|
|
|
||
| Better.com CEO Brawls With Board After Sudden Ouster | ||
| 8/18/2026 1:21 PM | ||
| Vishal Garg, founder and former CEO of tech-focused mortgage disruptor Better, briefly was the “main character” of the industry back in 2021—and not in a good way. His casual, chaotic Zoom firing of 900 people right before the Christmas holiday went viral, picked up by mainstream media as an example of pandemic-era callousness from the…Read More | ||
| New Construction Craters in July | ||
| 8/18/2026 11:50 AM | ||
| Economic uncertainty continues to push builders to temper their expectations (and pace of construction) based on the latest monthly new residential construction report by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Bureau’s report for July states that privately owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.24 million. This is a considerabl...Read More | ||
| Immigration Cutbacks ‘More Deeply Felt’ for Housing in 2026-27: Harvard | ||
| 8/18/2026 11:48 AM | ||
| Housing transactions happen for a lot of reasons that real estate professionals are intimately familiar with—new job, new baby, new marriage. In the aggregate, though, most of these events can be classified as “household formations”—in simple terms, a new family is formed, and that family (usually) needs a new place to live. According to Harvard...Read More | ||
| Summer Slowdown Sets in as Pending Activity Drops to Lowest Level in 2026 | ||
| 8/18/2026 11:44 AM | ||
| The mid-to-late summer housing market appears to be plodding along, as pending activity in July slipped to a low for the year, according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). NAR’s Pending Home Sales report found that sales dipped 2.3% month-over-month and 2.2% year-over-year in July. This is the second month&...Read More | ||
| Redfin Partners With Winnie to Display Childcare Info on Home Listings | ||
| 8/17/2026 6:53 PM | ||
| Redfin, the real estate brokerage powered by Rocket, announced on Aug. 17 a partnership with Winnie—one of the largest marketplaces for childcare and early education in the U.S.—to bring local childcare information to every for-sale home listing on Redfin. Home searchers can now view daycare and preschool options closest to each listing, a...Read More | ||
| Real, RE/MAX Holdings Shareholders Approve Proposed Combination | ||
| 8/17/2026 2:29 PM | ||
| The Real Brokerage and RE/MAX—one of the world’s leading franchisors of real estate brokerage services—recently announced that shareholders of both companies approved Real’s proposed acquisition of RE/MAX at their respective special meetings, moving the major consolidation one step closer to finalization. Upon closing, the combined company...Read More | ||
| Affordability Pressures Keep Builder Confidence Low | ||
| 8/17/2026 2:24 PM | ||
| Builder sentiment remains muted from economic and geopolitical uncertainty, elevated mortgage rates and rising construction costs, with the latest data and analysis from homebuilders painting an overall still-muddled picture of near-term housing demand and affordability. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes inched...Read More | ||
| Private Listings Invite ‘Gatekeeping’ Accusations, Execs Say | ||
| 8/17/2026 12:49 PM | ||
| Real estate’s Multiple Listing Service (MLS) was built on a century of shared data and mutual trust among brokers. Now, a panel of industry executives says that trust between agents and consumers is fraying as more properties get pulled into private listing networks. And, increasingly, panelists warn trust and cooperation between rival brokerage...Read More | ||
| Court Report: NAR Says It Will ‘Suffer Prejudice’ Without Documents From Umansky Fraud Cases | ||
| 8/17/2026 12:38 PM | ||
| Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. NAR said it will “suffer prejudice” without Umansky fraud documents The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is continuing to spar with PLS.com Founder Mauricio Umansky in the listing...Read More | ||
| American Real Estate Association Names John Blount Chief Lobbyist | ||
| 8/14/2026 1:31 PM | ||
| The American Real Estate Association (ARA) has announced the appointment of John Blount as its chief lobbyist. Blount previously served as chief lobbyist for the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). According to ARA, the hire signals its intent to be a strong national voice on real estate policy. With Blount, ARA gains a Washingto...Read More | ||