RISMedia Staff

Economists say renewed doubt about a resolution to the war in Iran kept Treasury yields and thus mortgage rates elevated this past week with the average 30-year hitting its highest point since August of 2025.  The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate (FRM) rose 6 basis points to 6.55% from 6.49% last week, and the 15-year…

REsides, Inc. has announced the launch of Property Shield Ownership Verification for its subscribers, becoming the first MLS in the country to offer ownership verification, giving its agents and brokers the ability to confirm that a seller is the true owner of record. According to a release, the new service builds on the fraud detection…

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Realty Connect has announced a merger with Exceed Realty in Pennsylvania. The agreement follows the company’s recent merger of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Dream Properties in Long Island, New York with Realty Connect USA.  The combined company now consists of nearly 1,200 affiliated real estate professionals across…

RESO Chair Rebecca Jensen plans to leave position Rebecca Jensen, CEO of Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), plans to leave the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO) chair position at the end of the year. Jensen, who has served as chair twice, recently testified in the Zillow/MRED/Compass lawsuit. “She will remain Board Chair until the end…

Above, from left, Jemila Winsey, Rebecca Thomson, Jillian Young, Jim Roberts and Sarah Drennan Tough market conditions have forced many brokerage operators to tighten their belts and make some tough cuts. Unfortunately, many coaching and training programs have landed on the chopping block, yet agents need professional development more than ever as the industry evolves…

Showami, a pay-per-showing service, has announced its partnership and integration with Lofty, allowing agents who use Lofty’s CRM to request and track showings through their connected account.  Lofty notes its users can now find Showami in the Lofty Marketplace and connect their Showami account directly. Once connected, agents are able to launch the Showami platform…

HomeSmart has announced a new strategic partnership with Rockstar Connect, a networking event platform. The group, founded and led by Steven David Elliot, will focus on growth efforts across the brokerage’s nationwide foothold.  Rockstar Connect focuses on relationship-driven, in-person network strengthening events, the company stated. Boasting more than 100,000 attendees at its events over the…

Mixed signals continue coming from the U.S. housing market, as the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported this week that home-purchase applications decreased for a second week while refinances increased, even as rates hit their highest point since August of last year. The latest Market Composite Index from the MBA—its measure of mortgage loan activity volume…

At a time when residential real estate is confronting existential threats from ongoing litigation, massive industry consolidation, changing consumer needs and the rapid advancement of AI, strengthening the industry’s leadership pipeline has never been more important. To that end, the Women’s Council of Realtors® announced it has brought on Tripti Kasal as CEO, a respected…

PropStream announced the return of its Connect to Close webinar series with “Connect to Close: From Plan to Pipeline.” a free three-day virtual event taking place July 21-23, 2026.  According to the release, the series is designed for real estate professionals, including agents, investors, wholesalers and acquisition specialists focused on building repeatable systems for lead…