The Best Time to Sell is Here, According to Realtor.com
Homeowners have more realistic market expectations this year with only 15% expecting to get more than their asking price, down from 31% in 2023. Nearly 8 in 10 recent sellers think listing sooner would have meant entering a hotter housing market. SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 15, 2024 -- The Best Time to Sell is here, and most prospective sellers have been sitting on the sidelines for a while. According to a new survey from Realtor.com® and Censuswide, homeowners planning to sell in 2024 have been thinking about selling their homes for an average of 2 years, with 85% considering a sale for between 1-3 years. At the same time, most recent sellers (79%), feel that if they'd listed sooner, they would have been able to take advantage of a hotter housing market. "Plenty of homeowners have been eagerly waiting for mortgage rates to come down so that they can sell their current home and more affordably upgrade to a new one," said Realtor.com® Chief Economist Danielle Hale. "With mortgage rates expected to ease slowly throughout the year, some potential sellers are planning to get off the sidelines in 2024 and make a move, with the majority expecting to buy a new home at the same time that they sell their current one." Fewer seller-buyers feel locked in by rate Realtor.com's® housing forecast for 2024 estimates average mortgage rates of 6.8%, with rates edging down to reach 6.5% by the end of the year. While rates and the market will stabilize as we go through 2024, homeowners who are planning to sell are aware of ongoing affordability headwinds. 73% of homeowners who plan to sell their home this year plan to buy another at the same time, down from 85% last year. 79% of prospective sellers who plan to buy a new home say they feel locked into their current home due to a low interest rate, down from 82% in 2023. Of those who feel locked into their rate, 50% say they plan to wait until rates come down, while 29% say they need to sell soon for personal reasons. In 2023, 56% said they'd wait for rates to come down, while 25% said they needed to sell. 64% of potential sellers who also plan to buy expect the mortgage rate on their new home to be the same or higher than their existing rate. 81% of sellers who think their new rate will be higher say they're concerned that the higher rate will impact how much home they can afford. Would-be sellers have more realistic expectations for their home sale than last year While still optimistic about the market, potential sellers are approaching their sale this spring with noticeably more realistic expectations than sellers in previous years. With the market cooling in many areas, 12% expect a bidding war to take place, compared to 27% in 2023, and only 15% expect to get more than their asking price, down from 31% last year. A less frenzied market from years past means 15% expect to have an offer within a week, down from 37% in 2023, and 15% expect buyers to be willing to forgo contingencies like inspections and appraisals to make the deal, down from 35% in 2023. On average, homeowners planning to sell this year say they want to sell their home for around $462,000, with one-third saying they are hoping for between $400,000-500,000. Around 24% say they are hoping for $250,000-400,000, while 24% are looking for $500,000-$750,000. Finances top list of reasons to sell Many homeowners who are thinking of selling this year cite finances among the factors behind their decision, with 24% saying they want to make a profit and 21% saying they want to take advantage of recent price gains. Changing family needs are also driving the decision to sell. Reasons included the need to move for family (24%), the need for more space (23%), to downsize (23%) and because of life changes such as marriage, children or divorce (18%). Some sellers are looking to alternatives for their next home With timing challenges around selling and buying another home at the same time, especially in the current low inventory market, some sellers are getting creative with alternatives to buying their next home that could give them greater flexibility for buying again in the future. Of the 27% of homeowners who don't plan to buy another home when they sell theirs, 31% plan to rent, 33% say they already own another place to live, and 26% say they're planning to move in with family or friends. Homeowners thinking about entering the market this spring can visit realtor.com/sell for the information, tools and support they need to get started, including how to get proposals from multiple agents in their area, with RealChoice Selling, who can help them make the most from their sale. Survey methodology The research was conducted by Censuswide among 1,003 respondents in the U.S. who are planning to sell their home in the next year, and 1,000 respondents who sold their home in the last year. The fieldwork took place February 22 – March 4, 2024. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles. About Realtor.com® Realtor.com® is an open real estate marketplace built for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago. Today, through its website and mobile apps, Realtor.com® is a trusted guide for consumers, empowering more people to find their way home by breaking down barriers, helping them make the right connections, and creating confidence through expert insights and guidance. For professionals, Realtor.com® is a trusted partner for business growth, offering consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com®.

