With inventory remaining tight and many homeowners reluctant to give up their low mortgage rates, finding new listings isn’t as simple as it once was. This ongoing “lock-in effect” has left many real estate agents competing for a smaller pool of active listings. For continuous business growth, it pays to pair MLS access with other…

The post How to Find and Connect With Off-Market Leads in 2026 appeared first on RISMedia.

Above, from left, Sean Hostert, John Clidy, Gabby Maddox and Andy and Lesley Peters Keller Williams Realty (KW) has announced key leadership appointments aimed at accelerating agent-count growth, franchise productivity and KW Commercial expansion. The appointments include Sean Hostert as head of commercial operations and strategy, John Clidy as head of divisions, Gabby Maddox Davis…

The post KW Announces Key Leadership Appointments to Accelerate Growth appeared first on RISMedia.

Editor’s Note: The Mortgage Mix is RISMedia’s biweekly highlight reel of need-to-know mortgage-industry happenings. Watch for it every other Friday afternoon. – During the back half of July, mortgage rates have climbed to their highest levels since August 2025, with the 30 year fixed rate hovering above 6.5%. Despite this rise, attributed to renewed escalation…

The post Mortgage Mix: Rates Hit Their Highest Level in Nearly a Year; Foreclosures Up appeared first on RISMedia.

The battle over private listings is playing out nearly everywhere—from statehouses and courthouses to brokerage offices and Wall Street boardrooms. As opponents and supporters of the practice make their cases, the debate looks vastly different depending on the venue. But one tool that is nearly always effective is data. And as the practice draws more…

The post Compass Releases New Study on Private Listings, Touting Larger Price Premium appeared first on RISMedia.

When the market is hot, residential real estate can still be a cold business. Perhaps even more so when rain enters the picture. There are all kinds of things you can do to make a home look its best as a seller agent, and all kinds of good features to point out to buyer clients.…

The post Beating the Rain: How to Offset Its Dampening Effect On Clients appeared first on RISMedia.

Earlier this month, it was reported that sales of existing homes fell during June, but the latest report on sales of newly constructed homes offers modestly more positive indicators for housing. According to the latest findings from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), new single-family homes sales were…

The post New-Home Sales Up Slightly in June, but Pace Lags 2025 appeared first on RISMedia.

Zillow research released in May found that home sellers lost a combined $1.49 billion to same-agent dual agency and $1.36 billion to off-MLS listings between 2023 and 2025, based on an analysis of more than 15 million transactions.  Two sources with no role in the study—a Chicago broker/owner and a real estate economist—reviewed the findings…

The post Zillow Claims Off-Market Sellers Lost Over $1.3 Billion. Reality Is Always Messier appeared first on RISMedia.

Regional powerhouse Howard Hanna Real Estate Services is again expanding its footprint into new territory with what it’s calling a “strategic national partnership” with Maine-based Portside Real Estate Group. The move marks Howard Hanna’s entry into Northern New England, and aligns with the firm’s history of joining forces with independent, locally led real estate firms.…

The post Howard Hanna Moves Into Northern New England With Portside Real Estate Deal appeared first on RISMedia.

If the last few years have taught real estate practitioners anything, it’s that the housing market is anything but predictable.  The COVID-19 pandemic threw what can only be described as a massive wrench into many of the “typical” trends of the market. So many ways in which housing worked, behaved or cycled shifted, or went…

The post The Turn of the Season: The Past, Present and Future of Housing Market Seasonality appeared first on RISMedia.

The typical summer sales slowdown is being made worse, economists say, by renewed geopolitical tension in the Middle East, putting upward pressure on inflation and causing more financial strain for would-be buyers.  The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate (FRM) rose 3 basis points to 6.58% from 6.55% last week, and the 15-year FRM averaged 5.96%,…

The post Mortgage Rates Rise for Third Straight Week, Remaining at Near Annual High appeared first on RISMedia.