In 2020, I began tracking a steady decline in consumer trust in the mortgage industry. Five years later, that decline has reached a clear low point. Only 20 percent of Millennials and Gen Z say they trust mortgage professionals to help them make informed decisions. The knowledge gap remains significant, but in an age when […]
Renovated homes continue to attract more online interest and sell faster than other older properties — but their long-standing fix-and-flip advantage has narrowed sharply as higher mortgage rates reshape buyer behavior, according to a new Realtor.com report. The analysis builds on earlier research showing fixer-uppers are priced 54.2% below the national median for single-family homes.
Renovated homes are still a draw, but the edge is fading Read More »
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
Why Texas builders are betting on backup batteries for new homes Read More »
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
Midwest dominates Zillow’s most popular housing markets of 2025 Read More »
ALIRT Insurance Research released a report this week finding that Florida’s homeowners insurance market has stabilized after years of financial strain — following legislative reforms adopted in late 2022 and early 2023. The 2025 Florida Domestic Property Insurer Market Update concludes that the market has rebounded from conditions in 2022, when litigation costs, rising losses
Florida property insurance market is rebounding from 2022 low point Read More »
The housing market showed faint signs of near-term affordability improvement in late 2025, but it remains dramatically worse than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research from Oxford Economics. In the third quarter, a household needed to earn $110,100 a year to afford to own a single-family home, including taxes and insurance.
Housing affordability challenges steepen in Q3 Read More »
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHGRE) released its 2026 Design Trends Moving Real Estate Report — outlining features and design preferences driving homebuyers in the year ahead. The report draws on a national consumer study conducted by thinqinsights, as well as insights from BHGRE-affiliated agents and experts. “Homeownership remains one of life’s most monumental
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate details 2026 homebuyer trends Read More »
Homeownership remains a top goal for Americans despite a challenging housing market, according to a new consumer survey from REMAX — highlighting affordability concerns, lifestyle priorities and community preferences as keys in shaping the plans of prospective buyers. Although 88% of respondents said they’re likely to purchase a home in 2026, 71% reported delaying plans
Homeownership remains top goal despite affordability concerns Read More »
Shoppers aren’t the only ones scouting for deals this Black Friday. While bargain hunters line up for discounted TVs and video game consoles, many prospective homebuyers are scrolling through listings in hopes of snagging their own big-ticket markdown. According to HousingWire Data, price cuts have become a defining feature of the late-fall housing market —
Homebuyers hunt for Black Friday bargains as price cuts spread Read More »
After a year of easing mortgage rates and slightly improved affordability, the U.S. housing market heads into 2026 with expectations for steady, if uneven, progress. First American deputy chief economist Odeta Kushi said a broader reset remains gradual. “There are no quick fixes — recoveries take time,” she said. “The trends of 2025 will continue
First American’s 2026 housing market forecast points to better affordability Read More »