Nextdoor Launches Ads API Program, Offering Advertisers an Easier Way to Extend Their Campaigns to Nextdoor
SAN FRANCISCO -- Nextdoor announced advancements for the next evolution of its proprietary ad server with the opening of the Nextdoor Ads API program. This latest offering gives businesses and agency partners the opportunity to leverage local insights and reach Nextdoor's highly-engaged audience of neighbors with the ability to create, deliver, and measure Nextdoor ad campaigns from within their own platforms. With more than 88 million neighbors on the platform, Nextdoor is the place where marketers look to reach an incremental, hyper-local, high-intent audience at scale. Following the roll out of Nextdoor's Ads Manager, a self-serve advertising platform, the Nextdoor Ads API program continues the momentum by opening the ease, performance, value and flexibility of the platform to a broader audience of advertisers. "The release of Nextdoor's Ads API program is a game changer for partners, agencies, developers and enterprises keen to tap into the performance and targeting capabilities of our platform," said Heidi Andersen, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer at Nextdoor. "Nextdoor is the must-buy solution for advertisers eager to deliver relevant, personalized ads to highly engaged neighbors at scale. With this release, we're continuing to drive the power and sophistication of our ad server to support the needs and strategies of businesses of all sizes and sectors." Early partners in Nextdoor's Ads API program include Taradel, a leading multichannel marketing platform, Boost by Lone Wolf, a digital marketing and advertising solution from the leading provider of residential real estate software, Lone Wolf Technologies, and Unified Enterprises, Corp., an omnichannel digital advertising agency. Early partners are leveraging the Nextdoor Ads API program to extend their customers' campaigns and power full-campaign creation, management and reporting. "We're thrilled to partner with Nextdoor and bring our clients a powerful new way to connect with their communities," said Jim Fitzgerald, Chief Executive Officer at Taradel. "With Nextdoor's Ads API program, we're making ad campaigns easier to deploy while making them smarter and more effective. It's a big win for local businesses looking to make a real impact." This release of the Nextdoor Ads API program follows previous innovations which fostered new opportunities and capabilities for the Nextdoor Advertising platform, including the launch of the Nextdoor Developer Site, and self-service tools for the Nextdoor Ads Manager (NAM). To learn more and request access to Nextdoor's Ads API, visit Nextdoor's Developer Site. About Nextdoor Nextdoor (NYSE: KIND) is the neighborhood network. Neighbors, businesses of all sizes, and public agencies in more than 330,000 neighborhoods across 11 countries turn to Nextdoor to connect to the neighborhoods that matter to them so that they can thrive. As a purpose-driven company, Nextdoor leverages innovative technology to cultivate a kinder world where everyone has a neighborhood they can rely on — both online and in the real world. Download the app or join the neighborhood at nextdoor.com. For more information and assets, visit nextdoor.com/newsroom.

Zillow names this year's best markets for first-time home buyers
Top markets for first-time home buyers offer affordable options and peers living nearby SEATTLE, April 4, 2024 -- First-time home buyers in 2023 accounted for the largest share of home purchases in years. A new Zillow® analysis names this year's best markets for first-time home buyers, where their dollars go further and starter homes are relatively plentiful. First-time buyers made up half of all home buyers last year, according to Zillow's Consumer Housing Trends Report. That's the highest share in the report's history, which dates back to 2018, and up from a low of 37% in 2021. The "rate lock" effect — occurring when homeowners are financially incentivized to keep their current home because of the low rate on their current mortgage — has kept some would-be repeat buyers on the sidelines. "Affording a home is a tough hill to climb, and it's especially steep for those buying their first home. Headwinds like mortgage rates, low inventory and rising rents are still strong, but easing," said Zillow Senior Economist Orphe Divounguy. "Attractive homes are moving fast, so those looking to buy this spring should get their finances in order now, including getting pre-approved for a home loan. The increase in new listings this spring, due both to new construction and to more homeowners choosing to sell, will give buyers more options and help to ease price growth. The housing train is slowing down just enough to give more first-time buyers an opportunity to hop on board." Top 10 markets for first-time home buyers in 2024 St. Louis Detroit Minneapolis Indianapolis Austin Pittsburgh San Antonio Birmingham Kansas City Baltimore Zillow's ranking of the best markets for first-time buyers is based on rent affordability, the share of for-sale listings a typical household can comfortably afford, how stiff the competition is expected to be for those affordable listings, and how many similar-age households1 live in the area. The top two markets in Zillow's ranking, St. Louis and Detroit, score well in terms of affordability — both for rental affordability as a prospective buyer builds up savings for a down payment, and for the number of affordable homes available to buy. Austin, while not the most affordable housing market on this list, ranks first in the number of similar-age households living there with which a buyer can build a community. First-time buyer tips and tricks Zillow has gathered tools on one easy-to-navigate web page to help aspiring first-time buyers make the leap to homeownership, from getting finances in tip-top shape to hiring the right real estate agent who can help a buyer win a home. Zillow's affordability calculator can help buyers understand their price range, including some of the hidden costs of homeownership that are often overlooked. It's important for first-time buyers to understand how their credit score can impact their loan options and costs. A top loan officer can help a buyer understand all of their options, such as whether "paying points" or an adjustable rate mortgage might make sense for a buyer's specific financial situation. Renters who pay their landlords through Zillow can now help build or enhance their credit history by opting in to rent payment reporting, with on-time payments reported to a major national credit bureau. A down payment is often the biggest financial hurdle for a first-time buyer. Those without enough money saved for a 20% down payment shouldn't fret — nearly half of buyers put down less than 20%. Zillow displays down payment assistance programs a buyer may be eligible for on all for-sale listings. 1 Ages 29–43. Zillow Research shows nearly half of first-time buyers are in this age range. Methodology Zillow's 2024 list of the best markets for first-time buyers is based on four metrics: Rent affordability, as defined by the share of median household income spent on rent. The share of available for-sale inventory on Zillow that the median household can comfortably afford, spending no more than 30% of income on the estimated monthly mortgage cost, assuming 5% down and 6.94% mortgage interest rate. The ratio of affordable for-sale inventory to renter households. More inventory per renter household is an indicator of less competition for each listing. The share of households ages 29–43. More households of similar age mean a higher score in Zillow's ranking. About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated partners and agents, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences. Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans℠, Trulia®, Out East®, StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+℠, Spruce® and Follow Up Boss®.

