U.S. House unveils Housing for the 21st Century Act

The Housing for the 21st Century Act — the U.S. House’s version of the Senate-approved ROAD to Housing Act — was unveiled Wednesday. Led by sponsors including Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.), Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Chairman Mike Flood (R-Neb.) and Ranking Member Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo

PLACE names new leaders for growth, legal, and title strategy

Real estate platform PLACE is welcoming three new executives. On Monday, the firm announced the additions of Nikki Miller, Jamie Jatzlau and Claire Dunham to its leadership team.  Miller, who will serve as PLACE’s new vice president of growth, began her real estate industry career in 2014 as a sales

FirstHome IQ highlights financial literacy gaps among young homebuyers

FirstHome IQ says that millennials and Generation Z face significant gaps in financial knowledge and trust as they approach homebuying age, according to the group’s newly released 2025 Impact Report. The report outlines widespread uncertainty among younger homebuyers — noting that most never receive

Housing affordability challenges steepen in Q3

The housing market showed faint signs of near-term affordability improvement in late 2025, but it remains dramatically worse than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from Oxford Economics. In the third quarter, a household needed to earn $110,100 a year to afford to own a

Pathway Lending launches $30M housing fund

Pathway Lending, a Nashville-based Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), announced on Thursday the launch of the Pathway Housing Fund with $30 million in committed capital to acquire and preserve Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH) in Tennessee communities at risk of gentrifi

Advocacy groups see erosion of fair lending oversight, move to fill the gap 

Nonprofit organizations say the Trump administration has dramatically scaled back fair lending oversight — and they’re stepping in to fill the void.In its latest move, the Department of Justice (DOJ) this week announced the rescission of disparate-impact liability from its Title VI regulations, whil

YIMBY group sues Newsom over SB 9 pause in L.A. wildfire zones

California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave the state’s “yes-in-my-backyard” coalition celebrated wins this year on housing legislation. Those same pro-housing activists have now sued him over an August executive order that exempts fire-ravaged areas in Los Angeles from a 2021 state law — Senate Bill 9 — that

Boston emerges as hottest large metro market entering 2026

Boston has emerged as HousingWire’s hottest major metropolitan housing market heading into 2026 — fueled by chronic supply shortages, rapid sales and a job base that continues to outpace national trends. Local experts say the metro’s long-standing economic strength and global pull are driving compet

Beazer taps Howard Heckes for board; Danny Shepherd retires

Beazer Homes announced the appointment of Howard Heckes as a new independent member of the company’s 10-person board of directors, along with the retirement of board member Danny Shepherd.  Heckes has extensive experience in the building materials and services industry and is currently a member of t

Buyer angst puts home insurance at the center of the purchase

In today’s market, the buyer standing in your model home isn’t just asking, “Can I afford this?” They’re questioning: “Will anyone insure it – and how will that affect my payment and resale?” In a cycle where climate risk, hidden ownership costs, and sour sentiment cause as much damage as mortgage r

Toll Brothers leans on luxury to navigate homebuilding’s headwinds

For Toll Brothers, whose enviable core customers are ones whose financial wherewithal effectively shields them from worries about high prices and high interest rates, the question is not “can they buy?” It’s will they? And will they buy now? “America’s Luxury Homebuilder” continues to rely on its mo

November mortgage lock data driven by strong refinance activity

Optimal Blue on Wednesday released its November 2025 Market Advantage report, which revealed that mortgage rate-lock activity slowed with typical late-fall seasonality but still posted the strongest November in four years. Total lock volume fell 25% from October but was up 17% from November 2024, dr

Loft47 launches automation and commission management platform for real estate teams

Loft47 — a back-office automation and commission management platform for real estate brokerages — has introduced a new product aimed specifically at teams. Loft47 for Teams is built to automate commissions, payouts and accounting workflows while giving team leaders real-time visibility into performa

2026 mortgage compliance trends show staffing strains, regulatory risks

Ncontracts, a provider of compliance, risk and vendor management solutions for the financial services industry, released a new survey Tuesday that examines how institutions are managing evolving compliance expectations in 2026. The survey, “The Future of Compliance: Benchmarking the People, Processe

Fed delivers third straight rate cut, but housing market will see limited relief

The Federal Reserve delivered another 25-basis-point cut to its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, setting the target range at 3.5% to 3.75% amid signs of a softening labor market and inflation that’s still above the central bank’s 2% target.  The move marks the Fed’s third straight rate cut to e

4 best real estate schools in Maryland (MD) for 2026

From Bethesda and Towson to Havre de Grace and Silver Spring, it’s now easier than ever to complete the required 60 hours of real estate prelicensing classes from the comfort of your own home in Maryland. Our guide to the best Maryland real estate schools will help you find the right online program

Walters | Plaxen Group joins Sotheby’s International Realty

Shauna Walters and Nicole Plaxen, the broker duo behind the Walters | Plaxen Group, have joined Sotheby’s International Realty. The affiliation follows a standout year for the five-person team. RealTrends Verified shows Walters | Plaxen Group accounting for $222 million in closed volume across 134 t

HUD extends reverse mortgage feedback deadline

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is reopening the public comment period for a review of federal reverse mortgage programs, the agency announced Wednesday in the Federal Register. HUD previously issued a request for information in October, seeking input on the Home Equity Co

Georgia lawmakers aim to speed housing permits for affordability

A surge in Sun Belt in-migration for well over a decade blessed Georgia with population growth that prompted a spate of apartment and home construction. Despite a heavy dose of added supply in the past few years, there was no catching up. The state still has a housing shortage, particularly in the A

Class Valuation names Daniel Busch as CFO

Real estate appraisal management company Class Valuation announced Wednesday that Daniel A. Busch has joined the company as its chief financial officer. Busch, who brings more than two decades of financial leadership experience to the role, most recently served as CFO of Continental Services, a priv