June, 2025

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No hacks, just hustle: The truth about real estate success

Housing Wire

I’ve been in this business long enough to know the truth that most agents don’t want to hear: The road to real estate success isn’t paved with hacks or shortcuts. It’s built on consistency, accountability, and the willingness to do what’s hard, especially when you don’t feel like it. So let’s talk about what’s hard, and why that’s exactly where your breakthrough is hiding.

Agents 362
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High rates, prices keep existing home sales muted

Real Estate News

Skip to Content Agents Brokerages MLS/Assn Tech Industry By the Numbers Consumer Shutterstock By the Numbers High rates, prices keep existing home sales muted Though there was an uptick in existing home sales as spring progressed, last month was still the slowest for the month of May since 2009. Dave Gallagher June 23, 2025 4 mins Key points: The seasonally adjusted annual rate of existing home sales came in at 4.03 million in May, which beat expectations but remained behind last year’s pace.

Sales 325
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3 Reasons To Buy a Home This Summer

Keeping Current Matters

Start a Free Trial Login Real Estate Blog Membership Overview KCM Local RealTalk by KCM™ Daily Blog Posts Social Graphics Email & Newsletter Builder Videos Buyer & Seller Guides Market Reports & Visuals Pricing Must-Share Content Real Estate Blog Start a Free Trial Login Menu Menu English Español AGENTS: Did you know you can share a personalized version of this post?

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Compass sues Zillow over private listings ban

Inman

The antitrust suit, filed Monday in the Southern District of New York, accuses Zillow of using anticompetitive behavior to "protect its monopoly and revenues in violation of the antitrust laws.

MLS 187
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Welcome to the Future of Hospitality: Smart Rooms Start Here

Speaker: Jady West, VP of Hospitality & Chris Bennett, Head of Sales & Engineering

The modern hotel room is no longer just a place to stay—it’s an experience to remember. Today’s guests expect seamless 5G connectivity, personalized comfort, and high-tech convenience. From AI-powered smart room controls to in-room entertainment and app-based services, technology is redefining hospitality from the inside out. In this new session featuring industry pros Jady West and Chris Bennett, we’ll explore how high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity powers the innovations that are enabling

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Elevated mortgage rates aren’t discouraging homebuyers

Housing Wire

Why aren’t home sales crashing as they did in 2022? Right now we have elevated mortgage rates , trade war uncertainty , rising property taxes and home insurance, terrible consumer confidence data and a downgrade of the government’s debt, among other factors. But, housing demand continues to hold up, surprising people who can’t explain why home sales aren’t crashing anymore given elevated mortgage rates.

Mortgages 520

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Homebuyers finally catch a break with more inventory

Housing Wire

Homebuyers in 2025 are finally getting some good news. Active housing inventory is returning to the levels we experienced before the pandemic, which means the chaotic and unhealthy housing market of the last several years is finally a thing of the past. As someone who was concerned about home prices skyrocketing out of control between 2020 and 2022, I am happy to see the housing market just returning to normal.

Sales 457
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How to think about home prices for the rest of 2025

Housing Wire

The story for the housing market over the past three years has been, “Home sales are down, home prices are up.” Because inventory was so restricted after the pandemic, prices pushed higher even as demand weakened. That story may finally be inverting as unsold inventory of homes is now great enough that home prices are below last year’s levels in many parts of the country.

Sales 467
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Home flipping activity slows nationwide as profits tighten

Housing Wire

The U.S. home flipping market showed signs of strain in the first quarter of 2025 as the number of flipped properties dropped to a six-year low and profit margins continued to erode, according to ATTOM ’s Q1 2025 U.S. Home Flipping Report. A total of 67,394 single-family homes and condominiums were flipped between January and March, representing 8.3% of all home sales.

Investor 391
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Americans tapped $25B in home equity in Q1. That hasn’t happened since 2008

Housing Wire

U.S. homeowners tapped nearly $25 billion in home equity through second-lien mortgages during the first quarter of 2025 the largest volume for this period in 17 years, according to the ICE Mortgage Technology ‘s newest Mortgage Monitor report. That marks a 22% increase compared to the same quarter last year. The first quarter is typically the slowest for home equity lending, but lower interest rates in early 2025 helped to boost activity particularly for home equity lines of credit ( HEL

Equity 482
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The 2025 Real Estate Roadmap to Success

Don’t just react to changes, plan for them, so you can approach the new year with confidence, direction, and a competitive edge for your business. Having a well-defined business plan helps you chart a clear course, navigate challenges, and set a foundation for growth. This workbook gives you the key steps to outline what matters and will ensure you’re moving ahead.

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What agents must know about telemarketing consent

Housing Wire

As class-action lawsuits continue against major real estate brokerages for alleged telemarketing violations, firms of all sizes are under increasing pressure to strengthen their compliance practices. According to attorney Michele Shuster, a founding partner of Mac Murray and Shuster LLP , staying within the bounds of federal and state telemarketing laws isn’t just a legal necessity — it’s vital risk management in today’s regulatory climate.

