Tariffs ‘on Track to Exacerbate’ US Housing Shortage
A congressional report released in April 2026 finds that roughly 60,000 home‑construction jobs have vanished since December 2024, a decline linked to President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. Prices for key building materials such as copper and steel have surged more than 20% year‑over‑year, raising construction costs. While the National Association of Home Builders reports a smaller net job loss, it still notes 202,000 open positions amid a persistent 4‑million‑home shortage. The report warns that tariff‑driven uncertainty could further tighten supply and elevate housing prices.
NAHREP Installs 2026 President; JPAR Promotes Industry Veteran
Edwin Acevedo, founder of Century 21 LOTUS, was sworn in as NAHREP’s 2026 national president, continuing a streak of Century 21 leadership within the Hispanic real‑estate association. His tenure emphasizes expanding homeownership access and mentoring agents across the United States. Meanwhile, Tony Delgado,...
Why HomeSmart Said ‘No’ to Exclusive Distribution
HomeSmart announced it will not join exclusive "Coming Soon" or preview distribution models like Zillow Preview, opting to keep listings on open MLS platforms. The brokerage argues that broad, transparent access drives competition, protects fair‑housing compliance, and benefits both buyers...
US Now Has over 10M Hispanic Homeowners — a New Record
The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals reported that Hispanic homeownership reached a record 10.2 million owner‑households in 2025, adding 441,000 new owners—the largest single‑year gain for any demographic. Despite the surge, the homeownership rate slipped to 48.5% as 1.09 million...
NAR Urges Courts to Consider Recent Dismissal of Membership Suit
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) saw a Michigan judge dismiss the Hardy antitrust lawsuit, which challenged its mandatory‑membership rule for MLS access. NAR and regional realtor groups are now citing that dismissal in pending cases in Texas, California and...
Confronting Real Estate’s ‘Very Destructive’ Narrative
Brown Harris Stevens CEO Bess Freedman told the NAR Change Agents podcast that despite litigation, consolidation and a tough market, she remains optimistic about residential real estate. She defined professionalism as timeliness, communication and putting the client first, and warned...
Batton Plaintiffs File Appeal After Anywhere Opt-In Deal
The Batton plaintiffs have appealed to the Seventh Circuit after a district court denied their request for a preliminary injunction aimed at blocking Anywhere Real Estate’s opt‑in to the Tuccori settlement. Anywhere, along with The Keyes Company, Illustrated Properties and...
The MLS Will Evolve. Who Gets to Shape What Comes Next?
Industry leaders are questioning the future of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) as major players like Compass, Redfin, Zillow and Realtor.com launch private or pre‑market listing platforms. These initiatives highlight the MLS's enduring role as the most reliable source of...
Pocket Listings Really Do Sell for More — at Least in Dallas
A University of Georgia study of roughly 700,000 Dallas‑Fort Worth home sales from 2002‑2022 found that pocket listings – homes sold off‑MLS and entered the MLS after closing – fetched an average 1.7% price premium over comparable MLS listings. The...
Real Estate Stock Prices Have Taken a Big Hit in the Past Year
Real‑estate equities have endured a steep decline over the past year, with CoStar and Zillow each losing roughly half their value as the housing market remains sluggish. Opendoor’s stock surged 375% while Offerpad tumbled 57%, illustrating divergent fortunes among iBuyers....
Judge OKs eXp, Weichert Deals After 18-Month Battle
A U.S. district judge in Georgia gave final approval to the settlement agreements that eXp Realty and Weichert Realtors reached in the Hooper buyer‑agent commission lawsuit. eXp will contribute $34 million to a broader settlement fund exceeding $1 billion, while Weichert will...
NAR Prevails in Another Mandatory Membership Case
A federal judge in Michigan dismissed the Hardy mandatory‑membership lawsuit against the National Association of Realtors, marking another legal win after a similar dismissal in Louisiana. The court found the plaintiffs’ claims unsupported, reinforcing NAR’s stance that its membership fees...
