A new offering from Smartfi Home Loans is aimed at expanding benefits for veteran homeowners through a lower interest rate on its proprietary reverse mortgage product. In honor of Memorial Day, the company this week launched Choice Service, an enhancement to Smartfi Choice, the company’s proprietary reverse mortgage program that targets homeowners 55 and older. The Choice Service offering is...

In the next four months, CMLS leadership has the opportunity to convene the MLS-controlled national alliance the industry needs. The 2026 Board of Directors is in place under Chair Nicole Jensen of realMLS and Vice Chair Justin Haag of Northwest MLS, taking the helm at what WAV Group described as one of the most consequential periods in its history. The forum already exists. The members are already paying...

A couple with a young daughter purchased this 1978 Austin, Texas, ranch house from its original owner. While the new residents appreciated that the interiors had remained untouched since the ’70s, they wanted to make the house their own and hired Realty Restoration to fully renovate it.Part...

The 2026 RHS Chelsea Flower Show, held in London from May 19 to 23, once again offered plenty of inspiration across 30 gardens and six houseplant studios. This year’s show delivered clever ideas for joyful color combinations, edible ornamentals, rainwater harvesting and interesting ways to bring...

Home-price appreciation in many of America's federally designated Opportunity Zones continued to track closely with the broader U.S. housing market in early 2026, even as the low-income redevelopment districts remained significantly more affordable than surrounding communities. A new first-quarter analysis from ATTOM found that median prices for single-family homes and condominiums increased annually in...

There’s been a noticeable shift in how clients approach this business. Buyers and sellers aren’t just hiring agents anymore. They’re vetting them more carefully, asking sharper questions and paying closer attention to how you show up before, during, and after the transaction. The dynamic has flipped. The agent isn’t just evaluating the client. The client is evaluating the agent just as much, if...

Though there is still a lot of uncertainty, it looks like we could have an actual end to the Iran conflict as tankers are starting to move through the Strait of Hormuz. If we don’t have to worry about oil prices getting much higher for longer, what are the implications for mortgage rates? And what have we learned during this conflict about the housing market and how to look at the future now? First,...

U.S. House appropriators unveiled a fiscal 2027 spending bill that includes the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with proposed cuts drawing criticism from housing advocates. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations (THUD) Act, 2027, approved by the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee, provides a total of approximately $71.377...

Like other segments of the broader housing industry, the appraisal space is rapidly evolving through consolidation, technology adoption and federal policy shifts. Reverse mortgage professionals should be mindful of these factors as they work with appraisers to close deals. Erik Morin, CEO of Miami-based Atlas VMS, a Miami-based appraisal management company (AMC) and technology platform, recently sat...

For some real estate brokers and team leaders, coaching can be difficult to scale. Individual coaching offers more personalized guidance but can be costly, while group training reaches more agents but may not address each agent’s specific needs. Phillip Gagnon, founder and CEO of broker management platform 3 Data Pulse, believes artificial intelligence (AI) has finally cracked the code. He...