The Invisible Engine: How Trestle Powers the Modern Real Estate Market

The tools brokers and agents use every day, from search portals and market reports to AI-driven applications, rely on one fundamental that is often unseen: accurate, timely data. Behind the scenes, the infrastructure that powers this critical data flow is managed by platforms built for reliability and scale. Cotality’s Trestle product serves as the core… …more

eXp Realty Debuts LYVVE Search Platform

eXp Realty has announced the official rollout of LYVVE, an international property search platform designed to reshape how eXp agents and consumers connect across borders. Following a successful beta phase earlier this year, eXp stated that LYVVE is now entering full production, expanding to include listings from nearly 30 countries where eXp Realty operates.  The… …more

Leading With Heart: How Giving Back Builds Stronger Agents and Communities

As the year winds down, there’s a familiar energy in the air—part gratitude, part exhaustion and part reflection on what really matters. For real estate professionals, 2025 has demanded more than skill or strategy. It asked for something deeper: empathy. When markets wobble and headlines rattle consumer confidence, people look to their agents not just… …more

Louisiana Brokers Challenge NAR’s ‘Anticompetitive’ MLS Restrictions in Antitrust Case

Four Louisiana real estate brokers have filed a supplemental motion in federal court, seeking to add newly available legal authority and factual developments to their ongoing antitrust case against the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and several Louisiana-based real estate associations.  The case, filed in January 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle… …more

CoStar Agrees to Move Zillow Lawsuit to Seattle, Looks to Resolve Case ‘As Soon as Possible’

In a switch-up from the company’s previous stance, CoStar has filed an agreement to move its copyright infringement lawsuit against Zillow to Seattle, Washington.  In a notice of non-opposition filed Dec. 2, CoStar stated it agrees to transfer the case to the Western District of Washington “in light of new information disclosed by Zillow in… …more

Mortgage Application Activity Fluctuates as Holiday Season Kicks Off

Home purchase application activity fluctuated over the Thanksgiving holiday period, both increasing and decreasing over the past few weeks. This week mortgage activity saw a slight decline. According to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report, the Market Composite Index—the measure of mortgage loan activity volume—decreased 1.4% from one week earlier on a seasonally adjusted… …more

NAR Financials Revealed: Executive Salaries, Legal Expenses and Dues Revenue

As the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) seeks to execute what the organization has described as a significant and broad-based turnaround, financial disclosures from 2024 provide the first glimpse into how—or if—that effort is showing up on the balance sheet, as Realtors® (and big brokerage leaders) closely scrutinize decisions made by NAR after multiple scandals… …more

Fathom Holdings Sells LiveBy Assets to Move Concierge for $3 Million to Strengthen Growth Strategy

Fathom Holdings has announced the sale of its LiveBy assets to Move Concierge for $3 million, with an expected $300,000 in additional annual contingent consideration tied to data-sharing agreements. The company says the proceeds will be used to support Fathom’s broader growth initiatives. Under the terms of the deal, Fathom will maintain continued access to… …more

UtahRealEstate.com Releases AI-Powered Voice Search Across MLS Software and Consumer Home Search

UtahRealEstate.com (URE) has released a new AI-powered voice search feature available within its MLS software and on its consumer-facing website. The update adds voice-activated search functionality to the platform’s existing tools for listing discovery and property data access.  The voice search feature, built using Model Context Protocol technology, allows users to speak natural-language search queries,… …more

Zillow Quietly Removes Climate Risk Scores From Listings

Just over a year after launching its climate risk feature, Zillow has quietly removed its Climate Risk Scores directly from the platform’s listings, and now instead directs users to First Street’s website—which Zillow called “the standard for climate risk financial modeling”—where they can individually access risk assessments for flood, wildfire, wind, heat and air quality… …more

eXp Denies Fraud Charge as Plaintiffs Cite Evidence That Sexual Assault Claims Were Not Investigated

In the late stages of a lawsuit against eXp alleging the brokerage allowed and covered up sexual assaults at company events, eXp is seeking to have a new charge of fraud dismissed. In a third amended complaint filed late October, plaintiffs claimed that eXp executives lied both privately and publicly about investigating allegations of multiple… …more

How to Keep Buyers on the Homeownership Trail If and When Employment Is Iffy

The glum news stories seem endless…14,000 employees laid off from Amazon, 48,000 gone at UPS, and even with the government shutdown finally over, thousands of federal workers have been cut. The cruelest aspect is that so many of those folks who suddenly find themselves on unemployment were doing well at their jobs. What’s worse is… …more

‘Speaking the Language of Luxury’ Is Key to Success for Sarasota’s Ogilvie Group

Above, seated, Kim Ogilvie and Lynn Morris It takes experience and a certain sensitivity to the world of the wealthy to be successful selling high-end properties. So notes Kim Ogilvie, who with partner Lynn Morris operates the Kim Ogilvie Group in Sarasota, Florida, which last year posted $350 million in volume. That is impressive in… …more

What Team Leaders Must Do in 2026 to Have Their Best Year Yet

As 2025 comes to an end, setting the stage for an incredible 2026 requires intentional planning, strong leadership and a commitment to continuous improvement. The real estate industry is ever-evolving, with new trends, technologies and market shifts demanding adaptability and innovation. To make 2026 your best year yet, focus on the following key areas. Set… …more

Pillar To Post Monterey Franchisor Wins Stevie® Award for Woman of the Year–Franchising

Pillar To Post Home Inspectors has announced that franchise business owner Paige Bohrer, who owns and operates Pillar To Post Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito, has been named a Bronze Stevie® Award winner in the Woman of the Year–Franchising category in the 22nd annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The Stevie Awards for… …more

The Jason Mitchell Group Welcomes The MKT Team to San Diego

The Jason Mitchell Group (JMG) announced that The MKT Team will join its expanding national network. This partnership signifies an extraordinary opportunity for MKT, as JMG’s proven platform and referral pipeline promise to drive significant growth and elevate their entire platform, according to a release. Led by Micah Kerrico, MKT has become a trusted name… …more

Court Report: Mortgage Fraud Charges on Letitia James Dropped

The COURT REPORT is RISMedia’s weekly look at current and upcoming lawsuits, investigations and other legal developments around real estate. Lawsuits against Zillow and Redfin consolidated A partnership between Zillow and Redfin has come under litigation, with both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and subsequently five state attorneys general filing to block the partnership on… …more

Innovating for the Future: The Technology Shaping the Next Chapter of Real Estate Success

Editor’s note: The following is the cover story from the December 2025 issue of RISMedia’s Real Estate magazine. As the door closes on 2025, real estate professionals in every market across the country are setting their sights on the promise of better days ahead. But succeeding in the new year will take more than determination… …more

Harvard Study Tracks Nonprofit Developers’ Embrace of Factory-Built Homes

As housing remains unaffordable for many across the United States—and new construction hit a recent low on the back of consumer reticence—one solution that’s been floated are manufactured and modular homes. A new academic paper from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) has tracked how nonprofit housing developers, or community-based organizations (CBOs), have… …more

3 Cost-Effective Lead Generation Strategies for Agents

Above, Carrie Little, left and Justin Letheby share lead-gen strategies in the session, “Maximizing What You Already Have: Cost-Effective Lead Generation for Real Estate Professionals,” during the recent NAR NXT conference in Houston. HOUSTON—At the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) recent NAR NXT conference, real estate industry leaders Carrie Little and Justin Letheby delivered a… …more