News / Features

Real Estate in Brief: Trump at NAR, Redfin-RE/MAX split and more

President Trump to speak at NAR conference The National Association of Realtors announced in a May 12 press release that President Donald Trump would address attendees of its Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo in Washington, D.C. this week. While

This week in Houston real estate: more people moving out than in, home sales surge and more

For the second year in a row, more people moved out of Houston than in After years of population growth, The Houston Chronicle reported the city lost 19,500 residents over the last two years. The decline can be attributed

Redfin unveils latest move against buyer agent commissions

Redfin has been testing a pilot program that will allow homebuyers to make offers on homes listed on its platform without an agent representing them. The program, dubbed Redfin Direct, has been in testing phases in the Boston market

Boosting the middle class through smarter housing policy

The American middle class is considered a crucial demographic in the political, economic and social sense. But defining who, or what, is middle-class has never been easy for experts or ordinary people. Most Americans consider themselves middle-class, even if

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Houston single-family home prices hit all-time high for month of April

Single family home sales in Houston peaked in April. Rebounding after a slow start in January, when sales fell 8.4%, Houston’s housing market is the strongest it’s been this year. According to the most recent report by the Houston

Survey: Home sellers are confident, but need agents’ help

It turns out that sellers may need you more than you might realize. A new survey by SOLD.com found that 94 percent of home sellers are confident about selling their home, yet over half are unfamiliar with the options

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This week in Houston real estate: Job growth surge, teachers can’t afford homes and more

Unemployment rate lowest since 1952 The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released employment statistics for April, and the numbers are are well beyond expectations. The bureau found that 263,000 jobs were created, blowing past analysts’ predictions of 190,000 new jobs.

Builders bullish on 55+ market, but labor shortages loom

Industry confidence in the single-family housing market for older adults reached an all-time high last quarter. The National Association of Home Builders’ 55+ Housing Market Index continued its recent incline with a reading of 72, up six points from last quarter

Real Estate in Brief: Cooler prices, association hires and more

Redfin sees first annual home price decrease since 2012 While most national indicators have shown home price growth falling over the last several months, Redfin is the first to report that price increases have hit negative territory. In its

Indicators suggest an upcoming buyer’s market

After the release of the Case-Shiller Index and the National Association of Realtors’ Pending Home Sales report, it seems like the spring market is finally ready to take off. The CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index reported a four percent annual gain

Competition lawsuits roiling the industry

Real estate has been hit with multiple legal challenges to the status quo, particularly in how agents get paid. The first suit, filed in federal district court in Chicago, takes aim at a rule it says was instituted by

This week in Houston real estate: millennials flock to Houston, top luxe markets and more

  Millennials flock to Houston Per a new study by the U.S. Census Bureau, Houston is among the country’s leaders in drawing new Millennial residents. According to the study, Houston has had 15,000 new move-ins of young adults, aged 25

Real Estate in Brief: FHFA plans, new-home sales and more

New FHFA director discusses plans for mortgage market Earlier this month, the Senate confirmed Mark Calabria as the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The FHFA oversees government-owned mortgage insurers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together

Why Americans aren’t moving as much

Residential migration and mobility, both interstate and domestic, has been declining steadily for a few years now. About 10 percent of Americans on average moved out of state, in the last five years. But between the 1940s through the

Keller Williams moves closer to release of iBuying service

Since Opendoor unveiled its instant-offer home listing service in 2014, other companies have been working to develop other versions of the service that’s come to be dubbed iBuying. Most recently, Keller Williams announced the opening of its own iBuyer

Home sales fall back to earth in March

After a strong nationwide rebound in February’s home sales figures, purchase activity resumed its downward trajectory in March. According to the National Association of Realtors’ existing-home sales report released April 22, completed transactions fell 4.9 percent between February and