Shared housing reforms gain traction as cities address affordability

Boarding and lodging houses played an important role during American industrialization.​ Could they make a come-back? Rural people and immigrants relied on them when they sought jobs in rapidly urbanizing cities and affordable housing was scarce. Cities zoned them largely out of existence over the p

PadSplit expands co-living services to 4 new cities

Co-living marketplace PadSplit is expanding into four new U.S. markets: Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Sacramento and Nashville. Founded in 2017, PadSplit operates in more than 35 markets and has listed more than 28,000 rooms, housing 65,000-plus people. The company said it focuses on access and flexibi

Study finds Zillow home estimates improve buyer, seller outcomes

A new study found that Zillow’s automated home valuation tool, the Zestimate, improves pricing efficiency in residential real estate transactions and delivers measurable benefits to buyers and sellers like. The research, published in Marketing Science — a peer-reviewed journal of the Institute for O

Florida property insurance market is rebounding from 2022 low point

ALIRT Insurance Research released a report this week finding that Florida’s homeowners insurance market has stabilized after years of financial strain — following legislative reforms adopted in late 2022 and early 2023. The 2025 Florida Domestic Property Insurer Market Update concludes that the mark

Opendoor names Lucas Matheson president, Christy Schwartz CFO

The executive team switch-ups at iBuyer Opendoor are continuing. On Monday, the firm announced the appointments of Lucas Matheson as president and Christy Schwartz as chief financial officer.  Matheson most recently served as the CEO of Coinbase Canada. Prior to this, Matheson spent five years in a

Homebuilder confidence ticks up but remains low

Homebuilding executives remain downbeat, citing a range of current conditions marked by buyer hesitancy, economic uncertainty, shrinking profit margins, increased use of incentives, and high costs. However, homebuilders whose primary focus is the strained entry-level buyer segment face the biggest h

Inside Pennymac’s Texas expansion and its push for top mortgage talent

Pennymac cut the ribbon on a new facility in Carrollton, Texas, on Friday, which will become the company’s largest corporate office, eventually housing more than 1,800 employees. The move consolidates two offices in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex while also giving the company room to grow. Pennymac

MRED challenges Zillow’s claims of imminent listing feed disruptions

The spat between Zillow and Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) continues on. Over the weekend, the Chicago-based MLS sent an email, obtained by HousingWire, to members warning them that the listing portal’s industry relations team is contacting MRED subscribers and allegedly threatening to contact thei

Google enters portal wars with MLS listings in select cities

The portal wars may have a new entrant — and it isn’t one to shake a stick at. Google has begun testing a new advertising format in select markets that embeds for-sale home listings directly into search results.  Listings are embedded only in mobile searches for listings in select markets, including

Sweeney amends lawsuit against AIME, names UWM

The legal skirmish between Katie Sweeney and the Association of Independent Mortgage Experts (AIME) is continuing to develop with a first amended complaint that officially names United Wholesale Mortgage, AIME’s main sponsor, and Sarah DeCiantis, UWM’s executive vice president and chief marketing of

Americans back Social Security, but one-third fear it won’t last

Most Americans hold a favorable view of Social Security, but about one-third are skeptical the program will still exist when they retire, according to new survey data released by the Cato Institute and YouGov. The survey also found that Americans are broadly misinformed about how Social Security wor

Weekly housing demand reaches multiyear high

As mortgage rates stay near 6%, our weekly housing demand data lines have improved so much that we are at multiyear highs in total pending sales and purchase application data combined. This shouldn’t be a shock for our readers because whenever mortgage rates break below 6.64% and head down toward 6%

New View Advisors floats sweeping changes to HECM, HMBS programs

Ideas for reshaping the federally insured reverse mortgage program and its avenue for secondary market issuance is the hot topic of conversation for industry professionals in late 2025. And New View Advisors added to the discussion last week with a host of comments submitted to the U.S. Department o

Settlor integrates with DataTrace to streamline title searches

Title and settlement services technology provider Settlor has introduced a new integration with DataTrace. The connection allows Settlor’s users to access DataTrace tools directly within Settlor’s title production system — eliminating the need to switch between platforms. Integration gives users the

HUD investigating Boston housing policies, alleging discrimination against white residents

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced Thursday that it is opening an investigation into the city of Boston’s housing policies, examining perceived discrimination against white residents. In a letter to Mayor Michelle Wu, Craig Trainor — HUD’s assistant secretary for fair ho

Don Goettling goes all in with Momentum Builder

Don Goettling, a nearly 40-year veteran of the mortgage and real estate industry, announced last week that he’s committing full time to his role as CEO of Momentum Builder, the company he co-founded in 2018. The organization, which provides resources for housing professionals — including coaching, w

CMLS unveils new 2026 board, names Nicole Jensen chair

The Council of Multiple Listing Services’ (CMLS) has announced its board of directors for 2026.  On Friday, the MLS trade association announced that the chair of the 2026 board is Nicole Jensen, the CEO of realMLS, replacing John DiMichele, the CEO of Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, who will rem

REMAX Results acquires REMAX Unlimited in Florida expansion

Hendersonville, North Carolina-based REMAX Results in continuing to expand its footprint in the Southeast. On Wednesday, the Lee Linhart-helmed firm announced the acquisition of Florida-based REMAX Unlimited. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Through this acquisition, REMAX Results

Sitewire launches AI tools to streamline pre-construction risk review

As homebuilders face shrinking access, tighter reins, and higher costs from traditional local and regional banks for construction financing, Sitewire this week introduced two new AI tools, BudgetIQ and Permit IQ, to streamline pre-construction budgeting and permitting for small residential construct

Why invisible risk will define homebuilding’s 2026 reality

Builders often talk about “uncertainty” as if it were a temporary fog that had to clear eventually. Rates will decline, the Fed will pivot, pent-up demand will return, migration will pick up again, and the longstanding pattern of structural underbuilding will resume.  The idea that the industry’s bi