Red Oak is now the largest indie brokerage in California’s East Bay

In an era of tech disruption, Red Oak Realty is acquiring fellow indie brokerage Marvin Gardens Real Estate in order to compete with Compass and other well-funded rivals. Continue reading

Rents in the U.S. just keep going up and up

The average rent was up 3.2 percent year-over-year in June. Last month also saw the biggest average rent increase in more than a year Continue reading

Rents are rising, but the US lacks sufficient middle income housing

Recent years have been a boon for landlords and a recession doesn’t appear imminent, though the multifamily housing market does face some challenges. Continue reading

Oregon moves to nix single-family zoning, continues a national trend

Oregon lawmakers voted to eliminate single-family zoning in any city with more than 25,000 people. The bill would legalize duplexes and other “missing middle” housing in neighborhoods that previously only allowed single-family homes. Continue reading

California Association of Realtors seeks innovators for competition

Winners could get $10K from CAR, as well as a marketing package and access to other resources from the trade organization. Continue reading

Valet Living debuts rental turn over service

Rental services company Valet Living announced a new service this week that is designed to speed up and simplify the process of turning over rental units between tenants — and save property owners money along the way. Continue reading

Amazon will match employee affordable housing donations

The online retailer will also contribute $8 million to nonprofits in Washington and Virginia. The pledge comes as a handful of companies promise to spend big on housing. Continue reading

Google’s big Bay Area housing investment won’t be enough

Economists praised the tech giant’s plan to spend $1 billion on Bay Area housing, but expressed skepticism that the efforts will solve the region’s housing crisis. Continue reading

HUD Sec. Ben Carson wants more cities to ditch single-family zoning

Carson — who leads the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) — made his comments Tuesday during a visit to Minneapolis, where lawmakers voted last year to ditch single-family zoning, which had previously dominated the city limits. Spea… Continue reading