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, May 21, 2026
Top Stories
HUD urges states to cut fees, simplify codes and fast-track permits
TYLER WILLIAMS, HousingWire (Subscription)
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a detailed deregulation roadmap aimed at state and local governments that, it argues, could lower per-unit costs and shorten cycle times for homebuilders. The report would implement President Trump’s March 13, 2026, executive order, which gave HUD 60 days to outline recommended permitting and zoning practices.
Pending Home Sales Slip for First Time Since Early April as Mortgage Rates Climb
DANA ANDERSON, Redfin News
U.S. pending home sales fell 1.1% from a week earlier during the week ending May 17, the first decline since early April. Pending sales are still at their second-highest level since September 2022, but it’s notable that the jump we saw over the last several weeks is starting to reverse. Note that this data is seasonally adjusted.
National News
Zombie Home Foreclosures Rise in 38 U.S. States in Q2
MICHAEL GERRITY, World Property Journal
U.S. housing vacancies held steady in the second quarter of 2026 even as "zombie" foreclosures ticked higher in several regions, signaling a slow normalization in distressed-property activity, according to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions.
Single-family starts slide as builders pull back on new home construction
LIEZEL ONCE, Mortgage Professional America
US housing starts declined in April as builders curtailed single-family construction, offering fresh evidence that higher mortgage rates and shaky consumer confidence are cooling the pipeline of new homes entering the market.
California News
California home prices ‘hit a new record’ high. What can buyers expect to pay?
ANGELA RODRIGUEZ, Sacramento Bee (Subscription)
California has long been known for its high cost of living — and home prices across the state just “set a record high,” according to real estate experts. The statewide median home price “hit a new record” of $914,810 in April, according to a Tuesday, May 19, housing report from the California Association of Realtors.
After the fire, outside investors were the bogeymen of Altadena. Now some are embraced
DOUG SMITH, Los Angeles Times (Subscription)
After the Eaton fire, Altadena residents vilified outside investors snapping up burned lots, until one couple’s conversations with infill builder Ocean Development turned a feared bogeyman into a catalyst for neighborhood recovery.
Industry News
Zillow responds to FTC claims as antitrust case moves forward
DAVE GALLAGHER, Real Estate News
After months of delays involving squabbles over discovery documents and a denied motion to dismiss, the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) antitrust lawsuit against Zillow and Redfin is back on track. The case, which the federal agency filed in September 2025 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia Alexandria Division, alleges that the two real estate giants violated antitrust laws when Zillow paid $100 million to become Redfin's exclusive multifamily rental listings provider in early 2025.
Thousands of Chicago Home Listings Just Disappeared Off Zillow
NICOLE FRIEDMAN, Wall Street Journal (Subscription)
Thousands of home sellers in Chicago are in for a rude awakening. As of Wednesday, their homes are no longer available on the popular Zillow listings site. The disappearing sales listings are caught up in an increasingly contentious dispute between Zillow and the local listings database that serves the Chicago area, Midwest Real Estate Data, or MRED.
Real Estate Technology
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Property News
The Hunt: How Many Bedrooms Could $875,000 Get Them in Los Angeles?
MICHELE LERNER, New York Times (Subscription)
To find a two-bedroom or three-bedroom house in L.A., a young couple ventured to the northern reaches of the San Fernando Valley. Here’s what they found.
In Case You Missed It
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Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest
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