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.

Monday, August 24, 2026

Top Stories

Insurance costs and AI fears are reshaping how investors underwrite deals

MATT SEXTON, Mortgage Professional America
As costs continue to rise, investors are having a harder time making the math work on investment properties. With insurance costs unpredictable and taxes rising in step with recent appreciation, it becomes more important to get properties under contract at the right price. That is putting pressure on a market where sellers are still anchored to 2022 highs.

US housing affordability gauge worsens for first time since 2023

MICHAEL SASSO, San Diego Union-Tribune (Subscription)
A key measure of U.S. housing affordability worsened for the first time in almost three years, as higher borrowing costs soaked up a bigger chunk of earnings for new homebuyers. “Buyers faced high mortgage rates and economic uncertainty, while builders dealt with rising construction costs, unnecessary regulatory burdens and labor shortages,” NAHB Chairman Bill Owens, an Ohio builder, said in a release.

National News 

Manufactured housing’s affordability problem

CASSANDRA DUMAY, Politico
Congress’s new, bipartisan housing law is expected to lower the price of units that are largely constructed off-site and sometimes sit on land that is rented rather than owned. But the law doesn’t fully address interest rates for the loans on those homes, which often reach near double digits. And that price could still lock out many prospective buyers.

Cost of Materials Rises, Especially for Smaller Builders

PAUL EMRATH, Eye on Housing
Material costs increased by 6.7% over the previous year, according to results from the survey for the July 2026 NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). A large majority (72.9%) of the builders responding to the survey reported that their cost of materials for the same house increased by up to 15% over the past year (at the time of the survey in early July).

Foreign Buyers Pull Back From U.S. Housing Market in 2026

MICHEAL GERRITY, World Property Journal
The total value of homes purchased by international buyers from April 2025 through March 2026 fell 19.1% from the previous 12-month period, while the number of properties purchased dropped 14% to 67,100, according to the National Association of Realtor' 2026 International Transactions in U.S. Residential Real Estate report. The transaction count was the second-lowest since NAR began tracking the market in 2009.

California News

California Forever housing plan sidelined as shipyard and manufacturing proposal advances

LAURA WAXMANN, San Francisco Chronicle (Subscription)
After weeks of frantic last-minute lobbying in Sacramento, billionaire-backed real estate development project California Forever could emerge from the current legislative session with permission to fast-track thousands of jobs — but not housing — in Solano County.

Industry News 

Redfin, Zillow settle FTC lawsuit over rental listing partnership

JAKE INDURSKY, The Real Deal (Subscription)
Zillow and Redfin have reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in a lawsuit filed last year alleging that their multifamily syndication partnership violated antitrust laws. As part of the settlement, Redfin and Zillow can continue syndicating listings between their sites, but Redfin has agreed to build out its multifamily listing platform as a separate competitor to Zillow, the FTC said in a release.

Real Estate Technology 

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Property News 

Mold Is Driving America’s Homeowners Crazy—and They Want Builders to Pay

NICHOLAS G. MILLER, Wall Street Journal (Subscription)
Modern energy efficiency codes have lowered the margin of error for builders when it comes to moisture management. And construction defects can cause mold growth, which thousands of Americans believe is making them sick. Homeowners say their builders have made mistakes as they attempt to put up homes as quickly and cheaply as possible, installing improperly sized HVACs, putting in windows incorrectly, or poorly ventilating attics.

In Case You Missed It 

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Resources, Webinars, and Other Items of Interest 

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