Bankruptcy filings continue to rise across the United States. According to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, total bankruptcy filings increased 11% in 2025, reaching more than 574,000 filings nationwide. Behind every filing is a homeowner facing difficult financial decisions, uncertainty and often significant emotional stress. For real estate agents, these situations require a…

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Villager Realty, a Chicago-area brokerage founded in 1991, has announced the firm has  become part of REMAX Premier on Chicago’s North Shore, rejoining the REMAX network with its full roster of agents. The move, led by broker/owner Dan Crouch, reflects a decision rooted in trust, professional relationships and shared experience with the global brand, the…

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Chocolate brown is back, and this time, it could add approximately $2,277 to a home’s offer price, according to Zillow’s 2026 Paint Color Analysis. The study found that buyers are increasingly drawn to warm, inviting colors, which increasingly outperform traditional all-white walls in key living spaces.  “White will always be a timeless, versatile choice, but…

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Editor’s Note: The RISMedia series Legislative Round-Up looks at pending and passed federal and state-level legislation that impacts real estate professionals. Housing omnibus bill one step closer to passage  The U.S. Senate has advanced the latest version of the omnibus 21st Century ROAD To Housing Act by a vote of 87-8. A roll-call vote to…

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Northwest MLS (NWMLS) on Thursday, defended its countersuit against Compass in the Western District of Washington, urging Judge Jamal N. Whitehead to allow the MLS’s fraud, Consumer Protection Act and tortious interference claims to proceed against the mega-brokerage in a high-profile battle over MLS policies that is likely to reverberate across the industry. Responding to…

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Lamacchia Realty announced its expansion into Vermont, now licensed to provide residential real estate brokerage services in its seventh state and completing its presence across all six New England states.  The expansion follows the company’s recent acquisition of Steepleview Realty in North Adams, Massachusetts, which already held a Vermont real estate license. Lamacchia Realty currently…

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Above, Dean deTonnancourt Company leaders often reach the top rung of the executive ladder for one crucial reason—they are never satisfied. Not with their firm’s progress, not with its bottom line and not with its standing in the industry. They are always demanding more in every way. Dean deTonnancourt exemplifies what it means to continually…

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WASHINGTON D.C. — A potential new Standard of Practice for Realtors® sparked debate amongst the members of the National Association of Realtors®’ (NAR) Board of Directors (BOD) at the 2026 Realtors® Legislative Meetings, with proposed change to disclosure requirements eventually withdrawn. The controversy came after a relatively quiet gathering in the nation’s capital, at least…

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Mortgage rates lowered this week following a ceasefire agreement with Iran, a trend economists say may be more promising in light of a signed agreement by President Trump. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate decreased to 6.47% from 6.52% last week, according to the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), released by Freddie Mac Thursday.…

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Editor’s note: AI Pulse is RISMedia’s ongoing roundup of AI happenings, providing trends and real-world use cases to help navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape.  Startup asks homebuyers to host mini data centers in their backyards One of the largest current barriers to expanding the capabilities (or at least size) of frontier AI models is…

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