Despite the single-digit temperatures and icy sidewalks in Worcester, Massachusetts, last week, the crowd gathered at the DCU Convention Center was fired up. “The people who show up here are the real do-ers.” That’s how Anthony Lamacchia, CEO and owner of Crush It In Real Estate and Lamacchia Realty, described the standing-room-only crowd of more…

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Slow inventory recovery, coupled with major snowstorms across half of the country, put a massive halt on existing-home sales in January, according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). NAR’s Existing-Homes Sales report for January found that sales fell 8.4% to a rate of 3.91 million, a large reversal from last…

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Even though 2026 is looking brighter, affordability—not just in homebuying but in homeownership—continues to face challenges as the market works to normalize. For homeowners specifically, the costs of owning a home continue to add pressure as the latest data from ATTOM saw foreclosure activity remain high year-over-year. ATTOM’s Foreclosure Market Report for January found that…

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SkySlope announced the launch of Ayce, its newest app for iOS and the next evolution in real estate coaching. Designed as an always-on, goal-driven coach, Ayce blends generative AI with real-world industry expertise to help agents translate their ambitions into consistent, measurable action.  With Ayce, agents input their income and production goals, and the app…

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Housing affordability is an issue to be tackled from many directions; which ways are on lawmakers’ radar? The House Financial Services committee (which covers the real estate sector) provided insight into that during a hearing Tuesday on rising housing costs, titled “Priced Out of the American Dream.”  Those giving testimony at the hearing, where discussion…

The post Congress Zeroes in on Permitting, Affordability and Supply in High-Profile Housing Hearing appeared first on RISMedia.

For many agents, a closing gift marks the end of a transaction. But for clients, it’s often just the beginning of homeownership—and that’s where small, thoughtful follow-ups can make a lasting impression. Agents don’t need expensive gifts or elaborate gestures to stay top-of-mind after closing. Sometimes, the most meaningful value comes from showing up at…

The post Simple Ways Agents Can Add Value After Closing (Without Big Gifts) appeared first on RISMedia.

Applications for home loans remained essentially flat this week, declining slightly along with the refinance share of total mortgage activity, while experts note an uptick in government-backed loan applications is an indicator of ongoing affordability challenges. According to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report, the Market Composite Index—the measure of mortgage loan activity volume…

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On the heels of the decision from the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee (FOMC) to hold interest rates steady, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data appears to support the decision as jobs and unemployment saw improvement in January. The latest Employment Situation Summary—aka the jobs report—saw the U.S. add 130,000 jobs in January, and…

The post Jobs Report Sees ‘Modest’ Improvement, With 2026 Rate Cuts in Flux appeared first on RISMedia.

Fresh from its dramatic victory in federal court on Feb. 6, in which U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York denied a request by Compass to block its new listing rules, the Seattle-based portal giant announced in a report Feb. 10 that earnings for Q4 2025 and for the full…

The post Zillow Matches Earning Targets; Legal Issues Downplayed appeared first on RISMedia.

Early January declines in mortgage rates unlocked refinance opportunities for nearly five million borrowers and helped push affordability to a four-year high, according to the February Mortgage Monitor released Feb. 9 by ICE Mortgage Technology, a provider of an end-to-end mortgage platform.  According to the analysis, “Even small reductions toward 6% rates can significantly boost…

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