People across the country look forward to retirement—not just as a break from the daily routine of work, but as a chance to embrace a new lifestyle. For many, that means moving to a new place for a change of pace. United Van Lines’ study of movers in 2025 found that 13.86% of people who…

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Testifying before Congress Jan. 21, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Scott Turner was questioned before the House Financial Services Committee on his oversight of HUD and the Federal Housing Administration, with a large focus on affordable housing and President Donald Trump’s executive order banning institutional investors. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) opened the hearing…

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With the spring homebuying season approaching, lower mortgage rates are a welcome development for households looking to buy a home. That’s the sentiment of some industry mortgage watchers as rates have hit recent record lows and applications for home purchases have seen solid increases over the past two weeks.  The latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey®…

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Real estate professionals often predicate success upon an external force, a factor beyond their control. Like interest rates. Or inventory. How many times have you thought, “if rates just came down a little” or “if we just had more listings,” surely, business would skyrocket. In reality, however, while interest rates and inventory are critically important…

The post The Top 3 Factors for Success in 2026? It’s Not What You Think appeared first on RISMedia.

Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. (WREA) has been named one of the top franchises in the country by Franchise Business Review for the 11th straight year, earning a spot on the Top 200 Franchises list for 2026, according to a release. The annual list is based on franchise owners’ satisfaction with their franchisor and system…

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The Federal Reserve is reportedly split when it comes to further interest rate cuts in 2026, operating with a “wait-and-see” attitude depending on how inflation moves during the year. The latest results from the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation—the Bureau of Economic Analysis’s Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE) report—showed inflation dipping then inching back up. Delayed…

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Above, Lisa Cook President Donald Trump’s attempted firing of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook appears to have hit a roadblock. The case was heard before the Supreme Court Wednesday and media reports indicate, based on the oral arguments and questions posed by the justices, the Court seems unlikely to allow the firing to proceed. The…

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Above: Rob Giuffria. When Rob Giuffria, managing broker for Tea Leaf Realty, headquartered in West Hartford, Connecticut, learned that Zillow’s 2026 Hottest Market Forecast had Hartford on top, he wasn’t particularly surprised, as his brokerage’s business has been thriving. And it’s Zillow that has helped it do so. Tools like BuyAbility, which helps buyers see…

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The last two weeks of mortgage application metrics have shown sizable increases. According to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report, the Market Composite Index—the measure of mortgage loan activity volume—increased 14.1% from one week earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending Jan. 16, following last week’s notable 28.5% increase for the…

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Above from left, Drayton Saunders, Susan McLeod, Michael Saunders, Tim Jaeger and Andrew Ford. Michael Saunders & Company has unveiled a new public window installation at its downtown Sarasota headquarters, honoring the formative years that helped establish the city as a nationally recognized center for visual arts and creative culture, according to a release.  Titled…

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