How Top Agents Turn Divorce Situations Into Opportunities Without Overstepping

Few life events are as personal or as complex as divorce. For many couples, separating assets, especially real estate, is one of the hardest steps in starting fresh. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), roughly 10–15% of home sales arise from divorces or family transitions, underscoring how often agents are called to help… …more

eXp Focuses on Quality Agents, Global Expansion During Investor Call

eXp remains focused on the growth of its agent quality and international expansion as it positions itself for continued success, according to the company’s latest earnings report. The company saw a Q3 net income of $3.5 million and a revenue of $1.3 billion—the same amount seen in Q2 and up from $1.2 billion last year.… …more

Opendoor Floats Plan to ‘Rebuild’ During Q3 Earnings Call

Above, Opendoor CEO Kaz Nejatian Rebooting was the theme of Opendoor’s Q3 2025 earnings call, held Thursday, Nov. 6. The iBuyer has seen a challenging 2025, including almost being delisted from the Nasdaq earlier this year, and these challenges showed up in its quarterly financial results.  In Q3, Opendoor experienced a year-over-year slowdown in revenue—$137… …more

Consumer Sentiment Dips as Government Shutdown Continues

Without an end in sight for the government shutdown, consumer sentiment is reflecting that uncertainty, according to the latest data from the University of Michigan.  The preliminary results for the Index of Consumer Sentiment came in at 50.3, down 6.2% from October’s reading of 53.6. Year-over-year, there was a 29.9% drop from 71.8 in November… …more

The Brokerage Retention Imperative: How Video Technology Keeps Your Best Agents

Here’s the old adage: “The Board challenges the CEO by saying, what if we invest all this money in our people and then they leave to go to a competitor? The CEO responds, what if we don’t invest in them and they stay?” Corporate America learned these lessons decades ago. Companies that ignored retention watched… …more

Mortgage Mix: Flagstar Agrees to Pay $31.5 Million to Settle 2021 Data Breach Class-Action Suit

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. –Flagstar last month agreed to a $31.5 million settlement in multiple class-action cases filed by former customers, focused on two data breaches that exposed the personal information of millions of customers in 2021 and… …more

The New Rules of Success. How the Brokerage Playbook Has Changed Post-Lawsuit

As the real estate industry adapts to myriad changes triggered by the commission lawsuits, MLS upheaval and evolving market conditions, the tried-and-true formulas for brokerage success may no longer prove effective. During RISMedia’s 37th annual Power Broker Forum, a panel of real estate’s most progressive leaders will share their new game plan for increasing business… …more

Legal Clarity in a Rapidly Shifting Market

When you talk with Jessica Edgerton, one thing becomes clear fast: she doesn’t see legal and compliance as boxes to check, but as living systems that shape trust, efficiency and the future of the real estate business. As chief legal officer and executive vice president of Industry & Learning at Leading Real Estate Companies of… …more

United Wholesale Mortgage Touts AI Success on Q3 Earnings Call

AI continues to prove itself as the path for future success as United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) saw another successful quarter due to its own AI initiatives.   The company’s Q3 2025 earnings release showed a total revenue of $843.3 million in Q3, up from $758.7 million in Q2 and $745.6 million last year, and an… …more

Streamlining Payments With DepositLink

In an industry where speed and security are crucial, DepositLink is transforming how money moves during transactions. Built specifically for real estate professionals, DepositLink eliminates the inefficiencies of paper checks and wire transfers with a modern, digital-first payments platform. With DepositLink, brokerages, agents, title companies and law firms can collect and send funds for virtually… …more

Home Values Climb in Northeast as Southern Markets Waver

The summer of 2025 saw “record-high” home prices while recent reports show first-time home-buying fell. Are prices keeping buyers out of the market? According to the latest findings from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), home prices rose in 77% of U.S. metro markets during Q3 2025, up slightly from 75% in Q2. The remaining… …more

Mortgage Rates Edge Up but Remain at Annual Lows

Following Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s comments last week that a December rate cut is not a guarantee, economists said mortgage rates moving higher was an expected market response but also one that favors an improving climate for home affordability.  According to the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) released by Freddie Mac Thursday, the average… …more

Defying Seasonal Slump, Brokers Optimistic as Markets Shift Toward Buyers

There is no quantitative, universally recognized definition of a “buyer’s market” or a “seller’s market.” But that shouldn’t stop real estate professionals from recognizing or calling out when the balance of power has shifted—as it seemingly has in recent months. According to RISMedia’s most recent Broker Confidence Index (BCI) survey, most brokers feel their markets… …more

CENTURY 21 Announces New Affiliation in South Georgia

Century 21 Real Estate LLC has announced that South Georgia firm The Avenues Real Estate Partners in Thomasville has affiliated with the brand. The full-service Thomasville brokerage is led by Sarah and Scottie Thompson, a husband-and-wife duo of Georgia natives with over 40 years of combined real estate experience.  Under the Thompsons’ leadership, the firm… …more

3 Ways to Beat the Time-Change Slump

It’s that time of year again—pitch black mornings, sunsets before 5 p.m., energy dips by midafternoon and the cozy pull of staying in instead of prospecting. The key isn’t trying to power through the season; it’s adjusting your habits to match it. Here are three simple ways to get ahead of the slump and keep… …more

Fathom Holdings Expands Into New Markets With START Real Estate

Fathom Holdings, a national, technology-driven real estate services platform integrating residential brokerage, mortgage, title and SaaS offerings, has announced that its subsidiary, START Real Estate has begun expanding into new markets. START Real Estate is a Colorado-based firm with 70 agents and was acquired by Fathom Holdings earlier this month. Its model is focused on… …more

Elevating the Real Estate Experience

Above, Carlo Siracusa. Carlo Siracusa President Levin Rinke Realty, a member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® Pensacola, Florida https://www.levinrinkerealty.com  Region served: Pensacola and the Emerald Coast to Gulf Shores coastal area Years in real estate: 23 Number of offices: 7 Number of agents: 375 Can’t live without tech tool: Our Design Studio,… …more

CENTURY 21 Excellence Merges with Realty Exchange

CENTURY 21 Excellence Realty, a regional brokerage with offices in Columbus, Cleveland and Akron, has joined forces with Realty Exchange with four offices spanning the Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky borders.  Realty Exchange was founded in 2013 by Shane Radcliff, who will continue to serve as a manager and oversee the integration of the many… …more

Weichert Grows International Presence with Expansion into Aruba

Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. (WREA) has announced a licensing agreement with PalmAruba Group in Noord, Aruba. The partnership marks the brand’s second international residential real estate office, which will operate as Weichert® – Aruba Realty. The partnership comes just months after the Weichert brand made its international debut in the residential real estate market… …more

MLS Rules and the Zillow-ChatGPT Integration: What We Know So Far

At its recent Q3 earnings call, Zillow leadership talked up the company’s recent app integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Essentially, if you type “Zillow” into a ChatGPT query, the chat will bring up the Zillow app, then a user can use the Zillow app and its functionality—home searches, connecting with agents, etc.—as if they had opened… …more