CubiCasa Surpasses Key Milestone with Floor Plans Included on 15% of New Listings in the US
Volume of CubiCasa Floor Plans in U.S. Real Estate Nearly Triples Year-over-Year SAN JOSE, CA - April 3, 2024 — CubiCasa, the global leader of interior property data mapping through simple smartphone scanning, today announced significant new milestones in its mission to evolve the U.S. real estate market by including floor plans on every property listing. More than 15% of new listings in the U.S. now include a CubiCasa floor plan, a mark that is more than 700% higher than the 2% mark they recorded just two years ago when the company's mission was in its infancy. Additionally, the number of CubiCasa scans performed for U.S. real estate customers in 2024 is nearly triple the rate it was during the same period a year ago. This growth underscores the increasing recognition and adoption of floor plans as a crucial digital asset in U.S. real estate listings, leading to more informed home shoppers. The same way that home searchers are accustomed to viewing a geographic map to understand a home's neighborhood, U.S home searchers are starting to expect to see a home's indoor map as well. "Floor plans are the single-best digital asset on a real estate listing because they provide consumers with a clear understanding of whether the home is the right fit for them," said Jeff Allen, President of CubiCasa. "In many other countries - such as Australia and the UK - floor plans are already a standard. Our mission is to make that happen in the U.S. so we can create a better consumer search and home buying experience. We won't stop pushing until we get there." Powering this growth is the CubiCasa app's ease of use, which is leading to scaled adoption for Real Estate Photographers, Real Estate Agents and Home Inspectors around the world. Additionally, the rapidly growing CubiCasa Preferred Photographer Program, now with more than 1,300 active photographers, and CubiCasa MLS Partnership Program, featuring more than 50 participating MLSs, are bringing in valuable adoption partners that are adding to the mission's success. Katie Ward of Simply Home Photos, serving Georgia and Tennessee, said: "Since joining the Preferred Photographers Program, we've gained a competitive edge and it has helped us stand out among other photographers in our area. Our team loves how easy it is to quickly open the app and scan an entire home in 5 minutes or less. Using CubiCasa has made our workflow much quicker and easier." Kim Mixon, a real estate agent with Keller Williams River Cities in Columbus, GA, added: "I have been using CubiCasa for my real estate business for the past two years, and it has been a game-changer. The floor plan scans they provide have become a baseline feature of what we offer to all our listing clients. The accuracy and ease of use of the CubiCasa app have been exceptional, and our clients love the added value it brings to their listings." CubiCasa's goal is not just to provide floor plans but to revolutionize the real estate industry by making floor plans a standard feature on every listing. This approach benefits both consumers and real estate professionals, leading to a more informed and efficient housing market. CubiCasa's user-friendly floor plan scanning app is readily available for download from the App Store and Google Play Store. To learn more about CubiCasa, visit https://www.cubi.casa/. About CubiCasa Headquartered in Oulu, Finland, CubiCasa is the global market leader in mobile indoor scanning and is known for its fast and easy-to-use floor plan app on the App Store and Google Play Store. CubiCasa's technology is used in 172 different countries and has helped create over 1 million floor plans to date. CubiCasa provides technology for the real estate, appraisal, and mortgage industries and is on a mission to digitize real estate. Learn more at www.cubi.casa.

The Typical Homebuyer's Down Payment Is $56,000, Up 24% From a Year Ago
Redfin reports over one-third of home purchases in February were made in all cash—not far from the record high SEATTLE -- The median down payment for U.S. homebuyers was $55,640 in February, according to a new report from Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That's up 24.1% from $44,850 a year earlier—the largest annual increase in percentage terms since April 2022. The typical homebuyer's down payment last month was equal to 15% of the purchase price, up from 10% a year earlier. This is based on a Redfin analysis of county records across 40 of the most populous U.S. metropolitan areas going back through 2011. "Homebuyers are doing whatever they can to pull together a large down payment in order to lower their monthly payments moving forward," said Rachel Riva, a Redfin real estate agent in Miami. "The smallest down payment I've seen recently is 25%. I had one client who put down 40%." Home prices rose 6.6% year over year in February, which is part of the reason down payments increased; a higher home price naturally leads to a higher down payment because the down payment is a percentage of the home price. But elevated housing costs (from both high prices and high mortgage rates) are also incentivizing buyers to take out larger down payments. A bigger down payment means a smaller total loan amount, and a smaller loan amount means smaller monthly interest payments. For example, a buyer who purchases today's median-priced U.S. home ($374,500) and puts 15% down would have a monthly payment of $2,836 at the current 6.79% mortgage rate. A buyer who puts 10% down on that same home with that same rate would have a monthly payment of $2,968. That's $132 more per month, which adds up over the course of a mortgage. Mortgage rates are down from their October peak of roughly 8%, but are still more than double the all-time low hit during the pandemic. Over 1 in 3 Home Purchases Are Made With Cash—a Near Record Share Over one-third (34.5%) of U.S. home purchases in February were made with all cash, up from 33.4% a year earlier. That's just shy of the 34.8% decade-high hit in November, and isn't far below the record high of 38% hit in 2013. Redfin defines an all-cash purchase as a home purchase with no mortgage loan information on the deed. Some homebuyers are paying in cash for the same reason others are taking out large down payments: elevated mortgage interest rates. While a large down payment helps ease the sting of high rates by reducing monthly interest payments, an all-cash purchase removes the sting altogether because it means a buyer isn't paying interest at all. Most buyers, though, can't afford to pay in cash, and many can't afford a big down payment either. First-time buyers, especially, are at a disadvantage in today's market. That's because they don't have equity from the sale of a previous home