Real estate

Real estate

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice sued California, along with 22 other states and Washington, D.C., for access to their full, unredacted voter files. That includes driver's license, social security numbers and other sensitive data. DOJ officials said they needed the data to assess whether states were properly maintaining their voter rolls and ensuring "only American citizens are voting, only one time," as Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in a social media post in December.

How long a minute is depends which side of the bathroom door you're on. Now it appears that how much a $1m loss matters depends how eager you are for your business to be concluded. That's pretty eager apparently and unsurprisingly if you're Lily Allen and David Harbour. The former couple have just accepted $7m for the Brooklyn townhouse they listed for $8m in October.

Price growth varied widely by region. On a monthly basis, increases ranged from flat growth in the Middle Atlantic division to a 1.1% gain in the East South Central division. Over the past year, prices declined in the Pacific division, down 0.4%, while the East North Central region posted the strongest annual increase at 5.1%, the FHFA said. Several regions continued to show cooling compared with a year earlier.

The annual outlook reflects the release of a deferred tax valuation allowance of $102 million to $122 million. That's partially offset by a $13 million to $15 million loss in its servicing segment tied to the federal government shutdown and changes to the Federal Housing Administrations loan modification program, the company reported. On the originations side, Onity estimated total funded loan volume of $14 billion in the fourth quarter and $43 billion for the full year.

Servicing teams need tools that help them stay ahead of borrower needs while keeping the experience helpful and human, said Ayo Opeyemi, co-founder of Vertyx. Borrower Relationship Management builds on our platform's foundation to help servicers engage homeowners in the right moments through the channels they already use. On the investor side, the Borrower Relationship Management capability uses artificial intelligencedriven analytics to assess a mortgage's return and risk profile, including changes in loan performance and delinquency scenarios.

Scott Bowles will serve as the new Regional President, Southeast. In this role, he will provide strategic oversight for six divisions Raleigh, Charlotte, Greenville, Atlanta, Central Georgia, and Chattanooga. Bowles joined Smith Douglas Homes in 2017, initially working as Vice President, Finance and Accounting, before his promotion to President of the company's Atlanta Division. Colin Bennett will be the new President of the Atlanta Division, and Matt Schaller was named as Division President of the recently formed Chattanooga Division.

That is one of several conclusions you're likely to draw after reading an article by Sheila Yasmin Marikar recently published in Air Mail. Marikar takes the reader into the world of small boutique hotels, the sort of establishment that attracts travelers looking for properties with an independent streak and a unique approach to doing business. The challenge here, though, is figuring out where that line exists, as some iconoclastic companies have acquired massive corporate parents over the years.

English singer-songwriter Lily Allen and Stranger Things actor David Harbour have closed another chapter in the dissolution of their marriage by offloading their beloved Brooklyn abode. Two weeks after they reportedly lowered the asking price, the ex-couple finally found a buyer. Allen and Harbour originally listed the dwelling just shy of $8 million in October, but opted to sell the property, which was listed through Compass, for $7 million-a million dollars less than the initial asking price.

Tamien Station Apartments is San Jose's first new transit-oriented housing development in more than 20 years. Situated next to the Tamien Light Rail and Caltrain station on Lick Avenue, the project offers 135 units that connect residents directly to public transportation for easier commutes and daily travel. Units include one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments available to families earning below 60 percent of the area median income.

The mortgage market is off to a strong start in 2026. Mortgage rates declining to levels not seen since September 2024 have boosted borrower demand, with both refinance and purchase applications up solidly on both a weekly and an annual basis, said Bob Broeksmit, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). With the spring homebuying season approaching, lower mortgage rates would be a welcome development for households looking to buy a home.

"I liked our last holiday house better," announces my niece on arrival at Gairnsheil Lodge's Laggan Cottage in the Scottish Highlands. The thing about six-year-olds is that they famously have very little taste, and this isn't the first thing we've disagreed on (other topics include bedtimes, what constitutes 'dinner' and how often you should brush your hair). You'd think for someone who was being treated to a bucket list holiday she'd have a little more respect.

