California lawmakers are weighing bills that would reduce regulatory barriers to revive condominium construction, which has dropped significantly from its peak in the years before the Great Recession. Assembly Bill 1406 would raise the state’s liquidated-damages limit on new condominium sales from 3% of the purchase price to 6%. Backers frame the bill as “condo […]
California bills target condo deposits and defect liability Read More »
The U.S. housing market is facing unprecedented shifts as immigration enforcement tightens, domestic migration patterns evolve and consumer confidence sours, according to a Tuesday webinar hosted by John Burns Research & Consulting (JBRC). The presentation, “The State of US Demographics and Consumers: Lifts and Drags on Housing for the Year Ahead,” showed immigration at its
Immigration policy, economic uncertainty reshaping housing market Read More »
Austin city lawmakers bent on ensuring the Texas capital sustains momentum in a housing supply expansion that cuts into a home shortage and slows price growth took another step last week. Thursday, the Austin City Council approved a new package of land-use changes that would accelerate construction of missing-middle housing types such as duplexes, fourplexes
Austin council pushes new zoning laws for missing middle housing Read More »
There seem to be very few things that Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill can agree on these days, but one of them is that housing has become increasingly unaffordable for the average American. And with good reason: housing affordability is the worst it’s been in over 40 years – since the 1980s when mortgage
How the ROAD to Housing Act could improve home affordability Read More »
With the Social Security trust fund less than seven years from insolvency — at which point a 24% across-the-board benefit cut could be triggered — a new proposal suggests capping annual payouts for the nation’s wealthiest retirees. A white paper released by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget advocates for a “six-figure limit” that
‘Six-figure limit’ aims to halt Social Security trust fund insolvency Read More »
The U.S. Census Bureau projects that 70% of net new homebuyers between now and 2050 will be Latino — a statistic that Century 21 CEO Mike Miedler said should guide recruiting efforts across the industry. “If we’re going to serve those communities, we also have to get more Hispanic real estate professionals into the business,”
Century 21 CEO: Adding Latino agents is key to serving demand Read More »
Regional market data is reinforcing the same story playing out nationally: Housing demand is holding up across major metros, even as mortgage rates move closer to levels that have historically pressured activity. That national backdrop remains surprisingly firm. Weekly pending sales rose to 71,230, up from 68,726 a year ago, while purchase applications are still
Regional markets back demand resilience as rate pressure builds Read More »
On Wednesday, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac adopted extensive changes to their requirements for approvals of condominium projects that are eligible for their loan purchase. The changes created more flexibility and affordability with respect to replacement cost and deductible requirements for condo insurance– but took a step backward by ending authority for what are called
Insurance is having a growing impact on condo affordability Read More »
The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals (NAHREP) released its annual State of Hispanic Homeownership Report, revealing that Hispanic households added a net gain of 441,000 owner-households in 2025, the largest single-year increase since the U.S. Census Bureau began collecting the data in 1975. Without those gains, the total number of U.S. homeowners would
NAHREP panel tackles supply, state of Hispanic homeownership Read More »
Ashley Thomas III has assumed the presidency of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers (NAREB) — the nation’s oldest and largest Black real estate organization — with an agenda focused on expanding homeownership access. Thomas, a housing policy and wealth equity strategist with more than 25 years of experience across real estate, lending and
NAREB president calls for ‘optimistic underwriting’ to expand homeownership Read More »