2026

Banks Drive Refinancing Wave in 2026, Says MBA Commercial and multifamily mortgage lending surged in early 2026, with originations rising sharply from a year earlier as banks stepped back into the market to refinance maturing debt, according to new data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Total originations increased 52% in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, marking a...

eXp Commercial announced that Mario Alvarez Jr. has joined the firm. Alvarez brings more than 20 years of experience in commercial real estate and more than $1 billion in career gross transaction volume, according to the company. He is based in southern California and is active across the Inland Empire, San Gabriel Valley, Coachella Valley and High Desert markets. Alvarez Jr. said the decision...

A bill overriding local zoning authority to allow housing on idle Southeast Florida golf courses drew little public attention during Florida’s legislative session. When the Infill Redevelopment Act passed, warnings over problems it could cause bubbled up, but only in limited circles. It passed in March without a single “nay” vote in the Senate and overwhelmingly cleared the House. The bill...

As mortgage rates and home prices continue to strain homebuyers, states are rapidly expanding programs aimed at making homeownership more affordable. Housing affordability pressures remain severe nationwide. As of May 1, the median price for a U.S. single-family home sat at $449,038, according to HousingWire Data. Prices vary sharply by state, with Hawaii remaining the most expensive at a median of...

California-based Thomas James Homes (TJH) announced last week that Steve Schlageter has stepped up as the company’s new CEO, after joining the firm as COO in 2024.  The builder, known as the largest single-lot, infill homebuilder in the nation, was founded in 2006 in Southern California. Since then, the company has expanded into the San Francisco Bay Area, and more recently into the Seattle and...

Rocket Companies reported its most profitable quarter in four years as artificial intelligence initiatives, a larger servicing portfolio and recent acquisitions helped the Detroit-based firm grow market share despite a choppy mortgage backdrop. The Detroit-based company reported net revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter ending March 31, up from $1.1 billion in the same period a year earlier. Adjusted...

Las Vegas has never really been a city for understatement, and this house clearly got the memo. Perched high above the valley inside MacDonald Highlands, a newly listed $21.9 million estate owned by actor Niko Foster (best known for producing and starring in The Wrecker, Ruthless, and I Am Rage) and his wife Stephanie goes all in on the kind of dramatic, high-impact living Las Vegas does best. Think...

When design-build pros Ron and Elisa Scarpa added a new structure to their historic Winter Park, Florida, property, they wanted a kitchen built around the way they actually live. Elisa, who grew up in Italy, shaped the open layout around a social cooking life — lots of entertaining,...

CEO Ismael Clemente says Spain & Portugal are seeing the emergence of a new data center hub in...

Image Despite some softness in the first quarter, a new upcycle remains in place, with big box demand playing a key role, Malhotra...