Devin Meenan

After housing starts plunged in May, the latest report shows signs of recovery during June for overall construction—but for the single-family market, specifically, the bad news continues. The U.S. Census Bureau found that, during June 2025, privately-owned housing starts increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,321,000, up 4.6% from the revised May number,…

The latest RISMedia webinar—“The AI Advantage: Future-Proofing Your Real Estate Career”—offered a crash course in artificial intelligence (AI) tools by Michael Thorne, a Vancouver agent and instructor of Buffini & Company’s AI Bootcamp, a 12-month live-training program. The webinar packed vital information and education into a tight 75 minute runtime; Thorne’s stated goal was to…

Editor’s Note: The RISMedia series, Legislative Round-Up looks at pending and passed federal and state-level legislation that impacts real estate professionals. NAR-approved Big Beautiful Bill has boons for real estate On Friday, July 4, 2025, President Donald Trump officially signed what is commonly referred to as the “Big Beautiful Bill” into law. The omnibus bill’s…

At last month’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he expected the effects of tariffs to begin showing up in the summer of this year. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) provides at least some evidence the cautious approach was merited.…

Extending a gift to clients after closing is a time-honored (though certainly not mandatory) real estate practice. Another person to consider giving a gift to is the individual who connected you and your client in the first place. A referral often only comes about because of a relationship you’ve built, so make sure you maintain…

The U.S. provides a convenient market for Canadian buyers seeking a warmer climate, whether as vacation homes or for a permanent residence. But Canadian Redfin users searching for a home are showing signs of lessened interest in buying American, according to a new report from the company.  In May 2025, 26.4% fewer Canadian Redfin users…

What makes a real estate market “hot?” According to Realtor.com®, it’s a balance of market demand and how long a listing stays on the market. Realtor.com uses these metrics (measured by unique listing views on Realtor.com and how long a property has been listed on the portal) to compile the current hottest U.S. markets.  Heat…

Heading into the Fourth of July weekend, Freddie Mac has given the real estate market reason to celebrate beyond the holiday. The 30-year mortgage rate, per the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), continued its decline and now sits at 6.67%. The 15-year mortgage rate is 5.8%.  At the last survey reading at the end…

One of the primary products of property management software company RealPage is an algorithm-based pricing software, Yieldstar, marketed to property owners to set prices based on nearby rental listings. RealPage’s products have not escaped criticism or legislative notice. In December 2024, the Biden administration released a report claiming that “anticompetitive pricing” in properties that utilize…

Buying a home with a partner who has a credit score below 640 increases monthly housing costs by an average of $437, according to a recently released Mortgage Research Network study. That increase, nearly $63,000 over the typical 12-year homeownership period, is driven by higher interest rates, steeper mortgage insurance premiums and more expensive homeowners…