to bolster their down payments, and are often competing against all-cash offers, which sellers tend to favor. Many all-cash offers come from investors, who were buying up more than one-quarter of the country's low-priced homes as of the end of last year. Overall, though, investors are purchasing far fewer homes than they were during the pandemic housing boom. "High mortgage rates are widening the wealth gap between people of different races, generations and income levels," said Redfin Economics Research Lead Chen Zhao. "They've added fuel to the fire lit by surging home prices during the pandemic, creating a reality where in many places, wealthy Americans are the only ones who can afford to buy homes. Meanwhile, people who are priced out of homeownership are missing out on a major wealth building opportunity, which could have financial implications for their children and even their children's children." FHA loans more popular than they were during pandemic because the market is less competitive Roughly one in six (15.5%) mortgaged U.S. home sales used an FHA loan in February, up from 14.9% a year earlier and just shy of the 16.3% four-year high hit a month earlier. FHA loans are more common than they were during the pandemic homebuying boom (they represented 12.1% of mortgaged sales in February 2022) because the market today is less competitive. Roughly one in 14 (7%) mortgaged home sales used a VA loan in February, down from 8% a year earlier. The share of home sales using a VA loan typically doesn't change much over time, though it fluctuated more than usual during the topsy-turvy pandemic market. Conventional loans are the most common type, representing over three-quarters (77.5%) of mortgaged home sales in February, up slightly from 77.1% a year earlier. Jumbo loans—used for higher loan amounts and popular among luxury buyers—represented 5.3% of mortgaged sales, compared with 4.7% a year earlier. Metros with biggest increases/decreases in down payment amounts In Las Vegas, the median down payment jumped 60.9% year over year—the largest increase among the metros Redfin analyzed. Next came San Diego (49.8%), Charlotte, NC (47.4%), Virginia Beach, VA (45%) and Newark, NJ (32.2%). Down payments only fell in two metros: Milwaukee (-13.9%) and Pittsburgh (-0.4%). Metros with highest/lowest down payment percentages In San Francisco, the median down payment was equal to 25% of the purchase price—the highest among the metros Redfin analyzed. It was followed by San Jose, CA (24.9%) and Anaheim, CA (21.9%). The following metros all had median down payments of 20%: Fort Lauderdale, FL, Los Angeles, Miami, Montgomery County, PA, New Brunswick, NJ, New York, Oakland, CA, Sacramento, CA, San Diego, Seattle and West Palm Beach, FL. Down payment percentages were lowest in Virginia Beach (1.8%), Detroit (5%), Pittsburgh (5%), Baltimore (5%) and Philadelphia (7.3%). While the Bay Area has among the most expensive home prices, it also has a high concentration of wealthy residents, many of whom can afford large down payments. Meanwhile, Virginia Beach is at the bottom of the list because it has a high concentration of veterans, many of whom take out VA loans, which require little to no down payment. Metros where all-cash purchases are most/least common In Jacksonville, FL, 54.4% of home purchases were made in cash—the highest share among the metros Redfin analyzed. Next came West Palm Beach (53.4%), Cleveland (48.8%), Fort Lauderdale (46.2%) and Atlanta (46.1%). These metros are popular among investors, who often pay in cash. All-cash purchases were least common in San Jose (18%), Oakland (21.6%), San Diego (21.7%), Los Angeles (23%) and Providence, RI (23.3%). Metros with biggest increases/decreases in share of all-cash purchases In Atlanta, 46.1% of home purchases were made in cash, up 12.5 percentage points from a year earlier—the largest increase among the metros Redfin analyzed. It was followed by Jacksonville (8 ppts), Oakland (6.2 ppts), Portland, OR (5.7 ppts) and New Brunswick (5.2 ppts). In Columbus, OH, 28.5% of home purchases were made in cash, down 6.1 percentage points from a year earlier—the largest decrease among the metros Redfin analyzed. Next came Cincinnati (-4.4 ppts), Philadelphia (-3.3 ppts), Chicago (-3.3 ppts) and Phoenix (-2.8 ppts). View the full report, including charts and metro-level data, here. About Redfin Redfin is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, title insurance, and renovations services. We run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our customers can save thousands in fees while working with a top agent. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home can have our renovations crew fix it up to sell for top dollar. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.6 billion in commissions. We serve more than 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,000 people. Redfin's subsidiaries and affiliated brands include: Bay Equity Home Loans®, Rent.™, Apartment Guide®, Title Forward® and WalkScore®.

Home Affordability Improves Slightly Across U.S. During First Quarter but Remains Difficult for Average Workers
Major Home-Ownership Expenses Require Smaller Portion of Wages for Second-Straight Quarter; Historical Affordability Also Inches Upward; But Both Measures Remain Near Worst Levels in 15 Years as Home Prices Stay Close to All-Time Highs IRVINE, Calif. – Mar. 28, 2024 — ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its first-quarter 2024 U.S. Home Affordability Report showing that median-priced single-family homes and condos remain less affordable in the first quarter of 2024 compared to historical averages in more than 95 percent of counties around the nation with enough data to analyze. The latest trend continues a pattern, dating back to 2022, of home ownership requiring historically large portions of wages around the country. The report also shows that major expenses on median-priced homes consume 32.3 percent of the average national wage in the first quarter, several points above common lending guidelines. Both measures represent slight quarterly improvements but remain worse than a year ago and still sit at levels that have worked against home buyers for three years. That scenario has continued as increases in home values and major home-ownership expenses have outpaced gains in wages, despite a small respite from the second half of last year into the first quarter of 2024. As a result, the portion of average wages nationwide required for typical mortgage payments, property taxes and insurance remains up almost three percentage points from a year ago and 11 points from early in 2021, right before home-mortgage rates began shooting up from their lowest levels in decades. The latest expense-to-wage ratio continues to sit above the 28 