Industry Leaders Continue to Weigh in on Zillow Preview
Zillow launched Preview on March 17, a pre‑market listing platform that initially partnered with five major brokerages and added more than two dozen firms within two weeks. The service lets homes appear to buyers before MLS listing, mirroring similar "Coming Soon"...
1 in 2 Homes Spent at Least 60 Days on Market in February
Redfin data shows 52.2% of February home listings remained on the market for 60 days or more, the highest share for the month since 2019. Weak buyer demand and persistent price growth are prompting sellers to list above market levels,...
Compass Promotes a ‘Trusted Leader’; KW Elevates 25-Year Veteran
Compass International Holdings promoted longtime executive Rory Golod to president of growth, a role designed to accelerate agent adoption of its AI‑driven platform, oversee recruitment, M&A and corporate communications, and unify its brand portfolio. Golod’s decade‑long tenure includes leading brokerage...
Compass, eXp, Real Add Teams; 2 BHGRE Firms Join Forces
Several major U.S. real‑estate brokerages announced strategic team acquisitions and geographic expansions this week. eXp Realty welcomed the high‑performing Maximum Tampa group, which generated nearly $52 million in 2024 sales, while Compass added the billion‑dollar Avenue Realty Group in Virginia. Real...
How RealPage Is Turning the Page After DOJ Settlement
RealPage settled a DOJ antitrust case in November, allowing it to keep selling its rental‑pricing software but barring the use of competitors' non‑public data. The settlement involved no admission of guilt or financial penalties and affected only about 7% of...
CoStar Claims Zillow Is Still Using over 50K Copyrighted Photos
CoStar has amended its copyright infringement lawsuit, alleging Zillow continues to display about 53,000 of CoStar‑owned photos, up from roughly 47,000 last year. The dispute centers on multifamily rental listings syndicated across Zillow, Trulia and HotPads, with CoStar demanding permanent...
Louisiana Judge Dismisses NAR 3-Way Agreement Lawsuit
A Louisiana federal judge dismissed the antitrust claims against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and local Realtor groups alleging a forced three‑way membership scheme, while allowing plaintiffs to amend claims against GBRAR executive Kenneth Damann. The federal claims were...
ARMLS Adopts New Independent Board Model
Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) will halve its board size, cutting from about 18 directors to five independent members who cannot hold an Arizona real‑estate license. The new governance model adds a non‑voting advisory council of agents and brokers to provide...
REMAX Settles in Batton Commissions Case
RE/MAX announced a settlement in the Batton antitrust lawsuit, agreeing to contribute $8.5 million to the settlement fund. The agreement releases the company, its affiliates, franchisees and agents from all claims, while explicitly denying liability. The settlement amount is substantially lower...
Some Homes Are Getting Cheaper, Creating an Entry Point for Buyers
The median price of a new single‑family home fell 3.4% year‑over‑year to $405,300 in Q4 2025, making new homes cheaper than existing homes for the first time in years. Existing home prices have stayed flat or risen slightly, now outpacing new...
SourceRE Launches MLS Data Tracker; State-Wide MLS Adds RealReports
SourceRE introduced Data Dye, a tracking system that embeds invisible identifiers to monitor MLS listing data usage across vendor feeds. Offerpad launched AI‑driven platforms SCOUT and HENRY, boosting seller intake, pricing decisions and portfolio insights while lifting contracting rates by...
Hanna Holdings Jockeys to Join Tuccori Commissions Settlement
Hanna Holdings is seeking to join the Tuccori global settlement fund that resolves homebuyer commission lawsuits, prompting plaintiffs in the Pennsylvania antitrust case Davis v. Hanna Holdings to file an injunction to block the move. The plaintiffs argue Hanna secured...
‘Playmakers’: The Brokerage Strategy That’s Losing Steam
Jack Miller, CEO of T3 Sixty, warned that the traditional "everything to everybody" brokerage model is losing steam as the housing market cools and consolidation accelerates. He highlighted the rapid Compass‑Anywhere merger as a sign of a favorable regulatory climate, but...
