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, April 14, 2026
Top Stories
Spring purchase activity jumps despite climbing rates
ANDREW MARTINEZ, National Mortgage News (Subscription)
Purchase activity soared to kick off the spring market this year as climbing rates didn't dampen momentum over last year's tepid start. Mortgage locks in March were up 38% from February and 20% greater from the same time last year, according to Optimal Blue's latest Market Advantage Report. Home buyers accounting for 71% of total locks last month carried the market last month despite 30-year fixed-rate mortgages, which climbed 45 basis points in March to 6.35%.
Online Real Estate Fraud Climbed to $275M in 2025, FBI Says
ELIANA BLOCK, NAR Realtor News
Cyber criminals stole more than $275 million through real estate-related fraud from at least 12,368 victims last year, according to a new reportpdf from the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Those figures are higher than 2024 and 2023—which saw 9,359 complaints totaling more than $173 million in losses and 9,521 complaints totaling about $145 million, respectively—but significantly less than 2022’s peakpdf of 11,727 complaints and a whopping $397 million in losses.
National News
Single-Family Permits Decline Sharply to Start 2026
DANUSHKA NANAYAKKARA-SKILLINGTON, Eye on Housing
Residential construction activity began 2026 on a mixed note, with single-family permitting weakening significantly while multifamily activity remained relatively stable. Higher borrowing costs and affordability constraints continue to weigh on single-family construction, while multifamily permitting shows signs of resilience despite regional variation.
Spring Seller Survey: Optimism Meets Reality in the 2026 Housing Market
HANNAH JONES, Realtor.com
otential sellers are heading into the 2026 spring market with high expectations and a relatively grounded view of what it takes to get there. Yet beneath that confidence lies a more nuanced picture: Concession expectations are rising, and sellers’ reads on market conditions vary sharply by region. The spring window is open, but the seller experience depends heavily on where a home is listed and how it’s priced.
Distressed office sales are accelerating in 2026
HOLDEN WALTER-WARNER, The Real Deal (Subscription)
Office owners across the United States are coming to grips with a dire reality. Stubborn interest rates, declining values and hybrid work environments are driving down the market, though it’s also creating buy-low opportunities.
California News
Southern California home-repair costs surged after wildfires
JONATHAN LANSNER, San Diego Union-Tribune (Subscription)
The increased demand for workers and supplies needed for wildfire reconstruction boosted construction costs for any local property owner looking to fix, expand or upgrade a home. Plus, costlier repairs put upward pressure on home insurance rates.
Industry News
Across the US, the ‘New Compass’ is running away with the lead
AMIE FISHER, Real Estate News
Even before Compass closed on its acquisition of Anywhere Real Estate in January, it was the largest residential real estate brokerage in the U.S. by sales volume. And now, as Compass International Holdings, it far outpaces the nearest runner-up.
Celeb-led real estate brokerage making a big bet on California
TESSA MCLEAN, SFGate
A celebrity-led real estate agency launched in California this week, making a big bet on the Golden State as it establishes a presence in the state’s largest markets. Serhant, the brokerage founded by Ryan Serhant, best known for his time as the star of Bravo’s “Million Dollar Listing New York,” announced the company has expanded to San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County and Tahoe.
Real Estate Technology
Third Point won't run proxy fight at CoStar, exits position, letter says
SVEA HERBST-BAYLISS, Reuters
Billionaire investor Daniel Loeb's hedge fund Third Point will not pursue a proxy fight at real estate data company CoStar Group, and sold its entire stake in the owner of Apartments.com and Homes.com, according to sources familiar with the matter and a letter seen by Reuters on Friday.
Proptech investment rises, powered by a few big bets
MARY DIDUCH, The Real Deal (Subscription)
Proptech investment surged in the first quarter — but a handful of oversized deals, many of them debt, did most of the heavy lifting. Investment into proptech firms jumped about 64 percent year over year to $3.3 billion in the first three months of the year, according to data from the Center for Real Estate Technology and Innovation. The number of deals also rose, by 9.6 percent over the same time period, to 125 in the first quarter.
Property News
Flimsier Cabinets and Fewer Windows: Home Builders Are Skimping on the Basics
NICHOLAS G. MILLER, Wall Street Journal (Subscription)
Home builders are looking everywhere for ways to slash costs. They are finding them in cabinets, faucets and even the garage-door remote. Builders are opting for cheaper materials and rejiggering designs with cost savings top of mind. Particle-board cabinets are in. Hardwood is out. Countertops are becoming thinner. Walls now feature smaller and fewer windows. An automatic garage opener is sometimes a frivolous luxury. The cumulative effect is changing the appearance of newly constructed American homes.
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