Monday marked Kevin Sears’ 679th day as president of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Sears spent what is effectively his final day as association president by leading NAR’s board of directors meeting held at the conclusion of NAR’s NXT conference in Houston. While Sears’s time as president was nearly twice the length he had […]
Kevin Sears concludes NAR presidency with praise, strategic plan focus Read More »
Last week was a solid week for housing demand. Our weekly pending sales data increased by 15.36% year over year, and the Mortgage Bankers Association‘s purchase application data showed 31% year-over-year growth. In fact, if I average the last two weeks, purchase application data is up 28.5% year over year and our weekly pending home
Despite economic uncertainty, weekly housing demand up double digits over 2024 Read More »
Mortgage applications for new-home purchases decreased 2.6% compared to a year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Builder Application Survey data for October 2025. Compared to the month prior, applications decreased by 1%. MBA noted that this change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns. “Lower mortgage rates, ongoing usage of
October new-home mortgage applications fall 2.6% Read More »
When the National Association of Realtors (NAR) quietly conducted an antitrust risk assessment of every MLS policy earlier this year, the result was a sweeping 18-policy purge across the MLS Handbook. On Monday, NAR announced the approval of a series of updates to the MLS Handbook that essentially returns decisions back to local MLSs on
NAR’s MLS cleanup shifts power locally. Here’s what you need to know Read More »
The 2025 U.S. housing market has been marked by high mortgage rates, elevated home prices and economic uncertainty, but a new HomeLight survey of loan officers at 80 top lending companies found that despite the negatives, most lenders are optimistic about their near-term prospects. More than 85% of survey respondents expect mortgage originations to rise
HomeLight: Lenders optimistic about 2026 originations growth Read More »
Active listings in the Harrisonburg, VA, metro jumped 72.8% year-over-year to 216 homes while weekly absorption held flat at 20 properties, creating a supply-demand imbalance that pushed 36.6% of sellers to cut prices in the week ending Nov. 14, 2025. The rapid inventory buildup marks a sharp reversal from last year’s tighter conditions, when just
Harrisonburg housing market trends test seller patience Read More »
Eliminating or reducing parking minimums for new housing developments near public transit has become an increasingly popular policy tool for cities and states across the U.S., with the primary objective of lowering the cost of building new housing. The idea is to create walkable, transit-friendly communities that buyers and renters can better afford. In June,
Illinois moves to boost housing by curbing parking mandates Read More »
Brown Harris Stevens has promoted Christopher Halstead to chief strategy officer, expanding his responsibilities to include overseeing new company-wide initiatives, operational efficiencies across regions and strategic projects such as office renovations. He will also provide additional leadership support to directors and agents throughout the firm’s network. Halstead joined the company in 2009 and has served
Brown Harris Stevens names Halstead chief strategy officer Read More »
Consumer-direct non-QM lender Griffin Funding on Monday announced that John Jones has been named as senior vice president of growth and EOS integrator. Jones, who has served as the company’s fractional integrator and chief operating officer since April 2025, will take on the new role effective Dec. 1. “John has brought tremendous structure and clarity
Griffin Funding hires John Jones as SVP of growth Read More »
Freddie Mac is rolling out a new quality control platform designed to streamline the review process of single-family loans, which it plans to make available to all lenders by the end of 2025, the government-sponsored enterprise announced Monday. Known as Quality Control Advisor Plus, the platform consolidates previously separate QC systems and uses technology to
Freddie Mac launches Quality Control Advisor Plus platform Read More »