U.S. mortgage application activity fell sharply in late May 2026 as borrowing costs climbed to their highest levels in nearly nine months, pressuring both refinancing demand and homebuyer affordability amid a still-resilient housing market. The Mortgage Bankers Association said overall mortgage application volume dropped 8.5% in the week ended May 22 from the prior week on a seasonally adjusted basis,...

Continued evolution in the REIT industry is expected to generate more opportunities for the creation of new...

Eastwood Homes’ acquisition of Atlanta-based Peachtree Building Group – announced today – maps out on its surface as a straightforward expansion move. Eastwood Homes, our HousingWire Homebuilder Ranking’s No. 11-ranked private homebuilder, is a fast-growing Charlotte-based builder that, with this deal, deepens its Southeastern footprint by adding local scale, operating capability, and market...

A new federal Medicaid rule will place a nationwide cap of $1 million cap on home equity for older adults who seek long-term care coverage, a change advocates say could increasingly affect middle-class homeowners in expensive housing markets. The provision, included in the Budget Reconciliation Act of 2025 — otherwise known as President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” — takes effect...

In the next four months, CMLS leadership has the opportunity to convene the MLS-controlled national alliance the industry needs. The 2026 Board of Directors is in place under Chair Nicole Jensen of realMLS and Vice Chair Justin Haag of Northwest MLS, taking the helm at what WAV Group described as one of the most consequential periods in its history. The forum already exists. The members are already paying...

A real estate agent with no technical background spent 11 months using artificial intelligence (AI) to build a hyperlocal educational website — aiming to replace what she calls a fragmented online landscape for buyers and sellers. Irina Norrell, who leads Compass’s Irina Norrell Team in the Washington, D.C., metro area, told HousingWire she grew frustrated with clients spending initial meetings...

A new offering from Smartfi Home Loans is aimed at expanding benefits for veteran homeowners through a lower interest rate on its proprietary reverse mortgage product. In honor of Memorial Day, the company this week launched Choice Service, an enhancement to Smartfi Choice, the company’s proprietary reverse mortgage program that targets homeowners 55 and older. The Choice Service offering is...

Most billionaires buying at 432 Park Avenue were purchasing apartments. Bennett LeBow, the founder and longtime chairman of Vector Group, and his wife Jacqueline LeBow, principal of real estate investment firm JSF Capital, essentially built a private operating system in the sky. When the billionaire couple acquired the entire 64th floor of the supertall Manhattan tower years ago, they didn’t...

A couple with a young daughter purchased this 1978 Austin, Texas, ranch house from its original owner. While the new residents appreciated that the interiors had remained untouched since the ’70s, they wanted to make the house their own and hired Realty Restoration to fully renovate it.Part...

The 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, held in London from May 19 to 23, once again offered plenty of inspiration across 30 gardens and six houseplant studios. This year’s show delivered clever ideas for joyful color combinations, edible ornamentals, rainwater harvesting and interesting ways to bring...