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, December 9, 2025
Top Stories
December housing demand near 3-year high as spreads improve
LOGAN MOHTASAHAMI, HousingWire
Mortgage purchase applications reached a three-year high as improved spreads kept rates near 6% for 18 weeks. Inventory growth and slower price gains also supported stronger buyer demand in late 2025.
Nearly a Year After Pacific Palisades Burned, There’s a New House
PAUL KIERNAN, Wall Street Journal (Subscription)
The home comes with a catch: no one can buy it. But it suggests what’s possible as California tries to make rebuilding easier.
National News
How much of America’s housing is owned by corporations?
AJ LATRACE, Real Estate News
An analysis of 500 urban counties found that 1 in 11 parcels is corporate-owned, but the share is much higher in areas where “mega-investors” have proliferated.
Commercial real estate deal volume drops for the first time in nearly two years
DIANA OLICK, CNBC
Commercial real estate has had a rough go after gaining momentum coming out of the pandemic. October was the first month of negative year-over-year transaction volume growth in the sector in nearly two years.
Falling mortgage rates are helping with affordability and starting to bring buyers back
MATT CARTER, Inman (Subscription)
Tighter inventories in some markets have helped firm up home prices in recent months, so many homebuyers will remain stretched unless mortgage rates keep falling.
California News
A Real-Estate Tycoon’s San Diego Exit Is Turning the City Upside Down
PETER GRANT, Wall Street Journal (Subscription)
Donald Bren, whose firm was downtown San Diego’s largest office landlord, concluded that growth prospects were dim.
Despite rate hikes, study finds California home insurance costs are middle of the pack nationwide
ETHAN VARIAN, San Jose Mercury News (Subscription)
Even as devastating wildfires drive up home insurance costs across California, premiums overall remain relatively low compared to many other states, a new UC Berkeley report finds.
Home sales rarely fall through in the Bay Area — but that’s starting to change
CHRISTIAN LEONARD, San Francisco Chronicle (Subscription)
Despite a recent slowdown in the Bay Area housing market, deals fall apart at one of the lowest rates in the nation. But sales are falling much more often than just a few years ago.
Industry News
Buyer's agent commissions see rebound in wake of settlement
LILLIAN DICKERSON, Inman (Subscription)
The average buyer's agent commission was 2.42% during Q3, which is still below averages from 2023, but higher than rates following the announcement of changes after the NAR settlement.
Real Estate Technology
No stories today
Property News
Homebuyers Are More Likely to Click on Climate-Risk Data After Major Disasters—But the Urgency Is Fleeting
LILY KATZ, YINGQI XU, Redfin News
The share of Redfin users clicking into the climate-risk section of home listings nearly doubled after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires started burning. The same effect took hold in Florida during hurricane season. In both instances, the bump in user engagement was short-lived.
In Case You Missed It
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Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest
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