Top Houston agent leaves Compass for Douglas Elliman

Douglas Elliman has gained a top producing agent in Houston. On Tuesday, Dana Johnson announced that she was leaving Compass after six years to join Douglas Elliman. Johnson’s announcement comes less than a week after Compass announced it had closed its acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate.  “At this

Max Stokes splits from Fox & Stokes to launch N.J. Compass team

As Compass finalizes its $1.6 billion merger with Anywhere, one of North Jersey’s most closely watched luxury real estate teams is undergoing a major transition. Max Stokes — a founding principal of Compass’ Ridgewood, N.J., office and a top-producing agent in Bergen County — is splitting from the F

Engel & Völkers gains top California team from Sotheby’s

One of Sotheby’s International Realty’s top luxury teams is making the move over to Engel & Völkers. On Tuesday, Truszkowski Freedman & Associates announced its departure from Sotheby’s, an Anywhere brand that is now owned by Compass.  The team, which is based on California’s Monterey Peninsula, is

Lawmakers move to restrict private listings in Washington

Lawmakers in Washington state are weighing in on the real estate industry’s private listing debate. On Monday, state legislators introduced a bill that seeks to amend an existing state statute related to real estate licensing laws by restricting the use of private listing networks in the state. The

House bill seeks higher VA loan fees to fund veterans’ benefits

Mortgage trade groups are closely monitoring a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would raise fees on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mortgages to help fund other veterans’ benefits.The Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act of 2025 (H.R. 6047) — introduced

U.S. housing inventory growth slows to 10% as demand reshapes the 2026 market

Housing inventory growth has slowed from 33% year over year in mid-2025 to 10.0% today. The cooling marks the clearest end to the supply-shortage era and the beginning of a market where pricing power will be determined more by demand strength, rates and buyer behavior than scarcity alone. As Housing

Skyrocketing health care costs threaten early retirement

Skyrocketing health care costs are threatening early retirement dreams for millions of Americans. Enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies expired at the end of 2025 — leaving 24 million people facing a sharp rise in health insurance costs unless Congress acts. Middle-income Americans ages 50 to

QXO announces additional $1.8 billion raise for deal war chest

QXO today announced an additional funding round to support its next acquisition(s), as the firm aims to disrupt and consolidate the highly fragmented $800 billion building products industry.  The company’s $1.2 billion investment made public last week now totals $3 billion, with an additional $1.8 b

Merger forms largest Arizona REMAX brokerage

REMAX Fine Properties and REMAX Professionals have merged to form the largest REMAX brokerage in Arizona. Combined operations will work under the REMAX Fine Properties name and maintain nine offices across the state. The brokerage now includes roughly 350 affiliated real estate professionals, accord

Justin Demola joins Equifax as SVP of mortgage and housing

Justin Demola announced via social media on Monday that he’s joining consumer credit reporting agency Equifax as its senior vice president of mortgage and housing. Demola, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s resident Certified Mortgage Banker instructor, shared the career move on LinkedIn. He also se

Midwest housing markets coming in hot for 2026

As the housing market moves into 2026, competition remains intense in many parts of the country — especially in smaller metros where inventory is critically low. New findings from HW Data based on supply, pricing and buyer activity show that demand for single-family homes continues to far outpace av

Mamdani notches a loss in opening gambit to take on NYC landlords

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani suffered defeat in his first skirmish with multifamily property owners as part of a strategic war to remake the city’s rent-stabilized housing.​ On Friday, Summit Properties USA became the winning bidder for more than 5,000 rent-regulated units owned by bankrupt Pi

Shake it off! NAR looks to dismiss Taylor Swift copyright claim

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is hoping to shake off a copyright lawsuit involving photos of an estate belonging to Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift’s fiancé. The trade association filed a motion to dismiss the copyright lawsuit on Friday.  Originally filed in U.S. District Court in Missouri

Meet MVRK Real Estate, the latest brokerage launched by a mortgage executive

Florida’s real estate brokerage scene has a new face. Earlier this month, John Motowidlak, the founder and CEO of national mortgage firm Mpire Financial, announced the launch of a new brokerage firm MVRK Real Estate. Headquartered in Orlando, Fla., as of Monday, Motowidlak said the firm had 10 agent

DOJ probe into Powell prompts bipartisan backlash

Following Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s disclosure on Sunday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued grand jury subpoenas to the central bank, the investigation has triggered political backlash on Capitol Hill. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, said

DOJ opens criminal investigation into Federal Reserve and Powell

The Department of Justice served the Federal Reserve with grand jury subpoenas on Friday, threatening a criminal indictment over Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s Congressional testimony last summer, Powell said Sunday. The testimony was about the Fed’s $2.5 billion renovation of its D.C. headquarters, but

The impact of lower mortgage rates on housing inventory

Year-over-year housing inventory growth has slowed to single digits, from 33% at one point last year to 9.99%. 2026 is off and running, and we had another crazy week of housing headlines, from Trump announcing a ban on Wall Street investors buying single-family homes to directing the GSEs to buy mor

December jobs data continues to support lower mortgage rates

Jobs Friday came and went without much reaction in bond yields because the labor market isn’t breaking, nor is it getting stronger. Mortgage rates dropped into the 5s for a short time on Friday as a result of Trump’s earlier announcement directing the GSEs to buy $200 billion in mortgage backed secu

WSJ: DOJ leadership halted antitrust review of Compass–Anywhere deal

News that the proposed merger between Compass and Anywhere would close this week came as a surprise to many in the industry, especially those who were anticipating a robust antitrust review of the deal. Several news outlets are reporting that antitrust regulators were blocked from a deeper investiga

Real estate leaders weigh in on potential ban on large investors

President Donald Trump announced plans to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes earlier this week, arguing the move would ease competition for families and improve housing affordability. The proposal has reignited a long-running debate over the role Wall Street-backed lan