News / Features

Why technology (probably) can’t replace agents

Will technology one day replace the role of the real estate agent? In an era of rapidly evolving customer relationship management software, iBuyers and the constant specter of brokerage mergers and acquisitions—always, it seems, with tech bandied about as

Chase chief economist on managing client uncertainty

American homeowners have a vested interest in the U.S. economy, and by association, so do real estate agents. The size and scope of the housing market, itself just one piece of the world’s largest economy, makes this a difficult

How Freddie Mac is leading the way for women in real estate

Although most Americans alive today have never known a world where women are absent from the workforce, most are still well aware of the discrimination and injustice that continues to plague working women. Though gender norms continue to be

New 2019 housing forecasts reflect brighter outlook

Only three months ago, the consensus among economists studying the U.S. housing market was that 2019 would be, at best, unimpressive. Given prevailing trends at the time, it looked as though rising interest rates would continue driving up the

AARP-livability-index-real-estate-agnt-older-senior-client-independent
This week in Houston real estate: New 55+ community, Texas bullet train and more

  The Woodlands gets new 55+ community Caldwell Companies announced plans for a 1,200-acre active-adult community north of The Woodlands. The community will have 3,000 homes specifically tailored to buyers 55 years old and up and will be named

Embrace the great outdoors at Grand Central Park

Luxury new construction and modern conveniences in natural surroundings

Big data solutions for housing’s most pressing problems

The U.S. Census Bureau is renewing its push to stimulate innovative technological developments through the use of its own data. The Opportunity Project (TOP), a collaborative effort between government agencies and private tech firms, continues to build upon initiatives

Pending home sales grow nationally, a welcome sign for spring

The first evidence that homebuyers are reacting to favorable market conditions came in the National Association of Realtors’ latest Pending Home Sales report.  According to NAR’s index of pending home sales activity, contract signings grew 4.6 percent in January

What’s ahead for FHFA nominee Mark Calabria?

On Tuesday, Feb. 26, the Senate Banking Committee voted to confirm Mark Calabria as the new head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Assuming he makes it through the full Senate vote, which has yet to be scheduled, Calabria

Real Estate in Brief: New homeowners, economic growth and more

Homeownership rate posts eighth-consecutive quarterly gain The newest estimate of U.S. homeownership rates, released Feb. 28 by the Census Bureau, showed that more Americans have become homeowners in the last two years. As of the fourth quarter of 2018,

New community developments planned for Katy

Two new developments are currently in the works for the Katy area. The first is an expansion at the Ventana Lakes neighborhood, dubbed Ventana Lakes East, by Arlington-based developer D.R. Horton. Plans for the 460-acre community were submitted to

Case-Shiller: Home price growth trending downward

  One of the most widely cited barometers of the U.S. housing market showed home price growth continuing a downward trend at the close of 2018, an positive sign for buyers. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index registered a

Real Estate in Brief: Selling in spring, odd lots and more

Early May named the best time to list a home Plenty of Americans are getting anxious about the arrival of spring, particularly those who are homeowners looking to sell in the near future. As it turns out, spring may

Jan. existing-home sales leave room to grow

Evidence of slower price appreciation, growing inventory and falling interest rates have boosted economist expectations for U.S. home sales at the beginning of 2019. However, these trends that should entice buyers haven’t yet made an impact when it comes

Homebuilder hopes improve on rate outlook

U.S. homebuilders haven’t seen quite the same gains as the broader real estate market in recent years, but signs are beginning to point in the industry’s favor this year. A new report from LEK Consulting and Wells Fargo’s U.S.

For-sale inventory snaps 5-year losing streak

Changing tides in the national real estate market are leading to the most widespread inventory increases seen in at least five years. According to data collected by Zillow, for the first time since 2014, the U.S. housing market posted

Oops! We could not locate your form.