COVERAGE INFORMATION:
California Department of Real Estate (DRE) NEWS CLIPS service coverage:
Monday through Friday (except state holidays) each week includes electronic format articles retrieved from newspapers or news services that report real estate related news in California and some national services. Coverage is for California newspapers that are available electronically via the Internet - and any significant related breaking news.
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Copyright © , California Department of Real Estate
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Monday, July 21, 2025
Top Stories
LA wildfire victims building ADUs as first step in home rebuilding process
SANDRA BARRERA & JEFF COLLINS, The Orange County Register (Subscription)
Woefully underinsured, an Altadena retiree ponders building a tiny house at the back of his yard to replace the three-bedroom home he lost in the January firestorms. His insurance would pay, at most, just a third of the cost to replace the 78-year-old house he shared for almost three decades with his wife. The only way to get back home and preserve the generational wealth he’s created for his heirs could be a casita or a granny flat, or as city planners call it, an accessory dwelling unit.
Medical debt is returning to credit reports
JONALYN CUETO, Mortgage Professional America
A Biden-era rule that would have banned the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports has been overturned by a federal judge in Texas, jeopardizing what consumer advocates say was a vital protection for Americans. The rule had been finalized by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on January 7, two weeks before President Trump arrived in office – but US district judge Sean Jordan scrapped the regulation in a July ruling.
National News
A Real-Estate Tycoon’s Loan Went Bad. Then They Came for His Ferraris and Fine Wine.
PETER GRANT, The Wall Street Journal (Subscription)
In France’s Provence region late last year, a group of men entered Château de Chausse, the 138-acre home and vineyard of Charles Cohen. While the New York real-estate tycoon was away, the men scoured the palatial house, taking high-priced artworks, furniture and Cohen’s collection of fine wines. They weren’t thieves. The men were following orders of the French court, and they seized hundreds of thousands of dollars of Cohen’s personal belongings in the château on behalf of Fortress Investment Group.
Single-family construction is getting worse due to rates
LOGAN MOHTASHAMI, HousingWire (Subscription)
Today’s housing starts report from the Census Bureau shows that Federal Reserve policy remains too restrictive for housing production to grow, which in the long run impacts the fight against inflation. This is why the data on single-family construction is not improving; in fact, it is getting worse.
California News
19% of California houses are owned by investors
JONATHAN LANSNER, The Orange County Register (Subscription)
Relatively speaking, California is not a hot spot for housing investors. That’s a conclusion from my trusty spreadsheet’s review of data on investor activity across the nation from BatchData, a small data tracker that digs deeper into property records than many traditional real estate analysts. BatchData reviewed California ownership records to identify the state’s owner-occupied residences compared to houses controlled by investors. This study included properties for short-term or long-term rentals, second homes, and vacation retreats but did not follow condos or build-to-rent single-family-home projects.
The fine print on San Diego’s 101 Ash deal: New numbers, higher costs and 2 differing appraisals
JENNIFER VAN GROVE, The San Diego Union-Tribune (Subscription)
The city of San Diego is seeking to move past a blundered real estate deal with a new high-stakes transaction, this time betting on a development team’s ability to turn the empty 101 Ash St. office tower into hundreds of apartments for low-income families at the expense of recouping what it has sunk into the building. Recently released transaction documents, published online Monday, bring to the surface the fine print in the proposed 60-year lease agreement with 101 Ash Venture LP. They highlight an array of complexities and sometimes confounding conclusions, as well as corrected numbers and assumptions presented to a City Council committee earlier this month.
California is so eager for homeowners to build ADUs, it’s helping them save on architect fees
KATE TALERICO, The Mercury News (Subscription)
In California, thanks to a number of state-level interventions in recent years, building an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is easier than ever. Still, construction projects, even of a tiny home, are a major undertaking for the average homeowner. Before lining up contractors and breaking ground, a property owner might spend thousands of dollars and wait weeks just to get architectural plans drafted and approved by a local permitting agency.
California Residents Stand to Save Big Under Updated SALT Deduction Rules
REALTOR.COM TEAM, SF Gate (Subscription)
Californians have long carried some of the nation’s heaviest tax burdens, with many homeowners squeezed by the $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions. But with Congress approving a $40,000 cap, a significant portion of the state's homeowners stand to gain meaningful financial relief. Under the previous cap, 20.2% of California homeowners were unable to deduct their full property tax burden. That share will now drop to just 1.8% with the expanded limit in place. Cities like San Jose and San Francisco—where over 40% of households pay more than $10,000 in property taxes—will feel the biggest impact.
Industry News
Pulte ramps up Powell criticism as pressure on Fed chair continues
JONALYN CUETO, Mortgage Professional America
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) director Bill Pulte has continued his campaign calling for Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to leave his post, escalating pressure on an official who’s facing mounting criticism from the Trump administration. Pulte, who’s frequently taken to X to blast the Fed chair, said during an appearance on Fox Business that Powell was an “obnoxious, arrogant, pompous person” and continued to speculate that Powell could be considering resigning from his post.
Zillow slams Compass' 'hidden listing scheme' in new court filing
LILLIAN DICKERSON, Inman (Subscription)
The portal giant countered arguments Compass had made in its complaint alleging antitrust activity and more, and asked the court to deny a request for a preliminary injunction that would prevent enforcement of Zillow’s new listing standards.
Younger homebuyers turn to social media, AI and each other
JONATHAN DELOZIER, HousingWire (Subscription)
Faced with high housing costs, economic instability and declining trust in traditional lending institutions, younger generations are redefining how they approach homeownership. A newly released NextGen Homebuyer Report — compiled by National Mortgage Insurance and financial literacy nonprofit FirstHome IQ — highlights how Gen Z and millennials are creatively navigating a changing real estate landscape.
Is REX bringing its legal fight to the Supreme Court?
BROOKLEE HAN, HousingWire (Subscription)
Although REX Real Estate may have been denied a rehearing of the appeal of its suit against the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Zillow, the discount brokerage doesn’t seem to be giving up yet. On Tuesday, an entry into the court docket for the lawsuit indicated that REX had applied for an extension of time to file a writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court. Last week, Justice Elena Kagan reviewed the request and extended the deadline for REX to file its petition to Aug. 15.
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