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

Americans are moving less frequently — and staying closer to home

Fewer Americans are packing up and relocating, and when they do move, they are likely to stay within their current region, according to a new analysis published by Bank of America. The findings suggest that the era of a dramatic nationwide migration has faded, replaced by a quieter trend of househol

TikTok forms US entity, easing social media marketing concerns for mortgage pros

TikTok has finalized a deal to form a new U.S. entity with investors that include Oracle, Silver Lake and Emirati firm MGX, easing the threat of a nationwide ban and allowing the social media app to continue operating for more than 200 million American users. The company said Thursday that the new T

California housing reform faces new test as LA Metro resists transit zoning law

California has become a test lab for housing reform. The state stands as an ongoing experiment-in-process for how far lawmakers will go to legalize the development of more homes and how hard local officials and neighborhood activists will fight to stop it.​​ The latest flashpoint struck on Thursday,

CrossCountry Mortgage hires Sam Sharp as regional EVP in Chicago

CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) announced Friday that it has hired Sam Sharp as regional executive vice president, expanding the lender’s presence in the Chicago market. Sharp, who brings more than 23 years of mortgage industry experience, is known in the Chicago area for a borrower-focused approach and

Post-holiday pending sales rebound exposes regional divides

The U.S. housing market is showing clear signs of a post-holiday recovery. Pending home sales climbed to 50,096 new contracts this week, a 25.7% increase from last week’s 39,841, as buyer activity rebounds from the typical holiday slowdown. The increase in buyer activity, combined with shifting mark

KB Home opens new wildfire-resilient community in NorCal hills

In the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, KB Home has unveiled a fire-resilient new-home subdivision designed and engineered to protect homeowners, buffer neighboring communities and potentially lower property insurance rates.  The homebuilder opened its model home and began selling

30 must-have real estate text message scripts to convert leads and close deals

As a real estate brokerage leader with decades of experience, I know firsthand that every connection counts, so having the right words at your fingertips is essential. That’s where text messaging for real estate agents comes in — it’s quick, personal, and gets straight to the point. We’ve gathered 3

FHFA reports clean GAO audit for fiscal year 2025

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA)’s annual Performance and Accountability Report was published on Friday, revealing that the agency received clean audit results for fiscal year 2025 from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The report disclosed that the GAO did not find any “material

Tapping a 401(k) for homeownership is risky business, experts say

President Donald Trump has floated proposals to make it easier for Americans to pull from their 401(k) retirement accounts to buy a home — framing the idea as a way to boost homeownership and financial stability. But financial experts say the strategy could undermine long-term financial security, pa

AmeriTrust hires Shea Pallante as it preps for correspondent lending launch

AmeriTrust Mortgage Corp. has appointed Shea Pallante as chief revenue officer as the lender pursues a growth strategy that includes expanding into nondelegated correspondent channels and more than doubling its monthly origination volume. A mortgage industry veteran, Pallante joins AmeriTrust from n

New deduction may lower seniors’ Social Security tax burden

The federal tax bill passed in mid-2025 includes a provision marketed as “no tax on Social Security,” but it does not eliminate taxes on benefits. Instead, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expands deductions for older Americans, potentially reducing federal taxes for many retirees, a finance leader re

Digging into how an institutional investor ban would play out

President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes has broad – even bipartisan – political appeal. Still, most housing experts doubt that it will exert a significant impact on affordability. The order could also pose risks for build

NAR outlines legal risk mitigation, litigation strategy in 2025 report

It is no secret that the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has faced its fair share of legal challenges over the past few years. From the commission lawsuits, to an investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to lawsuits over the three-way membership agreement and the now defunct, optional