U.S. new-home sales posted an unexpectedly sharp gain in August 2025, helped by a dip in borrowing costs that lured buyers back into the market. Purchases of newly built single-family homes jumped 20.5% from July to an annualized pace of 800,000, the fastest since early 2023, according to government data released Tuesday. That figure followed an upward revision to July sales and marked a 15.4% increase...

loanDepot has filed a motion to dismiss a class-action lawsuit in Maryland alleging violations of loan officer (LO) compensation rules and borrower steering, arguing the plaintiffs failed to show they suffered a “concrete injury.” The lawsuit, filed in July by five borrowers who obtained mortgages from 2019 to 2021, claims loanDepot engaged in a “sophisticated, years-long scheme” to falsify...

Baltimore is embarking on what civic leaders call ‘the nation’s most ambitious housing redevelopment program’ — a 15-year effort that aims to turn around more than 37,000 vacant or at-risk properties and influence market conditions for another 33,000 homes and lots. The strategy is supported by $1.2 billion in public funding commitments and is expected to leverage an additional $5 billion from...

For many in the multiple listing services (MLS) industry, Monday’s announcement that Compass was acquiring Anywhere served as a wake-up call of sorts.  Over the past year, Compass has worked to grow its stockpile of exclusive listings, but many did not consider the Robert Reffkin-helmed firm a serious threat to the MLS structure, due to the size of his firm. That all changed with Monday’s...

Top 10 U.S. mortgage lender CrossCountry Mortgage (CCM) on Wednesday announced that it has increased its conforming loan limit to $819,000, joining the list of lenders that are moving in advance of the projected 2026 loan limits to be released later in the year by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). “Today’s housing market can be tough to navigate, and CCM is focused on creating solutions...

Today’s report on new home sales printed one of the most surprising results I’ve seen in a while, showcasing significant growth. Now, we should have expected some growth in new home sales, given that mortgage rates have declined recently. In fact, each time mortgage rates have approached 6% since late 2022, new home sales have seen an uptick. This was a topic I discussed on CNBC on Wednesday. But we...

One of Montecito’s most exclusive enclaves just got a fresh listing — and it comes with both celebrity ties and knockout design. The $27 million estate at 1850 Jelinda Drive sits inside the guard-gated community of Ennisbrook, where neighbors include Cameron Diaz and Benji Madden, and where Kendall Jenner recently picked up Ellen DeGeneres’s former equestrian estate for $23 million. This...

An appealing living-room arrangement requires more than a beautiful color scheme and nice furniture. There are other factors to consider, such as balance, proportion and placement. Not sure what that means for you and your living room? We asked three design experts to reveal the most common styling...

Image Nareit is celebrating 65 years of REITs by interviewing key figures who have helped shape the...

Miami's housing market cooled in August 2025 as higher borrowing costs and tight lending standards pressured overall sales, even as international demand and rising inventory signaled a maturing, more balanced market. Total residential sales in Miami-Dade County fell 10.7% from a year earlier to 1,788 transactions, according to data from the Miami Association of Realtors. Single-family deals slid 8.2% while...