RIS Media Real Estate News

RE/MAX Advance Realty (RAR) has welcomed Dream Life Realty (DLR) in a strategic merger, the company’s eighth procurement of a local real estate office since 2020, and its first outside of the RE/MAX network. This merger further expands the size and presence of South Florida’s largest RE/MAX agency, increasing the company’s total number of agents…

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The housing market inched toward greater friendliness for buyers in February 2025, according to the latest findings from the National Association of REALTORS®’ Housing Affordability Index, which has been inching back up since a fall in November 2024. The index runs with a two-month lag—compared to last month’s affordability index (which covered up to January…

The post Median Home Prices and Buyers’ Qualifying Income Came Down in February appeared first on RISMedia.

Housing remains out of reach for too many Americans, according to former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Marcia Fudge.  Fudge, who served as HUD secretary from 2021-2024, gave her thoughts on housing in the U.S. in a talk on Thurs. April 10, 2025, hosted at Harvard University. (The talk was co-sponsored by the…

The post Former HUD Secretary Calls to Address Housing Shortage and Homelessness appeared first on RISMedia.

Consumer sentiment has now fallen for the fourth straight month as the economy continues to waver under a back and forth on tariffs and trade wars, according to the latest data from the University of Michigan. The preliminary Index of Consumer Sentiment reading for April came in at 50.8, a 10.9% tumble from March’s reading…

The post Consumer Sentiment Continues to Crash Amid Economic Uncertainty appeared first on RISMedia.

Ask someone to name respected professions, and they’ll likely mention doctors, lawyers or financial advisors. But real estate agents? Too often, we’re lumped into a category of “mere salespeople,” as if our role is to “sell houses” rather than provide critical guidance on one of the biggest financial decisions of a person’s life. It’s time…

The post Why Real Estate Agents Deserve More Respect (and How to Claim It) appeared first on RISMedia.

Oh, NAR. Here we go again. Just when real estate agents were finally catching their breath after the commission chaos, courtroom drama and the never-ending Clear Cooperation Policy debates, a brand-new “clarification” drops from on high. And by “clarification,” we mean confusing new rule that solves nothing. Introducing the Delayed Marketing Exempt Listing policy: one…

The post Op-Ed: Don’t Lead With It–A Smart Agent’s Guide to NAR’s Delayed Marketing Option appeared first on RISMedia.

Above: Jason Waugh Vitals:  Coldwell Banker Affiliates Years in business: 118 Size: 100,000 brokers Regions Served: More than 40 countries 2024 Sales Volume: $243 billion 2024 Transactions: 464,950 https://www.coldwellbanker.com As president of Coldwell Banker Affiliates, Jason Waugh is responsible for the growth and support of the franchise network both domestically and internationally.   With nearly four…

The post Power Broker Insights: Leading Through Change appeared first on RISMedia.

The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) recently announced its position on Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP) and issued a new MLS Policy Statement. However, the core problems with CCP were there from the start and required immediate action to provide a solution. Like NAR, REsides embraces its mission to empower agents and brokers as they preserve,…

The post CCP Could Have Been Solved Before It Was Born: Rewind to 2014 appeared first on RISMedia.

This week, my travels took me to Irvine, California, where I spent time filming a series of videos highlighting our top-performing agents and showcasing our network’s Global Open House. One promo in particular was especially meaningful—it featured the upcoming Charity Golf Tournament, hosted this month by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Arizona, California and Nevada Properties, in…

The post Thoughts on Leadership: The Myth of Multitasking appeared first on RISMedia.

In a major policy announcement today, portal giant Zillow sharply escalated a long-simmering dispute over private listings, implementing what the company is calling new “listing access standards” that will essentially boycott properties that were previously limited to internal brokerage or MLS platforms.  Speaking to RISMedia this afternoon, Zillow Chief Industry Development Officer Errol Samuelson says…

The post BREAKING: Zillow Bans Most Private Listings, Setting Up Potential Conflict With Brokerages appeared first on RISMedia.

