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, April 20, 2026
Top Stories
Foreclosure Filings Surge 26% Annually As Pipeline Pressure Mounts
KATIE JENSEN, National Mortgage Professional
In the first quarter of 2026, US properties with foreclosure filings totaled 118,727, according to ATTOM's Q1 2026 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. That marks a 26% increase from the same period last year and a 6% increase from the previous quarter. Bank repossessions climbed even more steeply, with lenders taking back 14,020 properties — a 45% jump from the first quarter of 2025. Foreclosure starts, the first formal step in the process, rose 20% year over year to 82,631 properties.
RE/MAX reports biggest March sales surge since 2023
LIEZEL ONCE, Mortgage Professional America
March, with RE/MAX reporting the largest month-over-month gain in home sales in three years and modest increases in both inventory and prices across 50 metro areas. Across those metros, closed home sales jumped 31.6% from February, outpacing the typical seasonal lift and marking the strongest monthly increase since a 37.4% rise in March 2023.
National News
Maine becomes first state to impose consumer safeguards on home equity investments
NEIL PIERSON, HousingWire (Subscription)
Maine Gov. Janet Mills signed LD 1901, the first state law to regulate home equity investments, which the statute defines as shared appreciation mortgages. The law adds enhanced cost disclosures, mandatory housing counseling and legal representation, restrictions on certain property-use clauses and assignee liability for future buyers of the loans.
A third of states lack deed fraud laws, report finds
BRAD FINKELSTEIN, National Mortgage News
Approximately one-third of states do not have any deed-fraud specific statutes covering residential property titles, a new quarterly ranking from EquityProtect noted. Seven states have added deed fraud laws since 2023, including New York, where Attorney General Letitia James has already won convictions using her new powers. Eight states remain in the lowest tier, with minimal or no action. Overall, 16 states have no deed fraud laws on their books, EquityProtect said.
California News
More homes are entering S.F.’s pipeline. Are they getting built?
CHRISTIAN LEONARD, J.K. DINEEN, San Francisco Chronicle (Subscription)
The San Francisco Planning Department received applications for more than 9,600 units in 2025, nearly quadruple the annual count for the preceding three years, according to the city’s annual housing inventory report. That was the most homes entering the city’s housing pipeline since 2007, before the Great Recession cratered housing production.
Industry News
Mega-merger in Florida creates largest local association in US
LILLIAN DICKERSON, Real Estate News
The Miami Association of Realtors and Broward, Palm Beaches and St. Lucie Realtors (RWorld) are merging into one association and MLS to create the largest local Realtor association in the country with a total of about 93,000 members, the companies announced on Monday.
Buyers accuse eXp of supporting Zillow's 'fraudulent business'
MARINA MCPHERSON, Inman (Subscription)
EXp Realty is now part of a six-month legal battle against Zillow, in which a group of 12 homebuyers accused Zillow of violating their state consumer rights, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The lawsuit, filed in Washington state, alleges that Zillow isn’t being forthcoming with homebuyers about its Flex program, in which agents pay a 40 percent referral fee for closed deals and agree to meet a Zillow Home Loans preapproval quota.
Real Estate Technology
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Property News
TinyFest brings supersmall living to Southern California house hunters
AMANCAI BIRABEN, Orange County Register (Subscription)
Now in its 10th year in the Golden State, TinyFest brings together dozens of homebuilders and merchants who showcase the concept, their many shapes and forms, all in one place. The event is an opportunity for attendees to tour houses, much as they would a traditional open house. Seevers hopes the concept will inspire house seekers with the range of possibilities that a minimal lifestyle offers.
In Case You Missed It
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Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest
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