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, August 18, 2026
Top Stories
Home Price Growth Stalls Near 1% As Local Divide Widens
CZARINNA ANDRES, National Mortgage Professional
U.S. home-price growth stalled near 1% for the third consecutive month in July, complicating expectations that slowing inventory gains would push appreciation higher during the second half of the year. The national figure points to neither a meaningful rebound nor a broad correction. Instead, it shows a housing market where weak demand is colliding with sharply different levels of available inventory.
Why the rent-vs-buy math is starting to turn
LIEZEL ONCE, Mortgage Professional America
Renting a starter home remains the cheaper option in every one of the 50 largest US metro areas, but a new report suggests that advantage is quietly eroding. The national median asking rent for properties with up to two bedrooms fell to $1,695 in July. It was the 36th consecutive month of annual rent decreases.
National News
A timeline of DC’s growing antitrust scrutiny in residential real estate
AJ LATRACE, Inman (Subscription)
As the real estate industry has spent the past year debating the merits of consolidation, phased marketing strategies and private listing networks, federal lawmakers have increasingly joined the conversation — raising antitrust concerns about market concentration, competition and who gets access to housing inventory.
Builder sentiment runs soft as affordability strain subdues orders
TYLER WILLIAMS, HousingWire (Subscription)
Elevated mortgage rates and persistent affordability challenges continue to force builders to effectively pay for sales, trading shrinking net margins for any activity at all. Public builders are feeling the pinch, but the pressure is even more acute for private builders, who often lack the scale or the relatively patient capital to match their public counterparts’ incentives.
U.S. Lumber Prices Hit 4-Year High as Middle East War Adds to Construction Costs
MICHAEL GERRITY, World Property Journal
Lumber prices have climbed to their highest level in four years this summer, creating an unusual squeeze for the U.S. housing industry: demand for homes and remodeling is weakening, yet the cost of a key construction material is rising.
California News
San Jose considers quadrupling housing density in single-family neighborhoods
RYAN MACASERO, San Jose Mercury News (Subscription)
Facing intense pressure to meet state housing goals, San Jose is considering a major overhaul of its land use laws that would allow more apartments, townhouses or duplexes in single-family neighborhoods, streamline development along transit routes, and permit housing on school and church lands.
Industry News
President, EVP out at REMAX after shareholders approve deal
LILLIAN DICKERSON, Real Estate News
Following the approval last week of The Real Brokerage's acquisition of REMAX Holdings, Chris Lim and Travis Saxton have announced their plans to leave the real estate franchisor. Lim had served as REMAX's president and chief growth officer since January 2025, and Saxton had been executive vice president of strategy since January 2025 as well.
Real Estate Technology
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Property News
A Flyover Map of Manhattan’s Office-to-Residential Conversions
BRIAN MCGILL, MAX RUST, PETER GRANT, Wall Street Journal
A near-partial collapse last month at America’s largest office-to-residential conversion project in Midtown Manhattan is bringing new scrutiny to this booming development strategy. The stakes are high because cities throughout the U.S. are embracing conversions as a solution to two of their most vexing problems: a severe shortage of housing and a glut of office space left behind by the remote-work era.
In Case You Missed It
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