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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Thursday, February 19, 2026
Top Stories
California bill would require insurance protections for fire-hardened homes
PAT MAIO, The San Jose Mercury News
A new state Senate bill aims to guarantee homeowners insurance protections for their wildfire-hardened homes.
State Sen. Sasha Ren?e P?rez, D-Pasadena, who has worked to bring more transparency to the insurance claims process for survivors of last year’s wildfires, has proposed Senate Bill 1076. Known as the Insurance Coverage for Fire-Safe Homes Act, it would require insurance companies to offer or renew insurance for properties that meet wildfire safety standards set by State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara.
National News
Pending Home Sales Fall Nationally—but Rise in Parts of the Country
JOY DUMANDAN, Realtor.com
Pending home sales in January decreased by 0.8% from the prior month, according to the National Association of Realtors? Pending Home Sales Report. That's a 0.4% year over year.
Month over month, the number of homes under contract increased in the Midwest and West but declined in the Northeast and South. Year-over-year pending home sales rose in the South and West and declined in the Northeast and Midwest.
California News
Here’s why S.F. apartment rents keep surging but L.A. is in a slump
ROLAND LI, San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco and Los Angeles apartment rents are diverging.
The city of Los Angeles’ median rent was down 1.8% in January to $2,033 for one- and two-bedrooms compared to the prior year, the lowest rate since 2021, according to Apartment List.
In contrast, San Francisco prices are up a whopping 13% in the same period, among the highest gains in the country — which is seeing a national slump in prices. At $3,126 per month, San Francisco also has the highest rate since late 2019, though still below that year’s peak.
Industry News
LA’s Mansion Tax, Intended to Aid Affordable Housing, May Have Backfired
UCLA Anderson Review
The Los Angeles “mansion tax,” first assessed in April 2023 on luxury homes and other high-value properties, was supposed to bankroll much needed development of affordable housing. Instead, it seems to have gutted home construction at both the high and low ends of the city, suggests a working paper by UCLA Anderson’s Yingru Pan, a Ph.D. student.
Real Estate Technology
AI adoption reaches 82% among real estate agents, RPR reports
BROOKLEE HAN, Housing Wire (Subscription)
The vast majority (82%) of real estate agents have integrated AI tools into their business according to a report published last week by Realtor Property Resource (RPR).
RPR, which is a data platform for Realtor association members, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The report is based on a survey of 225 real estate professionals in the U.S. who are members of NAR. Over 90% of respondents primarily work in residential real estate and the majority reported having over four years of experience in the industry, with the largest cohort (64 respondents) reporting between four and 10 years of experience. Despite this experience, 89 respondents reported completing between zero and five transactions in the past 12 months, however 112 respondents reported closing between six and 25 transactions in the past year.
Property News
Pasadena Caltrans homes: Several properties sell for thousands above asking
MAKENNA SIEVERTSON, The LAist
More than a dozen houses that were slated to be demolished as part of a failed effort to extend the 710 Freeway have sold, and several of them have gone for thousands of dollars above asking price.
All net proceeds from the sales will go toward developing affordable housing in the city, according to Pasadena Housing Director Jim Wong.
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