star, Leah Sommerville has expanded both her leadership scope and her industry influence — transitioning into a

REMAX promotes Chris Lim to president, adds new global sales leaders

REMAX has made some changes to its leadership team. On Wednesday, the company announced the promotion of Chris Lim to president of REMAX.  He will continue to serve as the firm’s chief growth officer. Prior to this promotion, Lim had served as REMAX’s executive vice president and chief growth office

Rate adds seven former Movement Mortgage loan officers

Rate announced Thursday that it added seven loan officers from Movement Mortgage in December 2025, a move the Chicago-headquartered Rate characterized as a “significant wave of competitive talent acquisition momentum to close out the year.” The loan officers who joined Rate are Gabriel Carter of San

The new math of land deals in Texas growth corridors

Two people can look at the same parcel of land and come away with wildly different ideas and “facts” that determine how to value it. While there are more than three categories of landowner, most can be characterized in broad terms as developers, speculators or small parcel farmers/passive heirs.  Ea

Delta Media powers unified digital platform for Keyes and Illustrated Properties

Real estate brokerage firm The Keyes Company and Illustrated Properties is teaming up with Delta Media Group to launch a unified, AI-ready digital platform for its agents and their clients in South Florida.  Developed in partnership with Delta Media Group and built on DeltaNET7, Delta’s enterprise r

Union Home Mortgage brings on M&A veteran Renee Hildebrand

Union Home Mortgage (UHM) indicated a strong appetite for mergers and acquisitions by hiring Renee Hildebrand from Guild Mortgage to seek new opportunities, the company announced Tuesday. ​​The move comes a few years after the Strongsville, Ohio–based UHM, led by CEO Bill Cosgrove, acquired Amerifir

Rayse, OneKey MLS partner on agent value tools in New York

Rayse has partnered with OneKey Multiple Listing Service (MLS) to offer its agent value and transparency platform as an enhanced member benefit to more than 43,000 Realtors serving Long Island, Manhattan, the Hudson Valley and the broader New York metropolitan area. OneKey MLS is the largest Realtor

Property tax burdens vary widely as states debate senior relief

Property taxes can feel like a minor nuisance in some states and a crushing expense in others — a reality detailed in a new WalletHub analysis. The average U.S. household pays $3,119 per year in property taxes, according to U.S. Census Bureau data cited in the report. Even renters are affected. Roug

United’s Dan Duffy on the ‘perfect storm’: Why positioning, not productivity, will define the next brokerage cycle

For Dan Duffy, CEO of United Real Estate Group, the current market is not defined by disruption alone. It is defined by positioning — years of deliberate preparation colliding with a period of industry upheaval. “I have never been this excited about the next phase [of our company],” he said. “There’