Archive

All stories

Everything published in Agents Estate, newest first.

AI

US housing algorithms: what HUD said on AI and what still applies

HUD's 2024 guidance on AI in tenant screening and targeted housing adverts, what the Fair Housing Act and its rules require in the United States, and where each document stands today.

18 min read
Proptech

US listing data rules: the 2008 VOW judgment and what followed

How United States multiple listing services let brokers show listings online: the 2008 federal judgment on virtual office websites, seller opt-outs, and the 2024 and 2025 changes.

19 min read
Settlement & closing

US mortgage escrow accounts: the cushion, shortages and waivers

What a US mortgage escrow account pays, how much Regulation X lets a servicer hold, how shortages and surpluses are settled, and when the account is required or can be dropped.

19 min read
Fraud prevention

Mortgage fraud in the United States: red flags and where to report

How Fannie Mae defines mortgage fraud, the schemes and red flags it publishes, the two federal statutes with 30-year maximum terms, and the bodies that take a report in the United States.

17 min read
Buying

US mortgage preapproval, rate locks and points before an offer

What a US preapproval letter is and is not, how credit checks are counted while a buyer compares lenders, when an application legally exists, and how rate locks and points work.

19 min read
New developments

US new-build homes: builder warranties and the federal rules

What a builder warranty covers on a new US home, where federal warranty law stops, the FHA and VA completion form, the builder's lender under RESPA and the land sales act.

19 min read
Tokenisation

USA: offering property tokens under Rule 506 and Regulation Crowdfunding

Once a US property token is a security, how is it offered? Rule 506(b), Rule 506(c) and Regulation Crowdfunding: who may buy, how much, which forms are filed and when.

19 min read
Commissions

How US real estate agents' commission income is taxed by the IRS

A US agent paid by commission is usually self-employed for federal tax. How the IRS rule works, from Form 1099-NEC to self-employment tax, estimated payments and the QBI deduction.

19 min read
Agents

How many US real estate agents are there, and what do they earn?

Federal figures count 530,600 broker and sales agent jobs in the United States. What they earn, what Realtors report, and what a licence requires in three states.

19 min read
Regulation

US telemarketing rules for real estate agents: calls, texts and AI

Two federal agencies govern how a US agent may phone or text a prospect. The registry, the 31-day check, calling hours, consent, AI voices and penalties, explained.

19 min read
Tokenisation

USA: when is a real estate token a security under federal law?

A token tied to a United States building can be a security. The Howey test, the SEC interpretation in force since 23 March 2026 and the exempt offering rules, explained.

19 min read
Investing

How US rental income is taxed: Schedule E, depreciation and losses

A federal guide to tax on a rented home in the United States: what counts as rent, what comes off it, 27.5-year depreciation, the US$25,000 loss allowance and the sale.

20 min read
Tokenisation

USA: reselling a property token under Rule 144 and the one-year rule

A US property token bought in a private or crowdfunding sale cannot simply be sold on. The federal holding periods, the exceptions, the legend and the transfer agent's part.

19 min read
Tokenisation

USA: what a property token holder owns under the SEC's three models

SEC staff sorted tokenised securities into issuer, custodial and synthetic models on 28 January 2026. What each gives a holder, read for a United States real estate interest.

18 min read
Rentals

How Section 8 vouchers work for private landlords in the United States

A guide to the Housing Choice Voucher programme from the owner's side: unit approval, inspections, rent tests, the payment contract, lease terms and ending a tenancy.

19 min read
Selling

USA: how much a seller can pay towards a buyer's costs, by loan type

Fannie Mae caps seller-paid financing costs at 2 to 9 per cent, the VA limits concessions to 4 per cent and USDA sets 6 per cent. What counts, and what happens to the excess.

19 min read
Fraud prevention

Seller impersonation on US vacant land: warning signs and checks

How the FBI and state regulators describe sales of US land by people posing as the owner, the checks they list for agents and closing offices, and what a real owner can do.

19 min read
Selling

Selling a US home without a listing agent: figures and federal rules

What the Realtors' survey says about owner-led sales in the United States, why its price gap needs care, and which federal duties stay with a seller who has no agent.

20 min read
Selling

Selling an inherited home in the USA: basis, gain and tax forms

How US federal tax treats the sale of an inherited home: the basis set at death, the long-term holding rule, the gain or loss, Form 1099-S, Form 8949 and the executor's part.

20 min read
Selling

Short sale or deed in lieu in the USA: servicer rules and the tax

How a US homeowner who owes more than the home is worth sells or hands it back: what the servicer must do under Regulation X, and how the IRS treats the cancelled debt.

19 min read