Existing home sales have had a nice rise since mid-June, but what will it take for this sales growth trend to continue in 2026? Over the last few years, when rates drop noticeably, sales pick up, but then mortgage rates have shot up over 7% and taken away housing’s momentum. In 2026, are there key variables that can break this trend and create the first real year of home sales growth? I believe there are...

Some of the questions you ask when planning a new kitchen are obvious, such as, “Do I want white cabinets or wood?” and “Do I want stainless steel appliances?”But there are many design decisions that you might not even know to consider until the project is well underway. To help you avoid...

Pruning is a vital part of keeping the trees and shrubs in your landscape healthy and attractive. But when is the right time to do it? We’re here to answer that question for a whole range of popular garden plants. From roses, fruit trees and hydrangeas to deciduous and flowering trees, we’ll tell...

Customer satisfaction is the surest guarantee of obtaining valuable recommendations, growing your business and bolstering your professional reputation. But it is not enough to be technically qualified to achieve client satisfaction. Customers today value such things as active listening,...

MetroList— northern California’s largest multiple listing service (MLS) — has added the Madera County Association of Realtors to its platform. With the addition of the Madera County Association, MetroList now serves 15 counties in central and northern California and supports listing data sharing across 29 counties. The move broadens market visibility for member listings and increases access to...

Invitation Homes’ $89 million acquisition of ResiBuilt – one of homebuilding mergers and acquisitions’ 2026 table-setters – is a “small” deal that can change the rules of engagement and shift the balance of competitive power for two adjacent ecosystems. Here’s the context: Single-family rental REITs, with an exception or two, have historically been buyers of homes. Single-family builders...

MegPrime, an affiliate and subsidiary of Texas-based Megatel Homes, is set to launch its digital currency, the MP Token, designed as a rewards platform that renters and homeowners can tap into as a financial path to homeownership. As an inducement to participate in the rewards MP Token program, the program will offer up to $25,000 in down payment assistance and homebuyer assistance to renters who sign...

Non-QM mortgage lender Logan Finance Corp. announced last week that Chuck Vaughn has joined the company as managing director of correspondent lending. Vaughn will oversee strategic initiatives, efforts to expand market share, the launch of Logan Finance’s select delegated channel and lead operational growth across its correspondent business. “We were seeking a proven leader who could drive...

Homebuilding executives are starting the new year with a downbeat view of the housing market, as buyer hesitancy, shaky consumer confidence, shrinking profit margins and elevated incentives weigh on the industry.  The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI)’s builder confidence gauge remained negative with a reading of 37, falling two points from December...

The kitchen hasn’t always been the emotional center of the home. For much of the 20th century, it was a working room: practical, enclosed, and largely out of sight. Over time, that changed. Slowly at first, then all at once, the kitchen became the place where people gathered, talked, worked, hovered, lingered, and lived. That shift didn’t happen because of one trend or one invention. It...