Real Has ‘a Long Runway’ for Future Growth, Says CGO
The Real Brokerage has appointed Jason Cassity as its first chief growth officer, tasking him with sustaining net agent growth. Cassity, a former top‑producing agent, will devote roughly 80% of his effort to attracting new agents and 20% to retention....
In an Era of Brokerage M&As, Integration Matters More than Ever
Real‑estate brokerage consolidation is speeding up, but many mergers falter because integration is overlooked. The article stresses that successful deals hinge on disciplined post‑deal planning, not just transaction terms. Acquirers who begin integration work two to three months before closing...
Chair Powell Has ‘No Intention’ of Leaving Fed Until DOJ Probe Ends
Fed Chair Jerome Powell announced he will stay in the role pro tem until the Department of Justice investigation into his comments concludes, extending his leadership beyond the May term expiry. Mortgage rates climbed above 6.5%, threatening the pent‑up demand...
CRMLS to ‘Give Revenue Back’; a Tech Upgrade for BeachesMLS
California Regional MLS (CRMLS) announced it will redistribute listing‑data revenue to roughly 2,000 brokerages that posted at least five listings in 2025, with payments beginning in April 2026. The move reinforces CRMLS’s broker‑centric, cooperative model and follows MARIS’s earlier revenue‑sharing...
Compass Drops Lawsuit After Zillow Embraces Pre-Marketing
Compass International Holdings announced on March 18 that it is dismissing its June lawsuit against Zillow without prejudice. The move follows Zillow's launch of the "Preview" product, which relaxes its Listing Access Standards and permits pre‑market listings. Compass had challenged...
Former Anywhere Exec Sue Yannaccone Is Now COO at Compass
Sue Yannaccone, former President and CEO of Anywhere Brands, has been appointed chief operating officer of Compass International Holdings. The move follows Compass's acquisition of Anywhere, which closed in January and added roughly 340,000 agents across 120 countries. Yannaccone will...
Pre-Marketing Could Boost Housing Supply by over 10%: Redfin
Redfin’s latest analysis suggests that allowing sellers to pre‑market homes could lift local housing inventories by 6‑12% in markets that adopt the practice. The report, released shortly after Redfin’s exclusive‑listing partnership with Compass, argues that price‑testing boosts seller confidence and...
Compass Names New CTO; CoStar Expands Board of Directors
Compass International Holdings promoted Shay Artzi to chief technology officer, tasking him with consolidating the technology stack for roughly 340,000 agents after the Anywhere Real Estate acquisition. CoStar Group added Nana Banerjee as an independent director, expanding its board to...
Industry Leaders Mixed on Senate-Backed Housing Bill
The Senate approved the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act by an 89‑10 vote, sending it to the House where a controversial seven‑year divestiture clause could face opposition. The National Association of Realtors praised the bill’s tools for expanding supply, while...
Howard Hanna Takes a ‘Middle Ground’ Approach to Pre-Marketing
Howard Hanna is launching HannaList, a strategic listing program that lets sellers pre‑market properties to the brokerage’s internal network while staying within MLS rules. The pilot begins in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania in April, with a company‑wide rollout slated...
What Buyers Are Stressed About — and How Agents Can Help
A Clever Real Estate survey of 1,000 recent homebuyers shows emotions heavily sway purchasing decisions. Thirty‑six percent admitted to acting against better judgment, and 76 percent overlooked red flags, leading to widespread post‑purchase regret—especially among first‑time buyers, where more than...
Rayse, B&W Launch New AI Tools; CRMLS Offers RealReports to Members
Real estate firms are accelerating AI adoption across the value chain. Baird & Warner rolled out a custom Rejig.AI social‑media engine that creates and schedules branded posts, while Rayse introduced the Rayse Assistant Engine to log transactions via voice or...
