COVERAGE INFORMATION:

California Department of Real Estate (DRE) NEWS CLIPS service coverage:

Monday through Friday (except state holidays) each week includes electronic format articles retrieved from newspapers or news services that report real estate related news in California and some national services. Coverage is for California newspapers that are available electronically via the Internet - and any significant related breaking news.

Tuesday, October 20, 2026

Top Stories

Trial begins for former eXp agents accused of sexual assault 

ANDREA V. BRAMBILA, Real Estate News
Two former eXp agents accused of drugging and sexually assaulting another agent go on trial. The plaintiff and corporate defendants have meanwhile settled.

Market Clock 2026 Q3: As Rates Top 7%, Buyers Gain Leverage but Lose Purchasing Power

JAKE KRIMMEL, Realtor.com
This quarter’s readings extend the market’s recent buyer-friendly trend. The national clock now sits at 4 o’clock, a late balanced market trending toward buyers, moving one hour since last quarter’s report. The top 100 metros are spread across 10 of the 12 positions on the clockface, with some still favoring sellers and a growing number favoring buyers. About two-thirds of metros either favor buyers outright or are moving in that direction.

U.S. Home Prices Ticked Up 0.25% in September

DANA ANDERSON, Redfin News
U.S. home prices increased 0.25% month over month in September on a seasonally adjusted basis. That’s up slightly from a 0.21% growth rate the previous month, and in line with the modest gains we have seen since spring.

National News 

Pending home sales hit record low

LIEZEL ONCE, Mortgage Professional America
September contract signings plunged to their lowest since 2001, as surging rates erode buyer purchasing power across all four regions

Single-Family Starts Down as Affordability Challenges Persist

DANUSHKA NANAYAKKARA-SKILLINGTON, National Association of Home Builders
Overall housing starts decreased 5.2% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.22 million units, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau. 

California News

California Home Sales Drop 6.5%, Prices Keep Climbing

NATIONAL MORTGAGE PROFESSIONAL STAFF, National Mortgage Professional
September’s decline leaves originators competing for fewer purchases, while rising borrowing costs and limited new listings keep affordability under pressure

California rent hikes grow 38% slower than a homebuyer’s payment

JONATHAN LANSNER, The Orange County Register (Subscription)
The median rent in the six California metros jumped 42% to $2,929 per month since 2019. That rent sting might be minimized when you ponder what a California house hunter in those markets faced. A buyer’s estimated monthly payment jumped 113% since 2019, to $6,770 for a $929,600 purchase. That’s tenants enjoying 38% smaller rent hikes.

Exclusive: S.F.’s long-delayed Fillmore co-op redevelopment gets financial boost, new timeline

LAURA WAXMANN, San Francisco Chronicle (Subscription)
After years of trying to close financing gaps, Freedom West 2.0 has a new public subsidy and a proposed 25-year development agreement with the city to push it forward — and is again aiming to break ground.

Industry News 

Why You Can’t Take Your Low Mortgage Rate to a New Home

TRISTAN NAVERA, Realtor.com
With mortgage rates on a brutal climb, Congress has once again brought up the idea of creating portable mortgages. The idea might sound good, but it could have huge implications for the U.S. housing market and would be more difficult to implement than it may seem.

Real Estate Technology 

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Property News 

I’m Looking to Downsize. Is Prefab Housing the Way to Go?

JILL TERRERI RAMOS, The New York Times (Subscription)
Do prefab housing saves time or money? Are building codes accommodating? What are the limitations, and what are the advantages?

In Case You Missed It 

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Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest 

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