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.

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Top Stories

Pending home sales fall 5.4% in June, NAR says

BROOKLEE HAN, HousingWire (Subscription)
After rising on both a monthly and yearly basis in May, pending home sales were down in June, according to data released Thursday by the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Nationwide, NAR’s Pending Home Sales index came in at a reading of 72.5 in June, down 5.4% month-over-month and 0.3% annually. An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year NAR examined this data.

America's housing gap finally holds still after years of growth

LIEZEL ONCE, Mortgage Professional America
America's housing deficit held essentially flat in 2024 for the first time in years, expanding by just 43,000 units to a total of 4.74 million homes, according to new Zillow research based on recently released data from the US Census Bureau. The 4.74 million-unit shortfall, rooted in nearly two decades of underbuilding that began after the 2008 financial crisis remains the central force behind the nation's affordability crisis. But the rate of deterioration is now the smallest it has been in the current cycle.

Mortgage Apps Fall As Rates Hit Highest Level Since August 2025

KATIE JENSEN, National Mortgage Professional
Mortgage application volume declined 2.7% on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending July 10, as mortgage rates climbed to their highest level in nearly a year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Applications Survey released Wednesday.

National News 

Wall Street's Retreat From Homebuying Reshapes U.S. Housing Market

MICHAEL GERRITY, World Property Journal
A proposed federal crackdown on institutional investors purchasing single-family homes has yet to take effect, but the housing market is already showing signs of a shift. New data from Cotality shows that buying activity by the largest residential investors -- companies owning 1,000 or more properties -- declined almost immediately after Washington signaled plans to restrict large-scale investor participation in the housing market.

Homeowners insurance ‘redlining’ demands scrutiny, report says 

LILLIAN DICKERSON, Real Estate News
Homeowners in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods are disproportionately impacted by high homeowners insurance premiums, costing them hundreds of dollars more per year on average and potentially tens of thousands of dollars more over the lifespan of a mortgage, according to a new Consumer Federation of America (CFA) study.

More deed theft laws pass, but most states are still lagging

ANDREW MARTINEZ, National Mortgage News
Alabama, California and Virginia passed deed theft laws in the past quarter, and 10 states now have major legislation around the issue, data security firm EquityProtect reported. However, 29 states still lack safeguards for the costly crimes, according to the company's Property Protection Scorecard for the second quarter.

California News

California rental ads would have to disclose if pictures used AI, under new bill

LILLIAN ASHWORTH, San Jose Mercury News (Subscription)
In October, legislation requiring advertisements for property sales to disclose any use of artificial intelligence or digital staging and include the original image before modifications were made was signed into law. A new bill would require people who use an AI image or digitally altered photo of a rental property or home they’re advertising to disclose that it’s been used and to also post the original, non-AI image as well. 

Homebuying costs nearly 4 times as much as renting in this Bay Area city

TESSA MCLEAN, SFGate
A new report from rental site Zumper pits the cost of renting versus buying in California and finds that renting is much cheaper than getting a mortgage right now. In San Jose, the city with the starkest difference between the two methods, buying a home costs nearly four times as much as renting.

Industry News 

No stories today

Real Estate Technology 

No stories today

Property News 

Townhouses: The Better Alternative for First-Time Buyers?

RACHEL WHARTON, New York Times (Subscription)
When Americans go shopping for a house, they still tend to buy the detached single-family variety — 77 percent, according to 2023 research from Zillow. But townhouses are emerging as a bright spot for first-time buyers and builders alike, for both financial and practical reasons.

In Case You Missed It 

No stories today

Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest 

No stories today