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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Monday, July 20, 2026
Top Stories
California is in a population slump. These 7 cities are booming anyway
J.K. DINEEN, ROLAND LI, CHRISTIAN LEONARD, DANIELLE ECHEVERRIA, SARAH RAVANI AND JULIE JOHNSON, San Francisco Chronicle
Aging communities. Emptier schools. A smaller tax base.
California’s stagnant population has been one of the state’s most dramatic and discussed post-pandemic developments. But a handful of cities have defied the trend, steadily expanding instead.
They’ve grown by attracting families with better school districts, drawing workers with affordable housing and, in one case, by providing services and housing to wildfire refugees.
National News
These are the 4 most important things homebuyers can do now, according to experts
ALY J. YALE, CBS News
Mortgage rates have been above 6% for the majority of 2026, and have hovered right around 6.5% over the last few months. While these are not the highest rates borrowers have seen in the last few years, they're not particularly ideal, either. At an average mortgage rate of 6.625%, a median-priced home of $403,200 would come with a monthly payment of nearly $2,600 on a 30-year loan.
Unfortunately, rates aren't likely to drop anytime soon, either. There's little chance of a Federal Reserve rate cut at its July meeting, according to the CME Group's FedWatch Tool, and Fannie Mae predicts this year will end with rates around 6.4%.
California News
She’s pushed to build more housing across California. Now there’s a NIMBY fight in her backyard
JOE GAROFOLI, San Francisco Chronicle (Opinion)
Oakland Assembly Member Buffy Wicks has fought to build more housing across California for nearly a decade. Now there’s a NIMBY — “not in my backyard” — showdown in her own backyard.
The burgeoning battle over a proposal to build 415 units on the site of a popular Trader Joe’s in Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood is a cautionary tale about what Gov. Gavin Newsom has called California’s “original sin” — its failure for decades to build enough housing, which has created a crippling affordability crisis.
Homeownership Now Pricier Than Renting Across CA, New Report Finds
ALBERT GREGORY, Patch.com
For Californians weighing whether to rent or buy, a new report suggests renting is now a far more affordable option in much of the state.
Rental marketplace Zumper analyzed housing costs in more than 80 U.S. markets and found California dominates the list of metros where buying a home costs substantially more each month than renting. The report compared median rents with the monthly cost of owning a median-priced home, including mortgage payments, property taxes and homeowners insurance.
Industry News
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Real Estate Technology
Facebook Marketplace becomes go-to for buying, selling farmland in California
LIZZIE KANE, The Sacramento Bee
Phil Courey had been looking to buy farmland for a decade. He used more traditional resources to search for available properties such as a large real estate company in the state and land.com but didn’t find anything.
He wound up striking gold with a more untraditional resource: Facebook Marketplace.
Property News
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In Case You Missed It
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Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest
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