percent level preferred by mortgage lenders and marks one the highest points over the past decade. "The picture for home buyers is brightening a little again as affordability measures have improved for the second quarter in a row," said Rob Barber, CEO for ATTOM. "For sure, it's not like things are coming up roses for house hunters. Affording a home remains a financial stretch, or a pipe dream, for so many households. But with mortgage rates coming down and home prices growing only by modest amounts, it's gotten a bit easier for average wage earners to afford a home so far this year. The upcoming Spring buying season will say a lot about whether home prices remain stable enough for this trend to continue." The first-quarter patterns come as the national median home price has risen less than 2 percent this quarter from the previous quarter and is still down from peaks hit last year. Further aiding buyers are mortgage rates that have dipped back down below 7 percent for a 30-year fixed loan after rising close to 8 percent in 2023. Inflation, while still running close to 4 percent, is less than half the levels hit in 2021. Those factors have helped reduce home ownership expenses following a period when they were shooting up faster than wages. The report determined affordability for average wage earners by calculating the amount of income needed to meet major monthly home ownership expenses — including mortgage payments, property taxes and insurance — on a median-priced single-family home, assuming a 20 percent down payment and a 28 percent maximum "front-end" debt-to-income ratio. That required income was then compared to annualized average weekly wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (see full methodology below). Compared to historical levels, median home ownership costs in 577 of the 590 counties analyzed in the first quarter of 2024 are less affordable than in the past. That number is down slightly from 584 of the same counties in the fourth quarter of last year but up from 549 in the first quarter of last year, and more than 10 times the figure from early 2021. Meanwhile, the portion of average local wages consumed by major home-ownership expenses on typical homes is considered unaffordable during the first quarter of 2024 in 425, or 72 percent, of the 590 counties in the report, based on the 28 percent guideline. Counties with the largest populations that are unaffordable in the first quarter are Los Angeles County, CA; Maricopa County (Phoenix), AZ; San Diego County, CA; Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles) and Miami-Dade County, FL. The most populous of the 165 counties where major expenses on median-priced homes are still affordable for average local workers in the first quarter of 2024 are Cook County (Chicago), IL; Harris County (Houston), TX; Wayne County (Detroit), MI; Philadelphia County, PA, and Oakland County, MI (outside Detroit). National median home price up quarterly but still down annually, with declines throughout nation The national median price for single-family homes and condos has grown to $336,250 in the first quarter of 2024, just $9,000 less than the all-time high of $345,000 hit several times in the past two years. The latest figure is up 1.9 percent from $330,000 in the fourth quarter of 2023 and up 5.1 percent from $319,900 in the first quarter of last year. Data was analyzed for counties with a population of at least 100,000 and at least 50 single-family home and condo sales in the first quarter of 2024. Among the 46 counties in the report with a population of at least 1 million, the biggest year-over-year increases in median prices during the first quarter of 2024 are in Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles) (up 14.6 percent); Santa Clara County (San Jose), CA (up 10.3 percent); Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach), FL (up 9.9 percent); Nassau County, NY (outside New York City) (up 8.9 percent) and Miami-Dade County, FL (up 8.7 percent). Counties with a population of at least 1 million where median prices remain down the most from the first quarter of 2023 to the same period this year are Travis County (Austin), TX (down 8.1 percent); New York County (Manhattan), NY (down 7.9 percent); Bexar County (San Antonio), TX (down 3.8 percent); Tarrant County (Forth Worth), TX (down 3.2 percent) and Alameda County (Oakland), CA (down 2.5 percent). Prices growing faster than wages in half the U.S. With home values mostly up annually throughout the U.S., year-over-year price changes are outpacing changes in weekly annualized wages during the early months of 2024 in 358, or 60.7 percent, of the counties analyzed in the report. The current group of counties where prices are increasing more than wages annually, or decreasing less, includes Los Angeles County, CA; Cook County, (Chicago), IL; Maricopa County (Phoenix), AZ; San Diego County, CA, and Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles). On the flip side, year-over-year changes in average annualized wages have bested price movements during the first quarter of 2024 in 232 of the 590 counties analyzed (39.3 percent). The latest group where wages are increasing more, or declining less, than prices include Harris County (Houston), TX; Dallas County, TX; Tarrant County (Fort Worth), TX; Bexar County (San Antonio), TX, and Alameda County (Oakland), CA. Portion of wages needed for home ownership dips quarterly but remains up annually in most of nation With mortgage rates tracking downward in recent months after rising last year, the portion of average local wages consumed by major expenses on median-priced, single-family homes and condos has decreased from the fourth of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024 in 91.5 percent of the 590 counties analyzed. However, it remains up annually in 90.3 percent of those markets. The typical $1,930 cost of mortgage payments, homeowner insurance, mortgage insurance and property taxes nationwide consumes 32.3 percent of the average annual national wage of $71,708 this quarter. That is down from 33.