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.
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Copyright © , California Department of Real Estate
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Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Top Stories
Rise in new home sales shows demand exists — but it’s ‘fragile'
DAVE GALLAGHER, Real Estate News
After a slow start to the year, March's seasonally adjusted annual rate for sales of new single-family homes was 682,000, up 3.3% compared to a year ago and up 7.4% compared to February, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Though the uptick in sales shrunk overall new home inventory, the market is still firmly tilted in buyers' favor with 8.5 months of supply — down from 9.2 months in March 2025 but above what's considered a balanced market of around 6 months.
‘Lock it in!’: Mortgage rates climb to 6.5% amid global volatility
FLAVIA FURLAN NUNES, HousingWire (Subscription)
Mortgage rates have returned to the 6.5% level as financial markets shift their focus from economic data to escalating geopolitical events. “If you’ve got a deal, lock it in; there’s room for mortgage rates to continue to climb higher,” Nash Paradise, director of sales at UMortgage, advised loan officers.
National News
Landlords enter settlement talks over pandemic losses
HOLDEN WALTER-WARNER, The Real Deal (Subscription)
The federal eviction moratorium tied to the pandemic lapsed nearly five years ago, but continues to be a source of consternation for landlords, who are moving one step closer to recouping losses. The landlord group is in settlement discussions with the Department of Justice over a lawsuit accusing the federal government of violating constitutional rights, Bisnow reported. Despite a win for the government in 2020, the plaintiffs won a key appeal last year, leading to the negotiations, first reported by the Associated Press.
MLS competition grows as listing policies diverge nationwide
BROOKLEE HAN, HousingWire (Subscription)
Brokers working across multiple MLSs face inconsistent coming soon and visibility rules, which can affect IDX distribution. Some MLSs argue variation supports choice and innovation, while MRED and Realtracs push competition by opening nationwide access and adding direct listing feeds.
Iran war darkens mood for US property investors, survey shows
LIEZEL ONCE, Mortgage Professional America
Real estate investors entered 2026 in a far darker mood, with fresh geopolitical turmoil, stubborn borrowing costs and rising insurance risks weighing on confidence and deal flow, according to new research from RCN Capital and consulting firm CJ Patrick Company.
California News
Bay Area Luxury Home Prices Have Jumped 13% Since Launch of ChatGPT
LILY KATZ, YINGQI XU, Redfin News
Luxury zip codes in the San Francisco Bay Area saw a 13.4% average jump in home prices in the two years following the launch of ChatGPT. That’s a significantly larger jump than any other price segment in the Bay Area and is more than double the 6.3% average increase in the segment immediately below luxury. The most affordable Bay Area zip codes saw home prices fall.
Davis City Council votes to place 1,250-unit housing project on November ballot
DANIEL LEMPRES, Sacramento Bee (Subscription)
The Davis City Council voted unianimously Tuesday that a proposed 1,250-unit housing development was ready for Davis voters to consider. The Willowgrove project would develop 232 acres north of East Covell Boulevard and east of the Wildhorse neighborhood. “It’s very exciting, it’s been a long time coming,” Davis Mayor Donna Neville said during the council meeting.
Industry News
The years-long decline that drove REMAX into the hands of Real
NICK PIPITONE, Inman (Subsription)
By the time Dave Liniger agreed to vote his roughly 38 percent stake in favor of handing his life’s work to a Miami-based tech-forward brokerage, REMAX had suffered years of consecutive quarterly declines in U.S. agent count, a streak that stretched through 2023, 2024, and into 2025 with no end in sight.
Real Estate Technology
Mortgage Brokers Adopt AI At Scale, But Execution Gap Emerges
CZARINNA ANDRES, National Mortgage Professional
Mortgage brokers are rapidly adopting artificial intelligence and digital tools, but the next phase of competition may come down to how well those tools are actually deployed. That’s the takeaway from a new survey by AD Mortgage, a leading Non-QM lender, which finds strong adoption across the broker channel alongside persistent gaps in integration, training, and execution.
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