Introductory period: The initial fixed-rate phase before adjustments begin. Adjustment period: How frequently the rate can change after the intro period ends. Index: The benchmark interest rate used to calculate future rate changes. Margin: The lender's fixed markup added to the index. Initial cap: Limits how much the rate can increase at the first adjustment. Periodic cap: Limits how much the rate can change at each adjustment. Lifetime cap: The maximum interest rate allowed over the entire loan term.

The plaintiffs are represented by Hagens Berman, a consumer protection law firm that was also involved in similar litigation against Zillow and the National Association of Realtors. In a press release announcing the action, the law firm said that Rocket including its affiliates Rocket Mortgage, Amrock Holdings and Rocket Homes Real Estate, which were also named as defendants conspired to pressure clients to use Rocket's mortgage company to finance their purchase.

Realty Income remains a staple in dividend investors' portfolios. The commercial REIT's dividend - which pays out monthly and has for 667 consecutive months - is a large reason investors are confident in the stock moving forward. Another reason: its expanding footprint in the European market that has seen commercial properties with long-term net lease agreements added to its +13,000-property portfolio in the U.K., Spain and other countries.

In 2024, the compensation packages of executives at the association came under scrutiny and in 2025, members of the Pro-Agent Restore Trust in NAR Working Group demanded that NAR answer questions about its balance sheet. While NAR's 2024 Form 990, filed in mid-November 2025, did show leaders and executives enjoying fewer lavish perks than the year prior, three executives, including CEO Nykia Wright made over $1 million in 2024, and travel expenses for association leaders came in at $8 million for the year.

The original policy tied private development to the public good. When developers built new market‑rate housing, they had to include affordable homes, some as low as 30% or 50% of the area median income (AMI) or pay fees that helped finance deeply affordable homes elsewhere. It wasn't perfect, but it at least tried to ensure that new development included racial diversity and people at the bottom of the income ladder.

Shannon Hicks, co-founder of Reverse Focus and editor in chief of HECMWorld, said in video published Monday that even though the proposal sounds like an easy and attractive solution, it comes with major drawbacks. While the change could help buyers access the housing market, Hicks warns it could weaken long-term retirement security. Under current law, early withdrawals face a 10% penalty and income taxes. The proposal would remove the penalty but not the taxes.

A historic Monrovia house once owned by the Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Upton Sinclair is on the market. Listed at just under $2 million, this neo-Mediterranean-style house - completed in 1923 - sits on nearly a third-acre lot. It spans 2,667 square feet and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Sinclair and his second wife, Mary Craig, bought the house in 1942.

First, she said that $2 million isn't nearly enough to retire early on. She then went on to say that it might take a good $5 to $10 million to retire early without financial worries. Yep, you read that correctly. Are you shocked? Well, maybe you shouldn't be. In the past few years, we've seen inflation drive living costs up dramatically. And it's hard to predict how much havoc inflation will continue to wreak.

The Crocker-McMillin mansion, an opulent estate overlooking northern New Jersey's Ramapo Mountains, has a fascinating history, stretching from its 1907 construction by a railroad baron's son to its 2024 bankruptcy seizure from notorious fraud convict Miles Guo. The 50,000-square-foot home - embellished throughout with wood and marble carvings - is now for sale for $19 million, and includes its original floor-to-ceiling Aeolian brand player pipe organ, a thundering symbol of Gilded Age excess.

The robotaxi takeover - assuming they take over - will also be a real estate story. As Waymo, Uber, Tesla, and other competitors race to flood the streets with fully autonomous cars, robotaxi operators will need to find places to park, charge, and maintain their vehicles. Voltera, a charging infrastructure company based in Palo Alto that has partnered with Alphabet-backed Waymo, is buying up real estate now to prep for the AV boom.

I met Carole Guscott, a retired former carer, on a clear winter's morning in the Somerset town of Minehead. She was walking her whippet, Gracie, on the way back to her new flat, past the local Premier Inn and on to a cul de sac called Rainbow Way. I knew as soon as I saw it, she told me. I just thought: I can make this place my home.'

This single-level tiny house eliminates the typical loft bedroom found in most mobile dwellings, creating an accessible design that prioritizes ease of movement and travel convenience. Everything is arranged on one level without any lofts, making it an ideal choice for those who want to avoid climbing ladders or navigating stairs in their daily routine. This thoughtful approach opens up tiny living to a broader audience, including those with mobility concerns or anyone who simply prefers the convenience of single-floor living.