Don’t rely on national housing market headlines to understand your local market; that’s the key takeaway from Realtor.com®’s December monthly housing report, which reveals how dramatically individual metros diverged from broader trends throughout 2025. The report introduces a new framework for understanding these local differences: “benchmarkets” versus outliers. Benchmarkets are metros whose inventory and price…

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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…

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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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Corcoran Group LLC has announced the launch of Corcoran Wiley, expanding the brand’s presence in Virginia with a new franchise based in Charlottesville. Formerly operating as Wiley Real Estate, the brokerage is led by broker/owners Justin and Peter Wiley and will serve clients throughout Central Virginia and the greater Charlottesville region, a release noted.   The…

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With little change in the average mortgage rate expected over the coming weeks, home shoppers are seeing some positive signs as the market moves toward the traditional busy buying season.  The latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), released by Freddie Mac Thursday, shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaging 6.16%, a one-basis-point increase from last…

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Despite affordability remaining a market challenge, there are still refuge markets first-time homebuyers can access across the nation. A new Realtor.com® report took a crack at identifying these refuge markets, and made a list of the top markets for first-time homebuyers (age 25-34) in 2026.  The rankings are based on the forecasted share of first-time…

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CoStar, just under two years after launching what it described as the largest marketing campaign in real estate history to promote Homes.com, said yesterday that 2026 will see “meaningful moderation” in its investment in the portal, after some early stumbles sparked pushback from shareholders. In a press release, CoStar Founder and CEO Andy Florance promised…

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People are always on the move. And in 2025, despite economic uncertainty and shifting market conditions, Americans continued to relocate, whether it be a new job, improved cost of living, to be closer to family or for lifestyle changes. Last week, United Van Lines released its most recent survey of movers, tracking which states people…

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Stockholders of Compass and Anywhere Real Estate have overwhelmingly approved the proposed merger between the two real estate giants, clearing the way for the $1.6 billion deal to close as early as Friday, Jan. 9. At special stockholder meetings held Wednesday, Jan. 7, approximately 99% of votes cast at Compass’s meeting approved the proposal to…

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In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump claimed the American Dream of homeownership is slipping out of people’s reach, “especially younger Americans.” “It is for that reason, and much more, that I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress…

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