It’s up to MLSs to decide if the Zillow-ChatGPT integration violates IDX policies

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has weighed in on the ongoing debate over whether or not Zillow’s app integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT violates MLS IDX policies.  In a statement issued on Tuesday, NAR said that when it comes to enforcement, “each MLS is individually responsible for condu

Mark Spain Real Estate names new CEO; Spain transitions to executive chairman

After a nearly year-long search, Mark Spain Real Estate has finally found its new CEO. On Tuesday, the firm said it was naming David Zanaty as its new leader.  The company said that this marks a “pivotal moment for the firm as it enters a new phase of growth, building upon the strong foundation and

Stop leaving deals on the table: how lenders can use DPA to win the “missing middle”

We have known each other for years and frequently appear on the same panel or podcast. Recently, Mosi has made some points to address some of the challenges of down payment assistance (DPA) programs, and we wanted to share and build on those thoughts because they are major shifts we feel the industr

What the latest mortgage data tells us about home sales in 2026

The average interest rate on all outstanding mortgages in the U.S. is now 4.3%. You might be surprised to learn that by the end of the year, the average rate will be higher than the levels of Q1 2020, before the pandemic boom. For the average American mortgage holder, the incredible gains of the pan

Younger homeowners seek to redefine property ownership

Over the next two decades, roughly $124 trillion will move from baby boomers to younger generations, according to Cerulli Associates. For many millennials — amid climate anxiety and financial uncertainty — that inheritance is prompting a new question; what should ownership mean? In Norwalk, Conn., A

TransUnion pushes back on single-pull mortgage credit proposal

Credit bureau TransUnion is pushing back against the idea of replacing the current tri-merge mortgage credit model with a single credit pull, arguing that the shift would increase systemic risk and restrict access to credit. The conclusion comes from a TransUnion study released during the Mortgage B

6 best online real estate schools in California for 2025

Looking to launch a real estate career in 2025? We’ve pinpointed the best online real estate schools in California for every budget, weekly schedule and timeline — with podcast-style audio lessons, mobile phone apps, and courses for every learning style. California requires 135 hours of prelicensing

Zillow pulls Matterport tours from its listings

As tensions between CoStar Group and Zillow continue to heat up, Zillow has claimed that CoStar did not renew its Matterport API agreement.  CoStar closed its $1.6 billion acquisition of Matterport in March, meaning that it would be up to CoStar to decide if it wanted to renew the API agreement with

South Florida boutique brokerage Galleria International Realty joins Compass

Compass’s market share in South Florida is growing. On Monday, Galleria International Realty announced that it is joining Compass.  According to Compass, the Fort Lauderdale-based firm’s team has over 100 years of combined experience and has recorded over $2 billion in combined career sales.  “Bring

Former economic leaders Cohn and Summers warn on U.S. fiscal path

Top former U.S. economic leaders, Gary Cohn and Lawrence Summers, raised red flags about the nation’s fiscal trajectory, the challenges of balancing monetary policy and the global context of U.S. debt. However, they Summers says economy is “remarkably resilient.” Speaking at the 2025 Mortgage Banker

Down payments have leveled off as the housing market cools

Down payments stayed largely unchanged in the third quarter of 2025 as homebuyers balanced high prices with slowing demand, according to Realtor.com’s newest Down Payment Report. The typical down payment was $30,400 — about $500 more than the previous quarter and roughly flat from a year earlier. Bu

Homeownership dreams clash with retirement goals for Millennial investors

A new study from the Nationwide Retirement Institute found that 58% of Millennial investors feel they have to choose between homeownership and retirement security as housing prices continue to rise faster than wages.  “Millennials are navigating their prime earnings years in a financial landscape ma

If there’s a national housing emergency, let’s be honest about what It really means

The Trump administration has hinted at declaring a national housing emergency. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent floated the idea, and President Trump confirmed it is under consideration. A “federal emergency” sounds dramatic and grabs headlines. But here’s the reality: declaring one might ease finan

MBA forecasts $2.2T mortgage origination in 2026

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced Sunday that it expects total single-family mortgage origination volume to increase to $2.2 trillion in 2026, up from $2.0 trillion expected in 2025. Speaking at its 2025 Annual Convention and Expo, Mike Fratantoni, chief economist and senior vice pres

Tammy Richards joins NEXA Lending as chief strategy officer

NEXA Lending is continuing to shake up its leadership by adding Tammy Richards to its team as chief strategy officer. The news follows several other leadership announcements for the Arizona-headquartered company. Most recently, NEXA announced a rebrand from NEXA Mortgage to NEXA Lending. Richards co

Rocket trims workforce after completing Mr. Cooper acquisition

Detroit-based Rocket Companies announced Friday that it has reduced its workforce following the completion of its acquisition of Mr. Cooper Group. The jobs cut will impact less than 1% of its employees. “Following the Mr. Cooper acquisition, we carefully reviewed our combined structure, identified o

Housing demand now reflects a positive trend

Housing demand started to pick up more than three months ago and has stabilized the housing market. One reason many people are behind the curve on housing data is that they rely on outdated reports that are three to six months old. This is why it’s very critical to track weekly live fresh housing da

Tech Pulse: Are MLS policies built for the ChatGPT era?

Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: Are MLS policies built for the ChatGPT era? Zillow‘s integration with ChatGPT has ignited

TransUnion cuts VantageScore 4.0 pricing for mortgage lenders

Credit bureau TransUnion has followed its peers in slashing prices for mortgage lenders that purchase VantageScore 4.0, responding to Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO)’s newly implemented pricing model.Starting in 2026, TransUnion will offer VantageScore 4.0 for $4 per score and provide it at no cost to lende

Griffin Funding alleges West Capital Lending, former LOs diverted borrower leads

loanDepot wasn’t the first mortgage lender to accuse West Capital Lending (WCL) of engaging in unlawful business practices — allegations that have drawn renewed attention to the tensions between retail mortgage lenders and brokerages in California. The cases spotlight the transfer of leads and borro