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023 as expenses commonly have dropped almost 3 percent while wages have remained flat nationwide. But the latest portion is up from 29.6 percent in the first quarter of last year and is far above the recent low point of 21.3 percent hit in the first quarter of 2021 as wage gains have lagged behind increases in expenses over that longer time period. The latest figure exceeds the 28 percent lending guideline in 425, or 72 percent, of the counties analyzed, assuming a 20 percent down payment. That is down from 78.3 percent of the same group of counties in the fourth quarter of 2023 but still up from 64.9 percent a year ago and more than twice the level in early 2021. In almost a third of the markets analyzed, major expenses currently consume at least 43 percent of average local wages – an amount considered seriously unaffordable. Home ownership on the northeast and west coasts still eats up largest chunk of wages The top 20 counties where major ownership costs require the largest percentage of average local wages are again in the Northeast or on the west coast. The leaders are Kings County (Brooklyn), NY (109.5 percent of annualized local wages needed to buy a single-family home); Marin County, CA (outside San Francisco) (102.8 percent); Maui County, HI (100.5 percent); Santa Cruz County, CA (97.3 percent) and San Luis Obispo County, CA (95.3 percent). Aside from Kings County, those with a population of at least 1 million where major ownership expenses typically consume more than 28 percent of average local wages in the first quarter of 2024 include Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles) (95.1 percent required); Queens County, NY (78.5 percent); Nassau County (outside New York City), NY (74 percent) and Riverside County, CA (71.4 percent). Counties where the smallest portion of average local wages are required to afford the median-priced home during the first quarter of this year are Macon County (Decatur), IL (11.9 percent of annualized weekly wages needed to buy a home); Schuylkill County, PA (outside Allentown) (12.1 percent); Jefferson County (Birmingham), AL (12.5 percent); Cambria County, PA (east of Pittsburgh) (12.7 percent) and Peoria County, IL (12.9 percent). Counties with a population of at least 1 million where major ownership expenses typically consume less than 28 percent of average local wages in the first quarter of 2024 include Wayne County (Detroit), MI (13.3 percent); Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), PA (17.3 percent); Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), OH (17.7 percent); Philadelphia County, PA (18.4 percent) and Harris County (Houston), TX (24.6 percent). Almost all local markets remain historically less affordable Among the 590 counties analyzed, 577, or 97.8 percent, are less affordable in the first quarter of 2024 than their historic affordability averages. That is slightly better than the 99 percent level in the fourth quarter of 2023, but worse than the 93.1 percent portion from of a year ago and more than 10 times the 7.8 percent figure from the first quarter of 2021. Historical indexes have worsened since the first quarter of last year in 90.3 percent of those counties, leaving the nationwide index at one of its lowest points over the past decade. Counties with the worst affordability indexes in the first quarter of 2024 include Linn County, IA (index of 30); Jasper County, MO (index of 55); St. Lucie County (Port St. Lucie), FL (56); Blount County, TN (outside Knoxville) (56); and Clayton County, GA (outside Atlanta) (57). Counties with a population of at least 1 million that are less affordable than their historic averages (indexes of less than 100 are considered historically less affordable) include Mecklenburg County (Charlotte), NC (index of 65); Hillsborough County (Tampa), FL (66); Collin County (Plano), TX (67); Maricopa County (Phoenix), AZ (67) and Clark County (Las Vegas), NV (68). Among counties with a population of at least 1 million, those where the affordability indexes have worsened most from the first quarter of 2023 to the first quarter of 2024 are Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles) (index down 16.5 percent); Philadelphia County, PA (down 13.5 percent); Santa Clara County (San Jose), CA (down 12.5 percent); Nassau County, NY (outside New York City) (down 11.8 percent) and Fulton County (Atlanta), GA (down 11.5 percent). Just 2 percent of markets are more affordable than historic averages Only 13 of the 590 counties in the report (2.2 percent) are more affordable than their historic averages in the first quarter of 2024. That is slightly more than the 1 percent level in the fourth quarter of this year, but less than 6.9 percent a year ago and far worse than the 92.2 percent portion that were historically more affordable in the first quarter of 2021. Counties that are more affordable in the first quarter of this year compared to historical averages include Jefferson County (Birmingham), AL (index of 136); Macon County (Decatur), IL (130); New York County (Manhattan), NY (115); Midland County, TX (112) and San Francisco County, CA (109). Report Methodology The ATTOM U.S. Home Affordability Index analyzed median home prices derived from publicly recorded sales deed data collected by ATTOM and average wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 590 U.S. counties with a combined population of 260.8 million during the first quarter of 2024. The affordability index is based on the percentage of average wages needed to pay for major expenses on a median-priced home with a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and a 20 percent down payment. Those expenses include property taxes, home insurance, mortgage payments and mortgage insurance. Average 30-year fixed interest rates from the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey were used to calculate monthly house payments. The report determined affordability for average wage earners by calculating the amount of income needed for major home-ownership expenses on median-priced homes, assuming a loan of 80 percent of the purchase price and a 28 percent maximum "front-end" debt-to-income ratio. For example, affording the nationwide median home price of $336,250 in the first quarter of 2024 requires an annual wage of $82,708. That is based on a $67,250 down payment, a $269,000 loan and monthly expenses not exceeding the 28 percent barrier — meaning wage earners would not be spending more than 28 percent of their pay on mortgage payments, property taxes and insurance. That required income is more than the $71,708 average wage nationwide, based on the most recent average weekly wage data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, making a median-priced home nationwide unaffordable for average workers. About ATTOM ATTOM provides premium property data to power products that improve transparency, innovation, efficiency, and disruption in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation's population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes, and enhances the real estate data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID — the ATTOM ID. The 30TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include ATTOM Cloud, bulk file licenses, property data APIs, real estate market trends, property navigator and more. Also, introducing our newest innovative solution, making property data more readily accessible and optimized for AI applications– AI-Ready Solutions.

