2025

Federal agents have disrupted a long-running fraud scheme targeting seniors, arresting 25 members of a Chinese criminal gang over the past week. The twist? The agents were assisted by YouTubers who set and sprang the trap on the fraudsters, who are charged with stealing $65 million from seniors nationwide. The criminal group, made up of Chinese nationals — many in the U.S. illegally — worked closely...

Investor housing market activity slipped in the second quarter of 2025 but remains above recent historical averages, according to a new report from Cotality. Investors accounted for 32% of single-family home purchases in January, the report said. By June, the share had fallen to 29%. A year earlier, investors represented 25% of the market. “Investors expanded their market presence...

A newly listed Martha’s Vineyard retreat is giving a fresh face to East Chop’s historic shoreline. Priced at $9.9 million, the eight-bedroom estate on a private road combines the craftsmanship of renowned architect Mark Hutker with the meticulous construction of J.G. Early. Known as “Big Bluff,” the 8,560-square-foot home was completed in 2017 after a two-year build and still preserves details...

A 1,600-acre chapter of American history is on the market in the Catskills, where a sprawling estate that’s been owned by the same prominent family for more than 200 years just hit the market for $14 million. At the heart of the property stands The Lake House, built in 1787 by Gertrude Livingston and her husband, Col. Morgan Lewis — a Revolutionary War general, New York governor, and confidant of...

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Even the most utilitarian rooms deserve a little design love. These five new laundry spaces prove that function and style can happily coexist. Here, design and construction pros share details on how they leaned on bold color, clever layouts and hardworking details to turn wash-and-fold...

Pending home sales edged down in July 2025, signaling continued buyer caution despite modest improvements in mortgage rates and inventory, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Contracts for existing homes fell 0.4% from June but were 0.7% higher than a year earlier, NAR's Pending Home Sales Report showed. The data reveal divergent trends across the country. Sales in the Northeast and...

More than a year ago, New American Funding (NAF) launched a new marketing campaign that’s designed to inject a fresh attitude into how consumers view reverse mortgage products. Unlike NAF’s multimillion-dollar forward mortgage campaign, “Hell Yeah You’re Buying a Home,” which was announced last month, the reverse-centric “Old Wives” campaign isn’t something you’ll find on major TV...

Mortgage lending increased in the second quarter 2025, with nearly 1.76 million residential loans issued nationwide, according to ATTOM’s quarterly mortgage origination report. It was the first time since 2021 that the second quarter saw an annualized increase. The total number from April through June marked a 19.4% rise from the first quarter and a 6.3% gain from the same period last year. And...

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) signed off on Rocket Companies’ acquisition of Mr. Cooper Group but imposed a 20% cap on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac servicing exposure — leaving analysts split on what comes next.  BTIG analysts Eric Hagen and Jake Katsikas estimate Rocket controls $400 billion unpaid principal balance in Fannie and Freddie mortgage servicing rights (MSRs), while Mr....