Real estate

Real estate

Six companies had their ratings affirmed, with the exception of Planet Financial Group, whose rating was downgraded to B from B+. The outlook for Provident Funding Associates improved from stable to positive, while UWM's outlook shifted to stable from positive. FOA received a positive outlook. These affirmations reflect continued franchise strengthening of the largest mortgage companies as the market has consolidated over the last three years, Fitch said in its report.

The system's software reviews each budget line and compares costs for similar projects in the specified geographic area. While this process can be done manually, automating it can save time and help builders obtain necessary construction finance draws faster, Sitewire CEO Bryan Kester tells The Builder's Daily/HousingWire. It saves you having to go to a GC, ask for a construction bid or estimate, and then just hope that it's correct. It's the opposite process. You would put it into our system, hit a button, and we'll tell you within 15 minutes

Builders often talk about uncertainty as if it were a temporary fog that had to clear eventually. Rates will decline, the Fed will pivot, pent-up demand will return, migration will pick up again, and the longstanding pattern of structural underbuilding will resume. The idea that the industry's biggest risks come from the outsideand that the outside world and its cyclical forces will eventually save themhas been one of homebuilding's most persistent forms of magical thinking.

With a focus on underperforming mall and high-cost locations, two store fronts in New York City have gotten the axe. For example, the Kay Jewelers at 446 Fulton Street in Brooklyn has permanently shuttered. Formerly located in Downtown Brooklyn, the high-rent, bustling retail area has seen a handful of other older and smaller jewelers shut down due to rising costs.

A crane rumbled into a neighborhood in Holbrook earlier this year carrying a factory-made house, complete with windows, doors, a bedroom, and a kitchen. Workers guided the box onto a concrete foundation in the backyard of a small single-family home with white siding. Within a few weeks, there was a pitched roof, kitchen appliances, and running water. And now a lot that previously held just one house has two.

Miller, who will serve as PLACE's new vice president of growth, began her real estate industry career in 2014 as a sales associate at the Souferian Group, before going on to form the Nikki Miller Team at Keller Williams. She also founded tech platform The Lead Syndicate, which was acquired by Movoto and integrated into Lever in 2024. She remained at Movoto after the acquisition, serving as vice president of Lever and agent platforms.

As a quasi-successful artist and small business owner, I am asked all the time: "Why don't you open a shop in Portland? People here love your stuff!" Here's why: commercial rent is insane and untethered from economic reality. There is simply no foot traffic in this relatively small city to justify these asking prices. After paying a landlord his sky-high rent, there'd be no margin left at the end of the month to pay myself, hire workers, or even buy toilet paper for the bathroom.

The Butterfly + First Baptist Church Complex - As cities densify and land grows scarcer, sacred sites - long seen as untouchable - are emerging as unexpected catalysts for urban transformation.

On the product side, Fannie Mae is introducing HomeStyle Refresh, which will replace HomeStyle Energy and expand financing options beginning March 31, 2026. The product allows borrowers to finance purchase or cash-out refinance transactions up to 15% of the as-completed appraised value for renovation costs, following standard loan-to-value requirements. Eligible uses include cosmetic and functional upgrades, disaster repairs, resiliency improvements and environmental remediation for issues such as lead, asbestos or mold.

"If you subscribe to our worldview that bringing superintelligence at scale at very low cost is going to be transformative, you try to figure out - how can I invest in that and take the least amount of risk?"

Selling a new build today isn't as simple as putting up a "For Sale" sign and hoping the right buyer walks through the door. The market is crowded, buyers are savvier, and expectations have shifted-people want to experience a property online before visiting in person. This is where strong digital marketing comes in. It's no longer just an option; it's a necessity for developers who want to sell new builds faster, reach the right audience, and maximize their return on investment.

The steps taken by FHA today to increase HECM loan limits provide greater flexibility for America's older homeowners to monetize their home equity as part of a comprehensive retirement plan to meet everyday retirement needs, Steve Irwin, president of the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association (NRMLA), said in a statement. We appreciate the leadership at FHA for recognizing this critical need.

If you win, you win some money. And you earn a lifetime of bad reviews and negative referrals. If you lose, you don't win any money and you earn a lifetime of bad reviews and negative referrals, Hahn wrote. Does this buyer have friends? Family? Colleagues? People he knows at church? At the country club? Does the buyer have social media? How do you imagine this buyer will be telling the story of this $24,000 payment?

Oprah Winfrey is shrinking her real estate footprint in Montecito. The media mogul has sold four acres of her Promised Land estate-her primary residence for over two decades-for $17.2 million, as first reported by Siteline Santa Barbara. Though she began assembling the compound in 2001, the just-sold property was a more recent acquisition; Winfrey bought the Spanish Revival-style ranch from actor Jeff Bridges in 2019 for $6.85 million.

The next time you host for the holidays, imagine more than a thousand people streaming through the front door. But it's OK - a professional designer has decked your halls; and never mind the small talk because trained volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and highlight your home's finer points. You might not even need to attend at all.

The dream of building a perfect home often comes with the vision of total, uncompromised personalization. But when you hear the term "custom home," what does that really mean? Is it just picking out countertops, or is it designing the flow of every room from the ground up? The truth is, the level of customization in a custom home is entirely up to you and your budget-it can range from highly personalized to absolutely bespoke.