4 more US senators call for DOJ probe of RealPage over rent hikes

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Tina Smith and Edward Markey said they investigated rental data firm RealPage and call for more scrutiny of the company’s role in nationwide rent growth. Continue reading

Federal consumer watchdog flags mortgage servicers’ junk fees

The CFPB alleges mortgage servicers charged excessive late fees, assessed “fake” private mortgage insurance premiums and made homeowners pay for unnecessary inspections. Continue reading

Massachusetts orders halt to MV Realty’s 40-year listing contracts

Preliminary injunction in Massachusetts says “homeowner benefit agreements” are actually high-interest mortgage loans and can no longer be offered or enforced until case is resolved. Continue reading

News Corp CEO vows to reenergize Realtor.com after CoStar deal dies

In remarks at Morgan Stanley’s Technology, Media and Telcom Conference Tuesday, CEO Robert Thomson said growing Realtor.com after its sale to CoStar fell through is a “personal priority.” Continue reading

Zillow expands ShowingTime+ media tools into 6 new markets

Zillow’s Listing Media Services product is now available in Houston, Jacksonville, San Diego, Phoenix, Chicago and San Francisco, the search portal announced Wednesday. Continue reading

The message is blunt: Real estate leaders anticipate a tough 2023

Inman’s first-ever Intel leadership survey revealed that leaders think the market will be worse in 2023 compared to 2022 — but they also expect to thrive regardless of the economic headwinds. Continue reading

Welcome Homes CEO Alec Hartman on this moment’s parallels with 1981

The CEO of construction tech startup Welcome Homes thinks builders will have to take risks to prevent a massive affordability crisis, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the early 1980s. Continue reading

Emotional spending is out of control for more than one-third of Gen Z, study finds  

Spending behavior is often driven by emotions, not logic. This was especially true during the pandemic, which surfaced feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and boredom among consumers. Now, with layoffs and concerns of a potential recession, emotions could be running high driving consumers to spend more money to cope with their emotions – and even take […] Continue reading

After 3 months of improvement, homebuyer sentiment declines

Fannie Mae’s National Housing Survey shows Americans are feeling less secure about keeping their jobs, and nearly 8 in 10 think it’s a bad time to buy a home. Continue reading