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 21, 2026
Top Stories
Renters gain more than $2,300 in breathing room as rent growth hits slowest pace since 2020
KARA NG, Zillow Research
Renters are breathing easier with income growth outpacing rent hikes, putting an extra $193 back in the typical household’s pocket each month. That’s $2,318 more a year for groceries and gas — or a head start on a down payment.
Sky-high office vacancy levels haunt Bay Area’s three major downtowns
GEORGE AVALOS, San Jose Mercury News (Subscription)
The vacancy levels for office space remain stuck above 30% in San Jose’s, Oakland’s and San Francisco’s central business districts, according to a new report by Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate firm. All three downtowns suffer from vacancy rates that have soared far above the levels they enjoyed just before the outbreak of the coronavirus.
National News
Contract Signings Inch Up, Pointing to Pent-Up Housing Demand
MELISSA DITTMANN TRACEY, Realtor Magazine
Pending home sales—a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings—rose 1.5% in March compared to February, the National Association of REALTORS® reported Tuesday. That follows a 2.5% increase in pending home sales in February, though NAR’s other economic indicator, existing-home sales, saw a dip in March—as mortgage interest rates edged up amid concerns about war and inflation.
California News
S.F. tower once worth $320 million went to auction. Nobody made an offer
LAUR WAXMANN, San Francisco Chronicle (Subscription)
One of San Francisco’s notable office towers was up for auction last week, a 20-story, 360,000-square-foot Class A building on one of the most coveted corridors in the North Financial District. Nobody who showed up to the stretch of sidewalk in the shadow of City Hall where the sale was held Thursday was there to bid on the polished, quietly assertive building that was once valued at over $320 million.
Southern California home prices take biggest dip since 2023
JONATHAN LANSNER, Orange County Register (Subscription)
Are Southern California home prices finally beginning to crumble? According to data from real estate tracker Attom, February’s $800,000 median sales price for the six-county region was down 2% compared with a year earlier. Attom tracks sales of houses and condos, both existing homes and newly constructed.
Industry News
Majority of agents ‘would not recommend’ private listings
SYDNEY JACKSON, Real Estate News
Despite the industrywide spotlight on private and off-market listings, the day-to-day reality for real estate agents hasn't shifted much: Off-market deals remain the exception, not the rule. Of the 437 Real agents surveyed in the U.S. and Canada between March 25 and April 7, 69% said no client had inquired about the possibility of listing their home privately, while 23% said 1 in 10 clients or fewer voiced interest in the option.
Real Estate Technology
How AI is intensifying real estate fraud — and what agents can do
NICK PIPITONE, Inman (Subscription)
Artificial intelligence is advancing at a blistering pace. Faster, perhaps, than many in the real estate industry can keep up with. Agents are constantly being told that they must adapt to the new AI era or be left behind. Amid all this frenetic change, one emerging danger is becoming clearer: AI-powered cybersecurity threats.
Property News
A 432-square-foot Calif. cottage for sale for $18.8M
TESSA MCLEAN, SFGate
A tiny, two-room California cabin is on the market for $18.8 million. No, that’s not a typo. The high price tag — a whopping $43,519 per square foot — can be attributed to the home’s oceanfront location in Laguna Beach and the opportunity that comes with buying a rare lot without a steep slope and with stunning views down the coast.
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