While many of the same real estate firms may grace the top echelons of the RealTrends Verified Rankings year after year, that is where, at least for many of these firms, the similarities between them end. From cloud-based to franchise networks, specializations and network approaches the top performing firms include a variety of different business models. HousingWire caught up with the leaders of...

I became a grandma recently, which has been equal parts magical … and also mildly humiliating. Because apparently, everything we did thirty years ago is now wrong. Like, way wrong. I marvel that my daughter survived to age one. Put the baby on their stomach? Wrong. Kiss that baby on the face? Not yet, Grandma. Add a blanket and a stuffed animal to the crib? Horrors. Let them cry it out for a few...

Tri Pointe Homes shareholders overwhelmingly voted to approved the previously announced merger with Japanese firm Sumitomo Forestry during a special meeting of stockholders held on Thursday.  While the deal is not yet finalized, the acquisition is expected to close sometime during the second quarter, according to the initial merger announcement.  Sumitomo Forestry confirmed the vote in an...

For nearly two decades, real estate technology followed a predictable playbook: Build an all-in-one platform that does everything, with the CRM, dialer, transaction management and nurture campaigns all under one roof. But a quiet reversal is underway. A growing number of agents, teams and brokerages are abandoning general-purpose tools in favor of highly specialized solutions designed to do one thing...

Homeowners associations (HOAs) filed 284,933 liens against U.S. homeowners in 2025 — an 8.6% increase from the 262,446 filings in 2024 and the equivalent of roughly one lien recorded every 90 seconds — according to property records compiled by Benutech. An HOA lien is a legal claim placed on a property when an owner falls behind on assessments, fees or fines. In many states, these liens can be...

This Trending Now story features the most-saved powder room photos uploaded to Houzz between Dec. 15, 2025, and March 15, 2026.Generally small in size but big on design opportunity, powder rooms are where creativity tends to show up in unexpected ways. Wainscoting,...

Image Rexroad says that for investors, AI strategies must be quantified in terms of productivity, efficiency, cost...

A sharp divide is emerging in the U.S. office market: companies are shedding secondary space while doubling down on premium buildings in central business districts, underscoring a renewed willingness to pay for workplaces that can justify the commute. That's the central finding of a new report from CBRE, which analyzed the 100 largest office leases signed in 2025. The data show a decisive tilt toward...

Growing up in poverty in Chicago, Realty of America founder and CEO Eddie Garcia, remembers going to the Archdiocese of Chicago on Tuesdays each week as a child to pick up a small box of food for his family.  “I came from extreme poverty,” Garcia said. “Both of my parents were homeless, living under highway overpasses in Mexico City. We came to America when I was three, and we arrived to a...

Virtual staging — once a simple tool for digitally adding furniture — is rapidly evolving into a powerful and sometimes controversial force in real estate marketing as artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes what’s possible. To understand where the line is drawn between enhancement and misrepresentation, it helps to start with the people who enforce the rules. Edward Zorn, vice president and...