June 2026

Like many mortgage professionals, Vipul Hapani can see the wave of industry consolidation forming on the horizon and knows it is only a matter of time before it reaches his shores. As the broker-owner of Waxhaw, North Carolina-based Vema Mortgage—the third-largest brokerage originator in the U.S. in 2025, according to HousingWire Mortgage Rankings—Hapani hasn’t yet felt a direct, measurable impact...

Policymakers have been making the case that more supply is a better check on housing costs than rent stabilization. May apartment rental data backs up that narrative. Rents ticked up modestly last month, the fifth consecutive month of sequential growth. But May’s reading was the lowest for that month since 2010, according to apartment data company RealPage. A more benign increase signals that new...

Class Valuation has partnered with Makena to provide appraisers with new mobile data-collection tools ahead of the mortgage industry’s transition to the Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 standards later this year. The appraisal management company announced last week that appraisers working through Class Valuation will gain access to InstaPlan, Makena’s mobile property data collection and floor...

This Minneapolis couple had many cherished memories of summer days spent with their children at their lake cabin, about 50 miles outside the city. When a devastating fire destroyed the home, they saw an opportunity to rethink how the property could better serve their family in the years ahead. With...

Global commercial real estate investors are hitting the pause button -- not the exit button -- as rising geopolitical tensions and renewed inflation concerns test a fragile market recovery. Worldwide property investment totaled approximately $230 billion during the first quarter of 2026, according to new research from Savills, representing a seasonally adjusted 5% decline from the previous quarter. While...

The conflict with Iran continues to be a threat to mortgage rates, and even today, 100 days into this conflict, Iran shot missiles at Israel and President Trump is trying to stop Israel from firing back, pushing oil prices up 3% late Sunday. This made me think: what if everyone is wrong on the timeline, and there is no end to this conflict until after the midterms? If Iran wants to inflict as much...

The annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show, held in London from May 19 to 23, is known for inspiring homeowners across the globe, and those with smaller yards are no exception. Numerous compact-space ideas caught our eye, such as carving out a secluded seating spot, growing dwarf vegetables and choosing...

Despite rising mortgage rates, the conflict in the Middle East pushing oil prices higher and headlines that say AI is going to take all the jobs, housing demand remains positive year over year. It sounds strange, but for the most part, especially if we take the snowstorm data away from early in the year, housing demand has held firm. Last week was another example of that, as our weekly pending home sales...

The annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) returned to New York City’s Javits Center May 17-19, showcasing the latest in contemporary design. Across the fair, lighting designers drew attention to the very elements that traditionally fade into the background, emphasizing chains,...

Imagine walking into your newly built or remodeled home and seeing it exactly as you had imagined it at the start of construction: the windows are all in the right places, the flooring is the right color, and the kitchen cabinets are a perfect fit.Now allow me to pinch you on the arm,...