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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Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Top Stories
California, other states sue to block Trump effort to roll back fair housing protections
KEVIN RECTOR, Los Angeles Times (Subscription)
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rule change threatening funding for states that offer housing protections for LGBTQ+ and other marginalized individuals who are not explicitly covered by federal law is illegal, undermines state efforts to combat discrimination and would push vulnerable people onto the streets.
More Home Buyers Go Under Contract, But Caution Remains
MELISSA DITTMANN TRACEY, Realtor Magazine
Home buyers have shown over recent months they’re sensitive to any fluctuations in mortgage rates, and mortgage rate volatility is growing amid the conflict with Iran. About two weeks ago, mortgage rates dipped below 6%—the lowest rates in more than three years—before quickly bouncing back up as the conflict began. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to a 6.11% average last week, Freddie Mac reported.
National News
February Pending Home Sales Edge Up 1.8% Amid Shifting Market
HANNAH JONES, Realtor.com
Pending home sales picked up 1.8% month-over-month, but remained 0.8% lower year-over-year in February. Eager shoppers capitalized on lower rates, including during a brief window where mortgage rates dipped below 6%, though recent geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have since pushed borrowing costs back upward.
This is what makes renting work for Gen Z
LIEZEL ONCE, Mortgage Professional America
A new company-commissioned survey from resident lifecycle platform Rently found that 63% of Gen Z renters rate speed and ease as very or extremely important in the renting experience, compared with 44% of Boomers.
Nearly half of all renters view long-term renting as more acceptable today than a decade ago.
California News
The AI Boom Has Exploded the San Francisco Housing Market
KATHERINE BINDLEY
While much of the U.S. housing market has been stuck in a rut, slowed by elevated mortgage rates and home prices near record highs, pockets of San Francisco are rebounding in a big way. The AI boom, a new mayor and other changes in municipal leadership have helped to bring the city back, reversing a yearslong slump that was compounded by the ripple effects of the pandemic, crime and persistent struggles with homelessness.
Plan for 900 homes could bring transformative change to this Bay Area city
SARAH RAVANI, San Francisco Chronicle (Subscription)
A Las Vegas developer is proposing more than 900 homes on a former Coast Guard site in a large East Bay suburb — a major move in a city that has struggled to bring massive housing projects to fruition. The proposal comes as the city recently approved significant zoning changes to allow for denser housing in some single-family neighborhoods and commercial corridors in response to state housing mandates.
Industry News
Zillow, Keller Williams and others team up to 'pre‑market' listings
MARIAN MCPHERSON, TAYLOR ANDERSON, Inman (Subscriptio)
There’s Redfin and Compass. Now, there’s Zillow and Keller Williams, too. The two real estate behemoths announced a new partnership on Tuesday that enables Keller Williams affiliates to market their coming-soon listings on KW.com, Zillow and Trulia. The partnership is made possible via Zillow Preview, a new program the portal crafted to enable agents and their sellers to “pre-market” listings while complying with local multiple listing service (MLS) rules, which dictate how long a listing can remain in coming-soon status before going active.
Wire Fraud Protection Now Seen As Both Necessity And Revenue Stream
LEW SICHELMAN, National Mortgage Professional
Could fraud protection be another profit center for title and mortgage companies? The latest “State of Wire Fraud” report from CertifID indicates it could. A leading fraud protection company in the real estate sector, CertifID’s 2026 report found that house sellers and their buyers not only demand that the companies they deal with protect them from wire fraud, but many will also pay for it. Some are even willing to pay more than what it actually costs providers.
Real Estate Technology
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Property News
What You Get: $750,000 Homes in California
ANGELA SERRATORE, New York Times (Subscription)
A condo in San Francisco, a ranch house in Palm Springs and a bungalow in Los Angeles.
In Case You Missed It
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Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest
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