Ember Flex represents a shift for the co-ownership startup, which sells one-eighth shares of luxury homes in vacation markets across the West Coast.

Pending home sales, which is a gauge of signed contracts to buy existing homes, dropped by 1% from June to July, according to the National Association of Realtors. As a result, pending home sales are now down 19.9% from a year ago.

It means that pending home sales have fallen for eight of the last nine months, a result of housing becoming more unaffordable due to rising mortgage rates and higher inflation. The typical monthly mortgage payment has increased 54% from a year ago as a result of higher rates, the NAR said.

However, the drop in pending home sales was noticeably smaller than in earlier months, and could be a sign of the market settling down, at least temporarily, said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

“We may be at or close to the bottom in contract signings,” Yun stated. “This month’s very modest decline reflects the recent retreat in mortgage rates. Inventories are growing for homes in the upper price ranges, but limited supply at lower price points is hindering transaction activity.”

Mortgage rates have risen steadily since the start of the year. They peaked in June at just over 6% before falling slightly in July. However, this week they started rising again and are now approaching 6% once more, according to Mortgage News Daily.

Freedom and autonomy along with support is what team leaders are looking for from their brokerages according to this ICLV Broker Connect panel.

This time last year, new homes were in such big demand that builders simply couldn’t make them fast enough. They were reportedly overflowing with new contracts, and some even resorted to selling their few available lots via lotteries to their legions of wait-listed buyers.

However times have changed and buyer traffic has suddenly ground to a halt. Building costs have soared, interest rates are up and high inflation has killed buyer’s budgets. Demand for new homes has subsequently crashed as a result.

New-home sales in July reached their slowest pace in six years, the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Census Bureau reported Tuesday. New single-family home purchases declined 12.6% month over month and were down nearly 30% from a year earlier.

“The disappointing sales pace mirrors an ongoing decline in builder sentiment as elevated mortgage rates and higher construction costs are pushing more consumers out of the market, particularly entry-level buyers,” says Jerry Konter, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders.

It’s yet another sign of a sudden plunge in the new-home sector. Housing starts for single-family construction projects dropped 10% year over year in July; mortgage applications for new-home purchases fell 16.1% the same month; and homebuilding sentiment dipped for the eighth straight month in August. The number of buyers backing out of new-home contracts also is growing: Homebuilder cancellation rates have more than doubled since April, according to John Burns Real Estate Consulting. In July, 17.6% of builder contracts fell through, compared to 8% in April.

A study reveals where home buyers have the best chance of finding homes with good views and air quality.

A study reveals where home buyers have the best chance of finding homes with good views and air quality.

Brokers’ recruiting pitches often lead with catchy phrases and intriguing statistics about commission splits, sales records and all of the bells and whistles their brokerage has to offer. Coach John Cheplak says you need to focus on accountability instead.

Jerry W. Mooty, Jr. and Piper Young @properties, Christie’s International Real Estate – Dallas have a thriving brokerage that's growing by leaps and bounds. Find out how this power duo came to be in this week's Broker Spotlight

In this week’s video column, @properties Christie’s International Real Estate executives Amy Corr and Kevin Van Eck provide suggestions on what brokers, owners, and team leaders can do to break into the luxury marketspace.

Real estate agents don't have to be on edge all the time to be top performers — as long as they nail this part of the day, Gary Keller said Wednesday at Keller Williams' annual Mega Camp event.

No matter what kind of market environment you're experiencing, there are opportunities for growth and decline. According to Jimmy Burgess, it's the skills you build that will determine what happens to your business during the current market.

Without the funds ‘to get into a bidding war,’ a California buyer fled to Upland, in San Bernardino, focusing on the area’s new developments. Here’s what she found.

We often only need a little edge when confronted with an incompetent agent or miserable curmudgeon. Sometimes just a flick and swish of your wand is all it takes to win.

It's no secret. Saying the wrong thing to the wrong agent can land you in a world of trouble. We recently surveyed our Agent Edge Real Estate Facebook group and these are the things they said you should never say.

Small gestures speak volumes. Boosting morale starts with the little things, writes The Agency's President Rainy Hake Austin. Great teams have great leaders, and these four morale-boosting tactics will help you be and create just that.

Qualia API users can automatically place and track title orders and access order, accounting and contact data to build custom notifications and performance dashboards.

Over the last few years it has been an extreme seller’s market characterized by low inventory and rising home prices. Home sellers have been in the drivers seat.

Most homes listed for sale have experienced bidding wars with sales prices ending up far over the asking price. It has been the ultimate nirvana for home sellers. Not so much for home buyers who have seen their dream home become more and more expensive.

Home buyers have been afforded the luxury of ultra-low interest rates, so some of the pain of high home prices has been absorbed by such attractive mortgage rates.

In real estate all good things eventually come to an end. Markets eventually shift one way or another.

Unfortunately, mortgage rates have risen now to the point where some buyers have been locked out of the market.

Prominent investors descended on Inman CEO Connect in Las Vegas to discuss recent volatility in real estate tech company values.

Raji Subramanian previously led teams at Amazon and Yahoo and went to Opendoor after a 2021 acquisition. She brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and leadership, the company says.

Rob Greyber, the former head of Expedia subsidiary Egencia, will lead the vacation rental platform starting Sept. 6. He replaces Matt Roberts as CEO.