December 2025

A fifty year mortgage will not solve affordability. It only buys time we do not actually have.

The recent interest in a fifty year mortgage says a lot about where the housing market is today. Buyers feel shut out, lenders are fighting for volume, and policymakers are searching for ways to make the math work. Extending the mortgage term to fifty years sounds like a bold solution, but it is really a […]

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ERA Real Estate affiliate announces North Texas acquisition

ERA Real Estate affiliate Sprout Realty ERA Powered announced its acquisition of Dallas-based 24Fifteen Realty, expanding its presence into the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and neighboring Waco, Texas. The acquisition includes two offices and nearly 100 agents. Following the transaction, the brokerage will operate as 24Fifteen ERA Powered. Founded in 2018, 24Fifteen Realty is led by

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Why Texas builders are betting on backup batteries for new homes

On March 4, 2025, a windstorm cut across Texas and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of homes. Outside Dallas-Fort Worth, the pattern was the same as the storm swept through one of Lennar‘s new communities: the grid went down, the neighborhood went dark. But 46 homes in that same community—the ones with a

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Supreme Court denies REX’s request to rehear petition

The Supreme Court will not be taking up Real Estate Exchange (REX)’s appeal of a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in REX’s long-running antitrust suit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Zillow. The nation’s highest court denied REX’s rehearing request in a ruling on Monday. No reason was given for its refusal.

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ICE taps Bob Hart as president of mortgage technology division

Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) on Tuesday named Bob Hart as president of its ICE Mortgage Technology division. Hart will succeed Tim Bowler, who will transition to ICE’s fixed income and data services division, where he will focus on index development and financial institution infrastructure. The leadership changes take effect Jan. 1, 2026. Hart joined ICE Mortgage

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Midwest dominates Zillow’s most popular housing markets of 2025

Home shoppers in 2025 gravitated toward more affordable, midsized U.S. cities, with Midwestern markets accounting for most of the country’s most popular places to buy, according to new data released by Zillow. Rockford, Illinois, ranked as the most popular housing market in the country, moving up from second place last year. And the Midwest accounted

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Why the Fed isn’t worried about the jobs data

The unemployment rate reached 4.6% today!  Nevertheless, the Federal Reserve perceives current conditions as stable, allowing for a policy stance slightly above neutral since labor market deterioration has not yet occurred. Since late 2022, I have consistently argued that the Fed shifted its approach to maintaining a more restrictive policy throughout this cycle. I have

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Ex-Fannie Mae data scientist alleges wrongful termination

A former Fannie Mae data scientist manager says the company recently fired him shortly after he requested leave following a house fire. Processing Content William Bowser sued his former employer Sunday for violating labor laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, over his termination last month. The professional is also seeking unspecified back pay

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