United States
The United States: the market, agents and brokerages, commission rules and the cases that reshape them.
US rents reach $1,932 in September as concessions spread: Zillow
Zillow's report of 6 October puts the typical US rent at $1,932, up 2.7% in a year, with concessions on 39.6% of listings. Two other reports show flatter rents.
USA: how a section 1031 like-kind exchange and its deadlines work
A United States investor can swap one investment property for another and defer the federal tax on the gain. The IRS rules, the 45-day and 180-day clocks, and the sums.
US agents' status: three-way rule survives appeal, Senate gets a bill
A federal appeals court left the Realtor three-way membership rule standing, and two senators filed a bill on agents' independent-contractor status. What each one changes.
US title insurance premiums rise 13% but outlook stays negative
AM Best says US title insurers wrote 13% more premium in 2025 and 18% more in early 2026, yet it keeps a negative outlook on the segment. What the figures show.
US listing data to 2 October: more homes, more cuts, fewer deals
HousingWire's weekly tracker to 2 October shows 902,112 homes for sale, price cuts on 42.83% of listings and pending sales down a tenth on a year ago. What sellers can read in it.
US buyer agreements: what must be signed before a home tour
Since 17 August 2024, agents who use a US multiple listing service need a signed agreement before a buyer tours a home. What it must say about pay, and what stays negotiable.
Zillow: US home values slip in September as pending sales drop 8.5%
Zillow's September report puts the typical US home at US$366,913, down 0.5% in a month, while newly pending sales fell 8.5% on the year with mortgage rates at 7.28%.
California's CRMLS sues Compass over listing rules as Austin MLS says no
A California multiple listing service has asked a federal court to declare its Clear Cooperation rules lawful, and Austin's Unlock MLS has refused the same Compass demand.
Connecticut's private-listings law takes effect: public exposure first
Connecticut's Senate Bill 340, now Public Act 26-23, took effect on 1 October 2026. A home must be listed publicly by the time it is first publicly marketed, unless the owner opts out.
US brokerages: referring to an in-house title firm, and listing duties
How federal RESPA rules treat a United States brokerage that refers clients to its own title or mortgage company, and what Clear Cooperation asks of listing brokers.
CertifID buys Closinglock, joining two US closing-fraud platforms
CertifID announced on 1 October that it has acquired Closinglock. The two Austin firms serve more than 3,000 US title companies. What was announced, and what is still open.
US condo values up 1% in four years as houses gain 6%, Inman finds
An Inman analysis of Zillow data, published on 5 October, finds condos lagging houses in 91 of 97 large US metros over the past year and taking 73 days to go under contract.
US residential construction spending rose 1.1% in August 2026
Census Bureau figures published on 1 October put private residential construction at US$882.3 billion a year in August, up on July and 4.8% below August 2025.
Twelve US states now have deed-theft laws as Maryland's takes effect
Maryland's deed-fraud law took effect on 1 October and Alabama's at the start of the month. HousingWire relays a vendor scorecard that counts twelve states with dedicated laws.
US brokerage Fathom and Bed Bath & Beyond parent call off their merger
Fathom Holdings and Neighborhood Intelligence, the former Bed Bath & Beyond, ended their all-stock merger on 5 October. What was agreed, what each side said and what stays open.
Fed minutes describe US mortgage financing as somewhat restrictive
The Federal Reserve's minutes of its September meeting, released on 7 October, record a unanimous rate rise and a short, sober reading of home lending in the United States.
USA: how HUD, Freddie Mac and IRS homes are sold by bid or auction
Federal sellers in the United States each have their own way of selling a home. HUD takes sealed bids, Freddie Mac takes offers, the IRS calls an auction. The rules, source by source.
USA: how FHA loans and the VA funding fee work for buyers in 2026
Two federal routes let Americans buy with little or no money down. What an FHA loan costs and how far its 2026 limits reach, and how the VA funding fee is set, waived, paid and refunded.
US: FHFA reported to plan two-bureau credit reports at Fannie, Freddie
HousingWire, relaying Bloomberg, reports that the FHFA will tell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to accept credit reports built from two bureaus. Nothing is announced yet.
FIRPTA in the United States: what a buyer withholds from a foreign seller
When a foreign person sells American real estate, the buyer must usually hold back 15 per cent of the price for the IRS. How the rule works, and when the rate falls to 10 per cent or to nothing.