CoStar Rebuts Investor Claims, Hires Defamation-Focused Law Firm
CoStar pushed back against activist investors D.E. Shaw and Third Point, who allege its heavy spending on the Homes.com platform is value‑destructive. The company highlighted that Homes.com results are not reported as a separate segment and that it has already...
HomeServices CEO: We’re Ready to Be the ‘Adults in the Room’
HomeServices of America, led by CEO Chris Kelly, is embarking on a year‑long transformation to act as a unified parent company rather than a loose collection of local brokerages. The firm will consolidate its technology stack, cutting 130 vendors down...
Business Dev Exec Joins Howard Hanna NYC; a New CEO at Zumper
Howard Hanna appointed veteran broker Hal D. Gavzie as executive director of business development to accelerate its New York City growth following the Elegran acquisition. Gavzie, who has overseen more than 10,000 transactions across Douglas Elliman, Town Residential and Corcoran,...
Real Elevates Team Leader to Executive Growth Role
The Real Brokerage has created a chief growth officer role and appointed top‑producing agent Jason Cassity to lead it. With more than 33,000 agents—a 30% year‑over‑year increase—the firm aims to accelerate acquisition, activation, and retention while preserving its culture. Cassity...
Offerpad Receives Second Delisting Warning in 11 Months
Offerpad received a second NYSE delisting warning within 11 months after its share price fell to $0.73, staying below the $1 minimum for 30 consecutive trading days. The company now has six months to restore compliance by maintaining an average...
A Rechat-Canva Integration; PulteGroup Leans Into AI
Rechat has partnered with Canva to create a closed‑loop workflow that streams live MLS data directly into design templates and returns finished marketing assets back to Rechat with a single click. PulteGroup is adding Sitecore AI to its digital home‑buying...
MLS, Local Association Counts Drop as Consolidation Accelerates
The United States now hosts fewer than 500 multiple listing services (MLSs), with the count dropping to 484 at the end of 2025—a 43% decline from the 2015 peak of roughly 850. The steepest year‑over‑year contraction since 2018 reflects structural...
‘Playmakers’: The ‘Curse’ that Spurred LPT’s Rapid Growth
LPT Realty, founded by Robert Palmer, has surged from its August 2022 launch to a hyper‑scaled platform, signing 1,000 agents in the first 24 hours and acquiring three large franchise teams. Palmer predicts the industry will shift toward single‑entity national brokerages, positioning...
New Pre-Showing Tool Aims to Quickly ID Serious Buyers
Veteran Phoenix realtor Erik Johnson launched TheBuyerProfile.com, an AI‑assisted pre‑showing platform that scores buyer readiness and highlights key signals. The tool funnels leads through a short online form, generating a readiness score that agents can use before scheduling property tours....
Revenue Inches up as eXp Focuses on Efficiency, Agent Retention
eXp World Holdings reported full‑year 2025 revenue of $4.77 billion, a modest 4% increase, while its net loss widened to $22.7 million due to heavy back‑end investments. The brokerage highlighted efficiency gains, a new AI training program, an automated payment system, and...
United Launches AI-Powered Agent Productivity Suite
United Real Estate has launched BullseyeAI, an AI‑powered productivity suite that combines a large language model, conversational assistant and automated agents, offered to affiliates at no extra cost. The platform can manage contacts, draft messages, assign leads and run email...
Keller Williams Opens Command as Investor Ties Deepen
Keller Williams unveiled an open, integration‑driven version of its Command platform, aligning with Stone Point Capital’s portfolio firms and introducing the Command Launchpad API framework. The move brings third‑party AI tools such as Cotality, Lone Wolf, and Rejig.ai into a...
AI and Real Estate Data: Who’s Making the Rules?
The real‑estate industry is racing to set data rules before AI triggers another wave of litigation. California has enacted a law requiring agents to disclose AI‑altered listing photos, prompting brokerages to add similar language to agreements. MLS providers are revising...
