Louisville, Ky., joins municipalities piloting AI to fast-track permits

Earlier this month, the City of Louisville, Ky., announced a partnership with Govstream.ai, a technology company that utilizes AI to speed up the permitting process, reflecting a broader national push to utilize AI to accelerate permitting and approvals.  Municipalities are increasingly under pressu

Jim Park on appraisal workforce shortage and regulatory shifts

The U.S. appraisal industry is facing a myriad of issues: a workforce shortage, rising regulatory scrutiny and new technology requirements that could reshape the profession altogether. Jim Park, the president and CEO of Collateral Risk Network and a certified general appraiser, spoke with HousingWir

Indiana bill targets housing affordability with state zoning changes

Another state vs. local jurisdiction showdown is brewing up in Indiana. Lawmakers there are poised to strip cities of much of their power over where and how new housing is built, setting up a clash over who holds the reins of local growth and – critically – housing development. Indiana’s proposed bi

NAR, .RealEstate helping Realtors build online presence

.RealEstate — an official partner of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) — has launched a unified digital platform designed to help real estate professionals build and manage their online presence. The launch follows the company’s rebrand from Get.Realtor in August 2025 and marks a shift from

SoftPro releases FinCEN anti-money laundering data solutions

SoftPro has released new integrated software tools designed to help title companies comply with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s (FinCEN) new anti-money laundering rule. The company said its Buyer and Seller Collection Forms are available to help users gather required data under the rule —

Cardinal Financial launches nondelegated correspondent program

Cardinal Financial‘s third-party origination division announced Wednesday the launch of its nondelegated correspondent program that targets independent mortgage lenders. The program allows approved nondelegated correspondents to originate loans in their own name while using Cardinal Financial’s loan

Long & Foster taps Lacey Conway as new president

Lacey Conway is leaving Compass to serve as the president of Long & Foster Real Estate. HomeServices of America, as announced by the parent company of Long & Foster’s on Wednesday.  In this role Conway will work closely with Patrick Bain, the CEO and president of The Long & Foster Companies, and she

Rocket Companies hit with class-action lawsuit alleging steering, home-price inflation

Detroit-based Rocket Companies was hit with a class-action lawsuit on Monday that accuses one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders of steering consumers to their loan products, “even though Rocket Mortgage‘s terms are disadvantageous to the clients.” The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court

Policy clash: how two housing policies blend to price out millions

It goes with the insanity of today’s U.S. housing affordability crisis that two rights can make a wrong. Two federal policies — each designed to lower the lifetime operating cost of owning a home — can instead combine to raise the barrier to entry so high that millions of households never get throug

Jason Mitchell Group adds LitFinancial to referral network

The Jason Mitchell Group (JMG) said it has added mortgage brokerage LitFinancial to its network of business-to-business partners. LitFinancial was founded in 2024 and has closed more than $1 billion in client volume since launching — providing mortgage services and working with homebuyers nationwide

HUD orders housing agencies to verify tenant eligibility

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has ordered public housing authorities and property owners participating in federal housing programs to verify tenant eligibility as it relates issues including undocumented immigration. HUD Secretary Scott Turner said the directive is part of a

New real estate certification spotlights agents committed to consumer protection

Transparency is sweeping the housing industry with everyone from trade associations and brokerage leaders to agents and consumers claiming they want more transparency in the home buying and selling process.  For agents looking to up their commitment to transparency, Housing Rebel by Selling Later, a

Onity targets $150M debt raise via PHH subsidiaries

Onity Group — the parent company of PHH Mortgage Corp. and its subsidiary, Liberty Reverse Mortgage — plans to raise $150 million through a debt offering to qualified investors via two of its subsidiaries, the company announced Monday. PHH Corp. and PHH Escrow Issuer LLC are offering senior notes du

Samara installs its first modular home for Altadena wildfire victims

Samara, a California-based manufacturer of accessory dwelling units (ADUs), installed its first modular home for wildfire victims in Altadena, Calif., on Thursday, in partnership with nonprofit organization Steadfast LA.  The installation, which took place last week, is part of a local rebuilding ef

How to become a luxury real estate agent

Many newly licensed and experienced agents are drawn to the allure of selling luxury homes. Reality TV makes selling luxury real estate look sexy and glamorous, plus there’s the appeal of a larger paycheck. While it certainly can be all those things, breaking into the luxury market and becoming a lu

Down payment assistance availability continues to grow in Q4 2025

Down Payment Resource (DPR) on Monday released its Q4 2025 Homeownership Program Index (HPI) report, identifying 2,619 down payment assistance (DPA) programs available nationwide. The count is five fewer compared to the third quarter but represents a 6% increase from Q4 2024, when 2,466 programs wer

Housing market momentum builds as early-year indicators align

Early 2026 housing data is beginning to show a clearer shift in market momentum, with multiple indicators moving in the same direction. HousingWire’s latest Housing Market Tracker data points to improving demand, steadier pricing dynamics and inventory growth that supports a more functional housing

Lower mortgage rates boosting demand early in 2026

Lower mortgage rates are driving increased housing demand in 2026, as shown by another positive week in our Housing Market Tracker data. Both weekly pending home sales and purchase application data posted gains last week — both week over week and year over year. My work over the years indicates that

Don’t count on the ‘silver tsunami’ for housing inventory surge

Inherited homes accounted for a record share of U.S. property transfers in 2025, a shift in how housing supply reaches the market and challenging expectations that aging baby boomers who wish to downsize will unlock a surge of homes for sale. New data from Cotality shows that about 340,000 U.S. prop

Senior home equity surges to record $14.7T

Older U.S. homeowners held a record level of housing wealth in the third quarter of 2025, driven by rising home values and continued equity accumulation, according to the latest Reverse Mortgage Market Index (RMMI). Housing wealth among homeowners ages 62 and older rose 1.9% in the third quarter of