RealtyJuggler Announces Major Upgrade to RealtyJuggler CRM
FORT COLLINS, CO, USA, March 22, 2024 -- Today, RealOrganized, Inc. announced a major performance upgrade to their flagship RealtyJuggler Real Estate Customer Relationship Manager (CRM). The upgrade completes the transition to a more modern server architecture which is 30% faster than the previous version. This upgrade is applied automatically, as RealtyJuggler is internet based. Optimizations have been made for both low-bandwidth mobile connections as well as high-speed gigabit desktop devices. This twin focus allows RealtyJuggler to take advantage of the latest generation of mobile and desktop devices. A comparative analysis from Google PageSpeed shows that RealtyJuggler is two to three times faster than any of the other four leading real estate CRMs. "When our members use RealtyJuggler, we want them to feel the same way about us as they feel about their favorite pair of shoes. A good real estate CRM should not stand out. Instead, it should be reliably there for you when you need it, without any drama," said Scott Schmitz, President and CEO of RealOrganized, Inc., the parent company of RealtyJuggler. Schmitz went on to say: "In today's competitive real estate environment, follow-up is more important than ever. Even lifelong friends and family will use another agent if you ignore them. Don't leave anything to chance. Stay in constant contact with past clients, your sphere of influence and relatives. That way, when they are ready to buy or sell, your name is on the tip of their tongue. Your real estate CRM can help you keep up." About RealtyJuggler RealtyJuggler is a cloud-based real estate software product for real estate agents and REALTORS. The software can be used for prospecting, touching past clients, managing transactions, and much more. RealtyJuggler is sold on a membership basis at an affordable price. It is multi-user and contains numerous features designed specifically for real estate including transaction management, listing feedback, DRIP Letters, real estate flyers, and mailing labels. RealtyJuggler is distinguished from its competition through a unique triple focus on ease-of-use, low cost, and friendly technical support. About RealOrganized, Inc. RealtyJuggler's mission is to create the easiest-to-use and most powerful real estate CRM software for real estate agents and other real estate professionals. Visit www.RealtyJuggler.com for more information.

Local Logic and Property Panorama Forge Innovative Partnership to Enrich Virtual Tours with Advanced Location Insights
The partnership will integrate comprehensive location and demographic data for enhanced real estate marketing MONTREAL, March 20, 2024 - Local Logic, the leading location insights provider for the real estate industry, today announced a partnership with Property Panorama, the world's #1 provider of virtual tours. This collaboration is set to equip Property Panorama's vast network of agents and brokers with a one-click solution to Local Logic's advanced insights directly within their virtual tours and digital marketing solutions, offering an unparalleled understanding of locations across the United States and Canada. When Local Logic and Property Panorama met, they immediately recognized a shared vision for empowering real estate professionals with cutting-edge tools. This alliance will enable Property Panorama customers to seamlessly integrate Local Logic's industry-leading insights, enhancing the virtual tour experience with valuable location data and demographics. "By incorporating Local Logic's granular location insights into our virtual tours and digital marketing solutions, we're offering our clients a significant competitive edge. This integration provides a richer, more informative experience for end-users, allowing them to gain a comprehensive understanding of a property's neighborhood," states Colton Slater, President of Property Panorama. The integration features Local Logic's Local Content and Local Demographics solutions. Local Content offers 18 distinct location scores across services, transportation, and character, alongside points of interest and school data, enriching the property's profile with essential lifestyle and location characteristics. Local Demographics delivers out-of-the-box, engaging insights into income, employment, population demographics, and more, ensuring all home seekers' questions are immediately answered. Vincent-Charles Hodder, co-founder and CEO of Local Logic, reflects on the impact of this partnership, "Our collaboration with Property Panorama marks a significant milestone in our mission to bring transparency and insight into the real estate decision-making process. Through this partnership, we're enabling users to access comprehensive location intelligence, directly influencing better-informed real estate decisions." To learn more about Local Logic's Local Content and Local Demographics solutions, please visit https://locallogic.co. About Local Logic Local Logic is a location intelligence platform that digitizes the built world for consumers, investors, developers, and governments – delivering unrivaled clarity and actionable insights capable of creating more sustainable, equitable cities. With more than 100 billion unique data points – the largest unique location data set in the U.S. and Canada – the platform creates a digital twin of cities, quantifying the built world and offering predictive, precise analytics to inform the present and future of over 250 million individual addresses. About Property Panorama Property Panorama provides cutting-edge, yet highly affordable, Digital Marketing and Advertising Solutions. The fully automated product suite allows Agents, Brokers, and MLSs to enhance their brands and listings with engaging Virtual Tours, Digital Advertising Campaigns, Agent Landing Pages, Videos, Flyers, and more. Partnered with over 270 MLSs and Associations, Property Panorama's technology is responsible for generating over 15 Million digital marketing suites for over 500,000 Agents nationwide. It is through this automated system that Property Panorama has proudly become the #1 provider of Virtual Tours in the World.

