Rocket Companies’ Mr. Cooper Acquisition Cleared by the FHFA

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has announced its allowance for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to approve Rocket Companies’ acquisition of Mr. Cooper, adding a stipulation that the merger is “subject to appropriate conditions.” The approval comes after what the FHFA dubbed a “rigorous analysis of the proposed merger of two of the Enterprises’… …more

Webinar Recap: Building a Brokerage Brand: How to Stand Out in a Saturated Market

The latest RISMedia webinar—“Building a Brokerage Brand: How to Stand Out in a Saturated Market”—moderator Rei Mesa, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty, oversaw a discussion on brokerage branding with Max Kuhl, chief growth officer of finance firm Notable that partners with brokerages as pay it close option for home sellers; Whitney… …more

Survey: 40% of Millennial/Gen Z Renters Forgo Eating Out to Afford Rent

The avocado toast and coffee excuse as to why younger generations can’t afford a home is perhaps a bit outdated—and inaccurate. Of the roughly 70% of millennial and Gen Z renters who struggle to afford their regular housing payments, several of them are sacrificing luxuries in order to afford their housing, according to a recent… …more

Victoria Group Returns to eXp, Bringing a Network of Over 100 Agents With Them

eXp Realty® has announced the return of the Victoria Group, a real estate team recognized as the #1 Team in SA-NAHREP. The group brings a network of over 100 agents that closed 900+ units in 2024, a mega team of 30 agents, 395 transactions closed and more than $103 million in sales volume to eXp. … …more

RE/MAX Launches New Marketing Platform to its Network of Over 145,000 Agents

RE/MAX has announced the launch of Marketing as a Service (MaaS), a data-driven platform designed to help brand affiliates across the U.S. and Canada market listings easily, connect with clients and drive business growth.  Powered by Realforce, RE/MAX stated that MaaS is an AI-fueled system that enables affiliates including brokers, owners, agents and teams to… …more

Trump Fires Fed Governor, but She Won’t Back Down

Above: Lisa Cook President Trump has announced his firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook following mortgage fraud allegations, but Cook so far refuses to go. Trump posted a letter addressed to Cook firing her from her position at the Fed on Truth Social Monday night. In the letter, he claims that through the Federal… …more

Consumer Confidence Dips Slightly, With Recession and Inflation Worries Percolating

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index declined by 1.3 points this month to 97.4 from 98.7 in July, reflecting consumers’ rising concerns regarding stock prices, interest rates and the labor market overall.  The Present Situation Index, which considers consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions, fell by 1.6 points this month, now at… …more

Fired Real Brokerage CFO Will Enter Mediation for Discrimination Lawsuit With Company

Michelle Ressler, former CFO of the Real Brokerage, who sued the company in June for alleged pregnancy discrimination and retaliation, is entering into mediation with her former employer, according to a court filing today. A joint letter signed by one of Real’s lawyers asked a federal judge to pause the case as “the parties have… …more

Inflation Outpaces Home-Price Increase in ‘Transitioning’ Market

The June 2025 edition of the S&P Cotality (formerly known as CoreLogic) Case-Schiller National Home Price NSA Index reports that home prices are slowing down in annual gains at 1.9%, down from the 2.3% rise last month. The index covers all nine United States census divisions. The 20-City Composite—which measures the real estate value in… …more

Young Buyers Hold Key to Housing Market’s Next Decade as Growth Slows Across Board

Homeownership rates are likely to stall over the next decade as younger adults struggle to overcome affordability challenges. That’s according to a new research paper from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) released Monday. From 2025 to 2035, researchers project that homeownership rates will range from a low of 64.3% to a high… …more

Driving Success Through Inspiring Growth

Above: Sharon Wilson Sharon Wilson President/Broker in Charge Wilson Associates, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Greenville, South Carolina https://wilsonassociates.net   Region served: Upstate South Carolina Years in real estate: 40 Number of offices: 1 Number of agents: 37 Favorite part of your job: The people  How does your company work to… …more

Schemmel Soda Group Joins Douglas Elliman in Florida

Douglas Elliman Inc. has announced The Schemmel Soda Group has joined the firm’s first Sarasota office. Previously with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, the team is led by cofounders Joel Scemmel and Donna Soda and includes agents Sharo Chiodi and Patti Tebo.  The Schemmel Soda Group has earned many accolades for their sales achievements, market knowledge… …more

COURT REPORT: Florida Discount Broker Sues Associations, MLS’s for Antitrust Violations

Editor’s note: The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. Florida Discount Broker Sues Associations, MLSs for Antitrust Violations Jorge A. Zea, broker of Snap Flat Fee in Florida, is self-representing in a recent lawsuit he has filed against the National Association of… …more

New-Home Sales Slow as Builders, Economists Highlight Buyer Lethargy

As a long-running housing supply imbalance appears to be shifting, higher inventory is not currently drawing in buyers—at least in the market for new homes—which could raise concerns about “cutbacks in new construction,” per comments from National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Chairman Buddy Hughes. Per findings from the U.S. Census Bureau, 652,000 newly constructed… …more

‘Zombie’ Properties Lay Low as Foreclosures Rise

ATTOM, a real estate analytics company, has released its third quarter 2025 Vacant Property and Zombie Foreclosure Report, analyzing foreclosure, equity and owner-occupancy status compared to monthly updated vacancy data.  In the third quarter of 2025, 222,318 homes were in the process of foreclosure. Of those pre-foreclosure homes, 7,519 or 3.38% were “zombie” properties, or… …more

NAR Looks to Revitalize Realtor® Brand, Putting ‘Negativity’ in Rear-View

Above: NAR General Counsel Jon Waclawski (left) and NAR President Kevin Sears (right) take the stage at the midyear Legislative Meetings in June. What is in a name?  For the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), the ubiquitous term for members—coined almost 110 years ago—means a lot. And it should mean a lot for Realtors® themselves,… …more

Legislative Round-Up: Massachusetts Proposes Broker Oversight Board; New York Limits Institutional Buyers

Editor’s Note: The RISMedia series, Legislative Round-Up looks at pending and passed federal and state-level legislation that impacts real estate professionals. Bill affirming agents’ independent contractor status reintroduced to Congress Representative Kevin Kiley (R-California) has reintroduced the “Direct Seller and Real Estate Agent Harmonization Act.” The bill would clarify that, under existing labor law, the… …more

Crib Equity Partners With Jason Mitchell Group

The Jason Mitchell Group (JMG) has welcomed Crib Equity to its rapidly expanding network of B2B partnerships.This partnership signifies an opportunity for Crib Equity to take advantage of JMG’s proven promise to drive significant growth. Crib Equity helps homebuyers boost their purchasing power by matching a portion of their down payment without adding debt or… …more

Fed Chair Powell Signals Start of Rate Cuts Ahead of September FOMC Meeting

During his highly anticipated eighth and final speech at the annual Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium in Wyoming, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell signaled that the central bank is ready to ease its monetary policy. “Our policy rate is now 100 basis points closer to neutral than it was a year ago, and the stability… …more

The 5 Keys to Getting More Referrals

Referrals are among the most powerful drivers of new business. According to research, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family over any other form of advertising. They’re also more cost-effective, generate higher lifetime value and significantly increase purchase likelihood. Yet despite their power, many professionals fail to maximize this opportunity—often because the process… …more