• Tech Pulse: ICE posts strong earnings; bill pushes unconverted crypto in mortgage

    Tech Pulse: ICE posts strong earnings; bill pushes unconverted crypto in mortgage,Jonathan Delozier

    Welcome back to Tech Pulse — HousingWire‘s weekly series rounding up the latest in technology news, including tools, integrations and trends that impact mortgage and real estate. Here’s what happened this week: ICE posts $851M profit in Q2 2025, raises revenue guidance Intercontinental Exchange repo

    Read More
  • How to build high-converting real estate landing pages (+ examples)

    How to build high-converting real estate landing pages (+ examples),Megan DeMatteo, Emile L'Eplattenier

    As a Realtor, your real estate landing pages are one of your most valuable lead generation assets. They are the final gatekeepers between you and your lead. Get them right, and your ROI from paid leads will soar. Get them wrong, and your conversion rate will plummet. It’s no wonder that most Realtor

    Read More
  • The Fed could cut rates in September. Mortgage pros are skeptical of the impact

    The Fed could cut rates in September. Mortgage pros are skeptical of the impact,Flávia Furlan Nunes

    While many expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at its September meeting, mortgage professionals caution that even if it happens, it won’t significantly impact the industry.Loan officers have encouraged borrowers to continue with their home loan applications. They note that home sellers

    Read More
  • Tucson-based independent merges with United Real Estate Specialists

    Tucson-based independent merges with United Real Estate Specialists,Brooklee Han

    Tucson, Arizona-based independent firm KMS Realty is merging with United Real Estate Specialists, according to an announcement on Friday. Suzanne Rothman, who served as the designated broker KMS Realty, will serve as the managing broker of United Real Estate Specialist. She is also the immediate pas

    Read More
  • Home insurance rates are cooling — but they’ve jumped 45% since 2022

    Home insurance rates are cooling — but they’ve jumped 45% since 2022,Jonathan Delozier

    After several years of sharp hikes in premiums and coverage challenges, the U.S. home insurance market is showing early signs of stabilization, according to a new report from digital insurance agency Matic. Affordability remains a top concern, with climate events, deductibles and aging roofs all pla

    Read More
  • Adriana D. Kugler, who helps set interest rates, resigns as Fed governor

    Adriana D. Kugler, who helps set interest rates, resigns as Fed governor,Sarah Wolak

    The Federal Reserve Board announced on Friday that Adriana D. Kugler will step down from her position as governor. Kugler, whose term was set to expire at the end of January 2026, joined the board of governors in September 2023 after being nominated by former President Joe Biden. She submitted her l

    Read More
  • Mortgage rate mythbusting: Destroying the most common misconceptions

    Mortgage rate mythbusting: Destroying the most common misconceptions,Clayton Collins

    Bad takes about mortgage rates spread faster than wildfire — especially when they come from politicians or go viral on X. But when these narratives are misleading or flat-out wrong, they don’t just confuse consumers. They erode trust in our industry and inject unnecessary chaos into an already compl

    Read More
  • Preliminary injunction hearing in Compass v. Zillow to begin in late November

    Preliminary injunction hearing in Compass v. Zillow to begin in late November,Brooklee Han

    Compass and Zillow are taking their legal battle to the courtroom. On Thursday, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas, a New York City-based U.S. District Court judge, ruled that the evidentiary hearing for Compass’s motion for a preliminary injunction in its suit against Zillow will begin on November 18, 2025,

    Read More
  • Trump meets with big bank CEOs to talk about taking the GSEs public: Bloomberg

    Trump meets with big bank CEOs to talk about taking the GSEs public: Bloomberg,Sarah Wheeler

    President Donald Trump appears to be taking another step to bring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac out of conservatorship, according to reporting by Bloomberg on Thursday. The president has invited the leaders of some of the country’s biggest banks, including JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Goldman Sachs

    Read More
  • Rocket returns to profitability in Q2, yields early benefits from Redfin deal

    Rocket returns to profitability in Q2, yields early benefits from Redfin deal,Flávia Furlan Nunes

