Above, Rob Cleapor. Real estate is in the middle of massive consolidation.  Private equity, mega-franchises and roll-up strategies are reshaping the landscape at record speed. Brokerages are being absorbed. Local brands are disappearing. Decision-making is moving farther away from agents and the communities they serve and closer to corporate boardrooms.  The promise is efficiency and…

The post Rethinking Brokerage in an Era of Consolidation appeared first on RISMedia.

AccountTECH, a leading provider of specialized accounting, financial intelligence, and benchmarking for real estate brokerages, has released new findings from its annual brokerage financial benchmark research, revealing a significant and sustained improvement in the percentage of real estate brokerages operating with positive EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization, a core profitability metric). Based…

The post New Study Shows Steady Increase in Profitable Brokerages appeared first on RISMedia.

Editor’s Note: The Mortgage Mix is RISMedia’s biweekly highlight reel of need-to-know mortgage-industry happenings. Watch for it every other Friday afternoon. – As the 2026 housing market gets underway, mortgage rates have been holding steady at around 6% during the latter half of January. Despite rates reaching near three-year lows, applications decreased during the week…

The post Mortgage Mix: Rates Hover Around 6%, Refis Are Up, but So Are Some Foreclosures appeared first on RISMedia.

Private listings have become one of the most widely debated topics in real estate today, with brokerages staking out clear positions on how they should be used. But for real estate professionals across the board, the guiding principle remains the same: doing what’s best for the seller.  During RISMedia’s Real Estate’s Rocking in the New…

The post The Private Listing Showdown: Strategies for Educating and Serving Sellers appeared first on RISMedia.

Brown Harris Stevens has announced that Raphael De Niro and the eight-person De Niro Team have joined the firm. De Niro began his career at Douglas Elliman, according to a release, where he spent more than two decades and became one of the most recognized names in New York City real estate, known for his…

The post Raphael De Niro and Team Join Brown Harris Stevens appeared first on RISMedia.

PropStream has announced the launch of PropStream Pros, its original video and podcast interview series, now available across all major streaming platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Amazon Music. Designed to educate and support real estate professionals, PropStream Pros features candid, unscripted conversations focused on real-world experience, practical insights and long-term success in today’s…

The post PropStream Launches PropStream Pros Season 1 & 2 appeared first on RISMedia.

The discourse around private listing policies has become a headline controversy over the past year, and with recent massive consolidation, the debate over limited marketing strategies is only going to become more important.  But as brokerages seek an advantage in the post commission-lawsuit landscape, simply being in favor of or against private listings doesn’t take…

The post Brokers Weigh in on Office Exclusives, MLS Private Listing Networks and the Power of Consumers appeared first on RISMedia.

President Donald Trump announced Friday morning his nomination of Kevin Warsh—a former Federal Reserve governor—to serve as the next chair of the Federal Reserve, replacing Jerome Powell, who was nominated by Trump during his first term and reappointed by former President Joe Biden. “I am pleased to announce that I am nominating Kevin Warsh to…

The post President Trump Announces Kevin Warsh as Fed Chair Nominee appeared first on RISMedia.

This week saw a decrease in overall home purchase applications but the average mortgage rate held steady at or around three-year lows. The latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), released by Freddie Mac Thursday, shows the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaging 6.10%, a slight increase of 1 basis point from last week’s rate average of…

The post Mortgage Rates Hold, Applications Down This Week appeared first on RISMedia.

Lower mortgage rates at the end of 2025 prompted a refinance rush among current homeowners, helping boost prepayment rates to their highest level in three years, according to a new report from ICE Mortgage Technology. The monthly mortgage prepayment rate rose to 0.91% in December, just below the 3.5-year high set in October, ICE reported…

The post Mixed Mortgage Message: Prepayments Tick Up on Refi Rush While FHA Foreclosure Activity Surges appeared first on RISMedia.