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.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Top Stories

Homebuyer mortgage demand drops annually for the first time in over a year, as war fuels uncertainty

DIANA OLICK, CNBC
Mortgage rates finally ticked a tiny bit lower last week, but not enough to help the ailing mortgage market. Economic uncertainty, fueled by the Iran war, is keeping rates elevated and homebuyers on the fence. As a result, total mortgage application volume fell 0.8% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index.

Mortgage applications edge down as refis stall, purchase demand weakens

SARAH WOLAK, HousingWire (Subscription)
MBA data for the week ending April 3, 2026, shows mortgage applications fell 0.8% even as the 30-year fixed rate eased to 6.51%. Purchase applications rose 1% during the week but stayed 7% lower on a yearly basis. 

National News 

FICO Called Out For Hefty Price Hikes, Pushes Back On Tri-Merge Cost Blame

LEW SICHELMAN, National Mortgage Professional
The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) is criticizing FICO for significant price increases on credit scores, which have risen by more than 10 times over the last four years. The average fee for pulling a FICO score now stands at $540, according to a recent survey of CHLA members. This represents a substantial increase from the $50 to $100 range observed in 2022.

Rate lock-in: 1 in 3 owners won't budge at any price

COLIN MCNAMARA, National Mortgage News
With mortgage rates spiking over the last few weeks, many homeowners are unwilling to give up their current rate, a new industry report showed. Roughly a third of homeowners with a mortgage rate less than 6% would not give up their rate for any reason, and 47% said they couldn't afford current rates, according to a survey of 1,000 mortgage holders from Best Interest Financial and Clever Real Estate.

US now has over 10M Hispanic homeowners — a new record 

SYDNEY JACKSON, Real Estate News
Hispanic households were a strong driver for the 2025 U.S. housing market, accounting for all homeownership growth and most household formations despite ongoing affordability challenges and heightened federal immigration enforcement efforts.

California News

“Like playing monopoly”: Time ticking in Altadena rebuild as market limps along

KARI HAMANAKA, The Real Deal (Subscription)
Every homeowner’s struggle to get back home varies, which then holds implications for just how long it will take for Altadena’s broader residential real estate market to recover and resume the upward trajectory some were seeing pre-Eaton fire. Real estate professionals and Altadena residents seem to agree that getting to that point will take time.

Owners keep thousands of San Diego homes vacant despite high rents. They could soon be taxed

GRACE TOOHEY, Los Angeles Times (Subscription)
San Diego is one of the nation’s hottest housing markets, with average home prices hovering around $1 million and rents for a one-bedroom apartment topping $2,000 a month. Yet city officials estimate that more than 5,000 properties sit empty most of the year, which some advocates argue worsens the city’s housing shortage and affordability crisis.
So California’s second-largest city is set to take dramatic action.

California made them rich on paper and now they’re stuck in place

TESSA MCLEAN, SFGate
Lots of homeowners across California feel “locked in” to their housing situation right now. Mortgage rates remain relatively high, Proposition 13 keeps homeowner property taxes low, and real estate inventory remains sparse in most locations throughout the state. But for a large subset of mostly baby boomers, what’s keeping them in place is the money they’d lose to the government — both federal and state — if they sold.

Industry News 

Broker-lender pacts are redrawing the lines for reverse mortgage companies

FLAVIA FURLAN NUNES, HousingWire (Subscription)
Reverse mortgage lenders are introducing agreements with brokers that restrict retail contact with active broker pipelines and flag refinance signals. Brokers say the contracts help curb churning but do little to drive purchase volume. 

Real Estate Technology 

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Property News 

Broker battles squatter in 10-month legal ordeal after buying home sight-unseen

CHRISTY MURDOCK, Inman (Subscription)
When Chula Vista, California, real estate broker Irma Mendez bought a boarded-up home prior to foreclosure, she had no idea she’d be walking into a 10-month legal battle with an alleged squatter.

In Case You Missed It 

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Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest 

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