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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Tuesday, April 7, 2026
Top Stories
Iran war upends spring housing market. Here’s what real estate agents are seeing
DIANA OLICK, CNBC
The all-important spring housing market is well underway, but expectations are falling short due to the war in Iran and its impact on both the U.S. economy and consumer sentiment. Mortgage rates, which were previously forecast to be far lower this spring than last, are now much higher, and concerns over employment and inflation are throwing cold water on pent-up homebuyer demand.
Rising Rates Weigh on Mortgage Activity
CATHERINE KOH, Eye on Housing
Mortgage application activity decreased month-over-month as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, declined 4.3% from February on a seasonally adjusted basis but remained 30.8% higher than a year earlier. Applications for adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM) also decreased 4.5% month-over-month, while their share of total applications was unchanged at 8.3%.
National News
The Future Of Density In America’s Hottest Cities
JEFFREY STEELE, Forbes
Having essentially come of age with the advent of air conditioning in the 1960s, Phoenix embraced what virtually every post-war U.S. metro did, adopting a horizontal growth model based on sprawl and the ubiquitous presence of the automobile. But as climate change continues to pressure the city, there are signs it may be ready to determine whether transit-centric density initiatives can work as a climate-adaptation strategy.
GSEs ease prefunding rules, extend manufactured housing terms
BONNIE SINNOCK, National Mortgage News
Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have respectively released a mix of new flexibilities and requirements for single-family mortgages they purchase as April has gotten underway. Fannie is pulling back on some prefunding measures it had previously emphasized, while Freddie is making changes that affect loans in an underserved market that advocates and housing officials have long called a priority.
California News
Oakland launches 1st-of-its-kind affordable housing project for teachers thanks to nonprofit
ANSE HASSAN, ABC 7 Bay Area
Oakland is launching a first-of-its-kind teacher housing project that many say could become a model for the rest of the country. It's an attempt to allow teachers to live in the communities where they work. From the outside, it may look like a typical apartment complex in Oakland, but the tenants set it apart from other places.
Industry News
NAR urges courts to consider recent dismissal of membership suit
LILLIAN DICKERSON, Real Estate News
After a judge dismissed the Hardy case in Michigan, NAR and regional associations facing similar suits in other states hope the ruling will work in their favor. After a judge dismissed the Hardy case in Michigan, NAR and regional associations facing similar suits in other states hope the ruling will work in their favor.
A new study says private listings beat the MLS. Here’s what it left out
DARRYL DAVIS, HousingWire (Subscription)
A research report is floating around out there from the University of Georgia, and some people in our industry are using it to make the case that private listings, homes sold off the MLS without full public exposure, actually get sellers a better price. What surprised me is how much the report itself contradicts the conclusion people are drawing from it.
Real Estate Technology
AI emerges throughout Southern California’s real estate industry
AMANCAI BIRABEN, Orange County Register (Subscription)
From a robot that can handwrite hundreds of real estate prospecting cards in minutes to a digital consultant that can narrow down thousands of mortgage options for a client, artificial intelligence has finally arrived in the real estate industry.
Property News
The suburban LA street that Disney pays to keep pristine
JULIE TREMAINE, SFGate
Take a drive around the streets bordering Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, and you might notice something unusual. On Riverside Drive, you’ll see the Disney Animation Studios building and the ABC Building, both directly across from the studios. On Buena Vista Street, you’ll see the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, where Walt Disney spent his last days — and where today a cancer center now bears his name. On Alameda Avenue, there’s a church and a Disney-owned daycare.
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