Agents 369
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Will the 2025 housing market crash like 2008?

Housing Wire

The 2025 U.S. housing market is flashing warning signs reminiscent of 2008: rising household debt burdens, persistent inflation and home prices that are outpacing incomes. Unlike the pre-2008 era, stricter lending standards and robust regulations have kept mortgage delinquency rates low, significantly lowering the odds of a catastrophic collapse. Yet, the growing share of income devoted to debt payments signals a need for heightened oversight and proactive measures to prevent financial strain fr

Marketing 440
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Stable mortgage rate environment reshapes how LOs engage with borrowers

Housing Wire

Analysts, economists and mortgage professionals are coining this quarter’s activity as one of the most “calm” periods for mortgage rates in recent memory. It follows nearly three years of borrowers being sidelined by higher rates or “stuck” in loans with historically low rates. BTIG analysts said Wednesday that despite Treasury volatility in April, mortgage rates remained unusually stable this quarter.

Mortgages 405
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The five housing markets where homeownership is still affordable

Housing Wire

Soaring home prices, limited inventory and elevated mortgage rates have exacerbated the housing affordability crisis in many housing markets when viewed in the context of household incomes, which have remained generally stagnant. In a new study, Zillow compiled related metrics to measure the affordability gap in terms of how much more income a household would have to make over the median to be able to afford a typical home in any given housing market.

Marketing 370
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Avoiding Lease Accounting Pitfalls in 2025: Lessons Learned from Spreadsheet Errors

Speaker: Abdi Ali, Sr. Lease Accounting Consultant

Join this insightful webinar with industry expert Abdi Ali, who will discuss the challenges that can arise from managing lease accounting with spreadsheets! He will share real-world examples of errors, compliance issues, and risks that may be present within your spreadsheets. Learn how these tools, while useful, can sometimes lead to inefficiencies that affect your time, resources, and peace of mind.

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First American: Rising costs squeeze homeownership for millions

Housing Wire

The cost of owning a home in the U.S. has jumped sharply in recent years, reaching an average of more than $1,700 per month in 2023 — a 17% increase since 2020 — according to an analysis by First American senior economist Sam Williamson. Using the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, Williamson found that all homeowners — whether they have a mortgage or not — are seeing more of their income eaten up by the rising costs of taxes, utilities, insurance and monthly mortgage payments.

Mortgages 419
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Homeowners face soaring insurance rates amid climate disasters, tariffs

Housing Wire

Homeowners are bracing for another year of rising home insurance premiums, with rates projected to climb an average of 8% by the end of 2025, according to a new analysis from Insurify. This follows a staggering 20% surge over the past two years increasing financial strain on property owners as insurers contend with escalating losses from climate-related disasters.

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Home equity cushions homeowners against economic shocks

Housing Wire

The most recent National Mortgage Database (NMDB) Aggregate Statistics report from FHFA reveals the significant amount of home equity that American households possess. This should put an end to any discussions suggesting that the housing market is on the verge of a mass foreclosure crisis or that national home prices will crash like they did from 2007 to 2011.

Equity 426
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11 clever ways to use ChatGPT for real estate in 2025 (+ prompts)

Housing Wire

Unless you’ve been living among the Amish, you’ve probably already tried ChatGPT for your real estate business. Most agents we work with have, but usually to write listing descriptions packed to the gills with fluffy language and way too many em dashes. Sound familiar? If so, you’ve barely scratched the surface of what ChatGPT can do for your real estate business.

Branding 427
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Tech-Forward Strategies for Scaling Agent Efficiency & Accelerating Growth

As the real estate market evolves, technology has become essential for success. According to NAR, only 26% of agents feel their brokerage provides the necessary tech tools and, as a result, agents seek teams and brokerages who prioritize technology investments! Whether you manage an established team or are forming a new one, this guide outlines key considerations and necessary applications to thrive.

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Are real estate brokerages going the way of the dodo?

Housing Wire

Real estate brokerages have faced their fair share of challenges over the past year — from legal threats and business practice changes, to a slow housing market and the breakneck pace of technological development. With all of these changes and challenges many wonder if we are on the precipice of a brokerage mass extinction event. Panelist Craig McClelland, James Dwiggins, Linda O’Koniewski and Byron Lazine contemplated this question on Sunday at HousingWire’s The Gathering.

Brokerage 444
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Real estate teams are winning big. Is the solo agent era over?

Housing Wire

LPT Realty achieves growth by tailoring compensation models to the career stage of its real estate agents, from newbies who get the most out of a flat-fee model to superstars who like a traditional split. “What that creates is [that] we actually have alignment with our team leaders,” said LPT CEO Robert Palmer. “Everybody wins, and it’s led to massive growth.