CENTURY 21 Middleton, led by Bobby Middleton, has fortified its presence in Texas by opening an office in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, while at the same time bringing the firm’s Arkansas operations under the Century 21 brand. The firm was already working with residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area on residential and commercial real…

The post CENTURY 21 Middleton Opens New Office and Expands Service Area appeared first on RISMedia.

As markets respond to tariff uncertainty and a surprise surge earlier this week in the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield, a widely watched indicator of economic health, the average 30-year mortgage rate barely flinched, dipping just two basis points, but most importantly, remaining at a level that economists say is favorable to spring purchase activity. The…

The post Mortgage Rates Remain Steady Amid ‘Back-and-Forth’ Over Tariffs, Economic Uncertainty appeared first on RISMedia.

Reversing course from a steady decline in 2024, foreclosure activity saw an increase in Q1 2025, possibly due to broader economic factors, according to the latest data from ATTOM. ATTOM’s Q1 2025 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report found that 93,953 properties had foreclosure filings (one in every 1,515 housing units), up 11% from the previous quarter,…

The post Foreclosures Rise in Q1 Due to Economic Pressures appeared first on RISMedia.

During a virtual hearing held Wednesday for the Acevedo v. eXp sexual assault case, defendants from eXp and affiliated entities clashed with plaintiffs after being bombarded with hundreds of documents produced at the last minute, a series of workplace profiles and chats disappearing and a forged signature, allegedly. The case, originally filed in February of…

The post Forged Signatures, Deleted Chats and Last-Minute Document Dumps Stir eXp Litigation appeared first on RISMedia.

Inflation rose for the sixth straight month in March, although the rate continues to slow down as 2025 progresses, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data. The CPI—one of the main measures of inflation—rose 0.1% in March, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is compared to a…

The post Inflation Continues Monthly Rise, but Slows Down Through Q1 2025 appeared first on RISMedia.

Staging a home usually requires a bit of creativity, but that challenge can be amplified when dealing with a smaller space. Limited square footage can visually cramp a space, but with thoughtful staging, you can help buyers see a small home’s full potential. Whether you’re helping someone sell a condo or a small single-family home,…

The post 3 Tips for Staging a Smaller Home appeared first on RISMedia.

Since stepping into the role of president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Realty two years ago, Kamini Lane has been laser-focused on transforming the brokerage into an industry leader, prioritizing service and technology through a people-first approach, she says. Though she’s now leading one of the largest brokerages in the country, Lane’s career has not…

The post How Kamini Lane Is Reshaping Coldwell Banker Realty With a People-First Approach appeared first on RISMedia.

On Tues. April 8, government sponsored-enterprise Fannie Mae announced that over the past few weeks, it had fired over 100 employees due to fraud, including mortgage fraud, against the company. The announcement did not elaborate on the specifics of what the claimed fraud was. William J. Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA),…

The post Fannie Mae Has Fired Over 100 Employees, Citing Fraud appeared first on RISMedia.

Words like “turmoil” and “uncertainty” rarely describe an environment where people are eager to buy and sell real estate. Unfortunately, right now it is hard to find any analyst, economist or commentator on either side of the political spectrum that isn’t using these words—or some variation, as tariffs have roiled financial markets and consumer confidence…

The post Recession ‘Probably Inevitable’ as Housing Economists Parse ‘Whiplash’ appeared first on RISMedia.

The housing industry has weathered commission lawsuits, scandals and lackluster home sales in recent years. With the Trump administration’s aggressive rollback of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs, there’s another reckoning for real estate and housing professionals. Brokerages and housing leaders face critical questions about the future of fair housing to protect consumers. There’s also…

The post DEI Under Fire: Real Estate Industry Confronts New Reality as Federal Rollbacks Hit Fair Housing appeared first on RISMedia.