In the keynote presentation to open RISMedia’s recent Real Estate’s Rocking in the New Year virtual event, Brian Buffini, chairman and founder of Buffini & Company, expressed the strong view that while a turnaround to good times is in store for the 2026 residential real estate market, brokers and agents must nevertheless be totally committed…
On January 9, the residential real estate industry was rocked by the early closing of the Compass/Anywhere merger, a deal announced in September of 2025 and not expected to close until the end of this year. While speculation continues regarding just how the mega acquisition managed to close so quickly—catching even Anywhere executives and top…
Builder confidence in the new single-family home market declined at the start of 2026, as persistent affordability concerns continue to dampen buyer enthusiasm despite some positive movement in mortgage rates. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) fell two points, to 37, in January, reflecting ongoing challenges in the lower…
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Kansas City, Missouri, heard oral arguments in the Sitzer-Burnett settlement appeal on Jan. 14, with attorneys representing objectors as well as defendants debating the validity of the settlement amount and its effectiveness in addressing homebuyer claims. Nearly two years after the landmark March 2024 settlement—where the National Association…
In a memorandum filed Jan. 13, defendants Zillow and Redfin are asking a federal judge to throw out the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust case against their $100 million partnership—and their arguments reveal potential weaknesses in how the government defined the market it’s trying to regulate. First filed Sept. 30, 2025, the FTC alleged that…
In a long LinkedIn post Jan. 13, Glenn Kelman, the 20-year CEO of Redfin, announced he was stepping down. Titling the post ‘Unemployed, In Greenland,’ Kelman said Jan. 16 will be his last day in the office, following Rocket Companies officially acquiring the firm July 1, 2025. Rocket CEO Varun Krishna will fill in as…
Despite a hopeful moment of decline in November, inflation looks to be stagnant in December, remaining paused from hitting the Federal Reserve’s 2% goal, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for December saw a slight increase of 0.3% for the all items index, landing at 2.7% annual…
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell—a target of personal attacks and intense pressure from President Donald Trump and others in his administration—is now facing a criminal inquiry over renovations to the central bank’s headquarters. In a highly unusual video message posted to the Fed’s website Sunday evening, Powell said that the Fed was served Friday with…
The industry-shaking deal by Compass to acquire Anywhere officially closed today, creating a $10 billion brokerage behemoth that is likely to shift the power balance in real estate both short- and long-term, and shifts ongoing debates around listing transparency significantly more weighty. In a regulatory filing today, Compass said that the merger—first announced back in…
In a post on Truth Social Jan. 8, President Donald Trump announced he is directing his representatives to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds in an effort to reduce mortgage rates and monthly payments for American homebuyers. The move marks the administration’s latest attempt—its second this week—to address housing affordability concerns that have dominated voter…
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