Agents 410
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Survey shows buyers gaining leverage as real estate market slows

Housing Wire

The housing market continued to cool in May, with buyer leverage increasing across many regions of the country, according to a new survey from The Real Brokerage. Real’s May 2025 Agent Survey — which polled more than 260 real estate professionals across the U.S. and Canada — points to softening transaction activity and a shift in market power toward homebuyers.

Marketing 373
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Are broker-to-broker referral fees next in the hot seat?

Housing Wire

When the National Association of Realtors’ ( NAR ) agreed to implement mandatory buyer representation agreements as part of its commission lawsuit settlement agreement, the trade group said it was in the name of increased transparency. It’s with this same goal in mind that Northwest MLS (NWMLS) said it chose to implement referral fee disclosures.

MLS 383
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Accelerating Real Estate Sales Pipelines to Streamline Buyer Journeys

Navigated 360° tours, like YourVRTours, advance pipelines by engaging clients further along the sales funnel. These immersive experiences provide comprehensive property insights, increasing buyer intent and readiness. By embracing navigated tours, agents can optimize property exposure, better qualify leads, and streamline the sales process. Stay ahead in the ever-evolving real estate landscape with innovative technology that elevates buyer journeys and progresses pipelines more effectively.

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More pets than kids: The increased role of animals in real estate

Housing Wire

As American demographics shift, so do the priorities of homebuyers, and pets are playing an increased role in real estate decisions. “Did you know there are more households with pets than children?” Jessica Lautz, deputy chief economist and vice president of research at the National Association of Realtors (NAR), wrote in a recent blog post. “And these beloved pets are a driver of economic activity, namely, homebuying.

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EliseAI to integrate conversational AI into Zillow Rentals listings

Housing Wire

EliseAI is finalizing a partnership with Zillow Rentals to embed its conversational artificial intelligence (AI) technology directly into multifamily rental listings on the Zillow platform. The integration is expected to launch in the third quarter of 2025. Branded as AI Assist, Powered by EliseAI, the new feature will incorporate the company’s LeasingAI technology, which offers renters immediate answers to their questions while streamlining the leasing process for property managers.

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Class Valuation unveils appraisal review tool

Housing Wire

Class Valuation has launched a new appraisal review product designed to bring greater clarity and oversight to residential valuations. The new tool, Class Valuation Analysis (CVA), offers licensed appraiser-led reviews of existing appraisal reports by incorporating automated valuation model (AVM) technology. “In today’s market, uncertainty is expensive, and lenders can’t afford to second-guess their valuation data,” John Fraas , CEO of Class Valuation, said in a statement.

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Mayors back Realtor.com’s campaign to address the housing crisis

Housing Wire

The U.S. Conference of Mayors formally endorsed a bipartisan statement to support the Let America Build campaign — a housing policy initiative backed by Realtor.com — during the organization’s annual meeting in Tampa on Sunday. The resolution — introduced by Austin Mayor Kirk Watson — acknowledges the mounting housing affordability crisis, and it calls for policy reforms at all levels of government to increase housing supply and ease zoning restrictions. “ Homeownership was the American dr

Land 368
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Maximizing Your Online Presence: Tips for Real Estate Agents on Social Media

Speaker: Sarah Santa Ana, Real Estate Coach, Move4Free Realty

Networking is one of the crucial elements in every real estate organization's success. Both agents and real estate companies need to maintain robust networking links. This is why social media is essential for any real estate professional! Social media enables you to stay in touch with your present clients, maintain connections with your past clients, and engage potential customers and investors.

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Closing the gap: How Rocket Close has streamlined its platform experience

Housing Wire

Rocket Close and Rocket Pro have taken a major step forward by integrating the two platforms into a single, more efficient platform, designed to simplify the closing process and enhance the broker experience. Under the leadership of Matt Brown — Rocket’s Executive Vice President, Sales and Revenue Strategy, with a background in tech , finance, and business growth — the company is focused on simplifying the closing process while empowering brokers with smarter, more connected tools.

Closing 391
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Against the odds, RealTrends Verified agents and teams deliver big gains

Housing Wire

Even in a housing market squeezed by low inventory and high interest rates, the real estate industry’s top performers continued to rise. More than 45,000 agents and teams secured a spot on the 2025 RealTrends Verified rankings, showing that experience and execution still drive success even in challenging conditions. Among them, those ranked in RealTrends Verified The Thousand (based on 2024 data) closed 189,930 transaction sides — down slightly from 198,356 last year.

Agents 406
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The best state to age in place is not where you think

Housing Wire

When you think about the best states for aging in place , the choice retirement destinations likely spring to the top of the list. After all, with high and growing populations of older residents, wouldnt these states be an ideal place to call home in later life? Not according to a new report from Seniorly Resource Center. The senior living information outlet took a closer look at data from various government agencies including the U.S.