We had a nice pop in our weekly pending home sales last week, and with mortgage rates near 2025 lows we could ask: Is housing breaking out? Not exactly.   One of the themes I really stressed this year is that weekly data can be volatile around holiday weekends. So we always look at the two weeks of data around holidays like Columbus Day with some skepticism. In last week’s Housing Market Tracker I was...

The latest Houzz research shows that many homeowners are rethinking their bathrooms with accessibility, wellness and style in mind. Here, we look into how these top trends are shaping today’s...

Crisp temperatures and a kaleidoscope of colors make fall the perfect time to enjoy being in the garden. You might want to do some lingering tasks before winter sets in, or you might simply want to relax and enjoy the end of gardening...

This adventurous family of five bought a lovely 2-acre property in Dover, Massachusetts, and embarked on building a new home. Though the owners were coming from a house with traditional style, they kept an open mind when they hired Flavin Architects to design their dream home.“At first they...

Are you looking to freshen up your living room decor or even give the room a completely new look? The good news is that you can make huge improvements without a full renovation or a big budget. Here are 10 simple but high-impact strategies for giving your living space a style...

The Ohio House of Representatives on Wednesday passed two bills aimed at limiting future property tax increases by tying them to inflation — marking the latest in a series of efforts to curb rising property taxes across the state. Republican House Speaker Matt Huffman said the legislation represents “something significant” for Ohio taxpayers. He estimates the measures could save residents about...

Fannie Mae on Friday announced the promotion of two long-time employees to lead its Single-Family business and general counsel’s office. “We are pleased to announce the promotion of Fannie Mae seasoned veterans Jake Williamson to acting head of single-family and Tom Klein to acting general counsel. These highly respected leaders will help lead the company to increased safety and soundness and...

Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: It’s up to MLSs to decide if the Zillow-ChatGPT integration violates IDX policies The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said individual MLSs must determine whether...

As James Jensen walked away from work in the life insurance industry the day his son was born 12 years ago, he knew change was coming on multiple fronts. “I was trying to find the right time to make my life change,” Jensen said. “It was a great job with good pay, but it just wasn’t me. I figured, life’s changing anyway — might as well do it all at once.” At the time, Jensen was...

The Social Security Administration (SSA) on Friday announced that its cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will rise 2.8% in 2026. Among the 53 million Americans who receive Social Security benefits in retirement, that will translate to an additional $56 per month. The average monthly payment to retirees will rise to $2,056, the SSA reported. The 2.8% increase for next year outstrips this year’s 2.5% bump...