    Rocket Companies, the parent of Rocket Mortgage, has returned to profitability despite a challenging second quarter for the mortgage industry, marked by economic uncertainties in the U.S. The company is now focusing on integrating the recently acquired real estate brokerage firm Redfin, which has al

    Read More
  • Agent count a bright spot for eXp in Q2 2025

    Agent count a bright spot for eXp in Q2 2025,Brooklee Han

    The second quarter of 2025 may not have shaken out exactly as the leaders of eXp World Holdings would have liked, but one bright spot was agent count at eXp Realty.  Although agent count was down 5% annually to 82,704 agents, Q2 2025 marked the first time in a year that eXp recorded sequential quart

    Read More
  • Connecticut firms merge under Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand

    Connecticut firms merge under Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate brand,Jonathan Delozier

    Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gaetano Marra Homes and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Bannon & Hebert have merged operations — expanding their presence across Connecticut and consolidating under the Gaetano Marra Homes name. The merger brings together approximately 150 affiliated sales a

    Read More
  • Redfin integrates CubiCasa interactive floor plans

    Redfin integrates CubiCasa interactive floor plans,Jonathan Delozier

    Redfin has partnered with CubiCasa to integrate interactive floor plans and virtual tours into its real estate listings. Redfin is the first major home search platform to adopt CubiCasa’s interactive media directly into listings, supporting a growing demand among buyers for visual tools that help to

    Read More
  • John L. Scott CEO unpacks AI strategies and MLS consolidation

    John L. Scott CEO unpacks AI strategies and MLS consolidation,Jonathan Delozier

    On this week’s RealTrending podcast, host Tracey Velt welcomes Lennox Scott, CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate, a company with nearly a century of legacy and leadership. With close to five decades of industry experience, Scott brings deep insights into both the past and future of real estate. Their c

    Read More
  • LeadingRE adds Smartify Media for digital display technology

    LeadingRE adds Smartify Media for digital display technology,Jonathan Delozier

    Smartify Media has been named an exclusive provider of digital display technology for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World (LeadingRE) and its global network of more than 550 real estate firms. Smartify, which was recently recognized as the 2025 Startup of the Year by the Advertising Club of N

    Read More
  • Mortgage application payments declined in June, indicating improved affordability

    Mortgage application payments declined in June, indicating improved affordability,Sarah Wolak

    Homebuyer affordability improved in June, as evidenced by the national median payment for purchase mortgage applicants decreasing to $2,172 — down from $2,211 in May. That’s according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI), which measures how new month

    Read More
  • LPT Realty expands in southern California

    LPT Realty expands in southern California,Jonathan Delozier

    Premier Property Partners founders Rich Johnson and Shirin Alipanah are joining LPT Realty — expanding its operations in San Diego and Palm Desert. Johnson, former owner and broker of San Diego Homes and Estates, and Alipanah, a former tech executive at Meta, bring decades of experience and a combin

    Read More
  • Real estate brokerage profit margins show signs of stabilization

    Real estate brokerage profit margins show signs of stabilization,Brooklee Han

    Real estate brokerages may no longer be at the profitability peak they hit during the height of the pandemic housing market, but their margins are showing signs of stabilization after the market rapidly shifted in 2022 due to the interest rate hikes, according to data published by real estate broker

    Read More
  • Compass CFO Kalani Reelitz announces departure

    Compass CFO Kalani Reelitz announces departure,Jonathan Delozier

    Compass Real Estate Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kalani Reelitz will leave his position at the end of this month, the company announced during its second-quarter earnings call. Chief Accounting Officer Scott Wahlers will be promoted to Compass CFO — with the move becoming effective at the end of Au

    Read More
  • Compass posts record performance in Q2

    Compass posts record performance in Q2,Jonathan Delozier

    Compass Real Estate reported its strongest quarterly performance in company history during the second quarter — delivering record revenue and profitability despite challenging housing market conditions. The company reported a 21.1% year-over-year revenue increase to $2.06 billion in the second quart

    Read More