Homes.com Residential Network Reaches All-time High of 149 Million+ Unique Monthly Visitors in February 2024
Homes.com is the #2 Homebuying Portal with 567% Year-Over-Year Traffic Growth WASHINGTON — March 14, 2024 — The Homes.com Residential Network reached more than 149 million unique visitors in February, cementing Homes.com's position as the second-most trafficked homebuying portal. Homes.com itself achieved a 567% year-over-year (YOY) traffic increase. The traffic data demonstrate the popularity of Homes.com's unique "Your Listing, Your Lead" business model which connects buyers directly to the agents representing a given property listing, ensuring convenience and transparency for the buyer and the preservation of agents' commissions. The February traffic figures more than double Realtor's 66 million average unique monthly visitors and triple Redfin's 44 million average unique monthly visitors. "The latest traffic data for the Homes.com network is a validation of our unprecedented investment in building the most comprehensive and agent, seller and buyer friendly residential portal on the market," said Andy Florance, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CoStar Group. "Our ‘Your Listing, Your Lead' model, which works for agents rather than against them to preserve their local knowledge and relationships with buyers, is extremely popular and resonating well with brokers across the country. We are thrilled to see such a positive response from homebuyers and sellers as well." The explosive growth on Homes.com comes as CoStar Group announced that it has invested over $1 billion in the platform, including the industry's largest marketing campaign across dozens of traditional and digital channels, including four Super Bowl advertisements and commercials in the Oscars, Emmys, the Olympics and nearly every major television and media event. The campaign is estimated to reach over 90% of households delivering more than 80 billion impressions. Additionally, the company employs over a thousand employees focused on developing unique and compelling neighborhood-specific content that can only be found on Homes.com. CoStar Group purchased Homes.com in 2021 and rebuilt the site from the ground up, investing massively in ensuring that Homes.com has the most robust content of any home buying site. Homes.com's growth comes as part of a period of significant growth and expansion for CoStar Group. Founded in 1987, CoStar Group has grown to over 6,200 employees in 14 countries and is the result of its vision to digitize the real estate industry, empowering people to discover properties, insights, and connections that improve their businesses and lives. CoStar Group is included in the S&P 500 Index, one of the premier benchmarks of the U.S. equities market, and in the NASDAQ 100, one of the world's largest preeminent large-cap indexes. About Costar Group, Inc. CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the property markets. Founded in 1987, CoStar Group conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of real estate information. CoStar is the global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, enabling clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on property values, market conditions and availabilities. Apartments.com is the leading online marketplace for renters seeking great apartment homes, providing property managers and owners a proven platform for marketing their properties. LoopNet is the most heavily trafficked online commercial real estate marketplace with over twelve million monthly global unique visitors. STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics, and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Ten-X offers a leading platform for conducting commercial real estate online auctions and negotiated bids. Homes.com is the fastest growing online residential marketplace that connects agents, buyers, and sellers. OnTheMarket is a leading residential property portal in the United Kingdom. BureauxLocaux is one of the largest specialized property portals for buying and leasing commercial real estate in France. Business Immo is France's leading commercial real estate news service. Thomas Daily is Germany's largest online data pool in the real estate industry. Belbex is the premier source of commercial space available to let and for sale in Spain. CoStar Group's websites attract over 100 million unique monthly visitors. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar Group maintains offices throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Asia. From time to time, we plan to utilize our corporate website, CoStarGroup.com, as a channel of distribution for material company information. For more information, CoStarGroup.com.

OJO acquires The LEAD Syndicate, to launch Lever for real estate agents
Lever, a brokerage-agnostic, tech-powered comprehensive platform is designed to help individual agents grow their business Austin, TX - Austin-based real estate technology company OJO announced today it's acquiring The LEAD Syndicate, a first-of-its-kind leverage platform founded by industry leader Nikki Miller. Together, the two are joining forces to launch Lever by Movoto, a platform delivering an all-in suite of solutions that will handle agents' marketing, supplemental lead generation, database management, transaction management, wrapped with training and accountability solutions to ensure the agents' ultimate success. The new platform is exclusively optimized for individual real estate agents to leverage a proven comprehensive support system while maintaining and growing their brand in the face of a historically competitive and fast-changing real estate landscape. Lever by Movoto will be the first platform to bring together point solutions in a holistic way that provides support for individual agents, and will benefit real estate agents and brokerages in their pursuit of profitability. "We are ecstatic to partner with Nikki and combine our resources to launch Lever, an innovative new platform and network for real estate agents," OJO President Chris Heller said. "Lever will change the game for individual real estate agents who want to spend less time on back office work and more time on building relationships and helping clients realize their home buying and selling goals." "Now more than ever real estate agents and brokerages need a trusted ally so they can get back to basics and do what they do best," Heller added. "OJO and Movoto have long been in the corner of real estate professionals, and Nikki's superpower of helping agents skyrocket their businesses is the perfect complement to the existing programs we have at OJO." Miller is the CEO and Founder of The LEAD Syndicate, a comprehensive support system for real estate agents and a growth engine for their businesses. With more than a decade in real estate as one of the industry's most successful trainers and operators, Miller brings deep expertise in training and systems development to OJO's vast network of the top real estate agents and teams in the industry. "I am thrilled to join the incredible team at OJO and Movoto in launching Lever," Nikki Miller, CEO and Founder of the LEAD Syndicate said. "I have had the opportunity to work closely alongside OJO and its partner agents in the past year, and it's been amazing to watch the team build innovative technology and systems with real estate agents front and center. I am confident this partnership will be the driving force in furthering our mission to change the way individual real estate agents operate and approach their business." Despite market headwinds, OJO has seen its agent network and programs grow in size over the past year with the launch of its newest offering for teams, Movoto Pro+ — an exclusive real estate network for the top teams, built on the back of Movoto, the only consumer-facing real estate portal built by and with real estate leaders and practitioners. Lever, the next generation model of the OJO Select Network, creates deep operational integration with agents and delivers to agents Miller's super power in increasing agent efficiency and effectiveness. OJO partners with the top real estate and mortgage professionals to deliver value for the millions of consumers on its platforms, including Movoto, the largest privately held residential real estate search website. With the launch of Lever, OJO is making the strategic decision to align all of its products under the Movoto brand umbrella. Movoto, which meets tens of millions of visitors each month, has established itself as one of the most recognizable consumer brands in real estate. The move comes as OJO concurrently begins transitioning its real estate industry-facing products under the Movoto umbrella to bring greater alignment between the company's agent products and Movoto, its iconic consumer-facing brand. "A greater alignment between our consumer and industry-facing brands will ensure a more seamless experience for consumers and real estate professionals," OJO CEO and Founder John Berkowitz said. "We are laser-focused on ensuring the millions of consumers that come to Movoto actually find or sell a home, and that often starts with finding a great real estate professional. Partners like Nikki Miller ensure that agents continue to be a critical part of our journey as a company and I'm thrilled to have her on board." For more information about Lever visit leverbymovoto.com. About OJO OJO is an Austin-based real estate technology partnering with the top real estate professionals to deliver value to millions of consumers on its platforms, including Movoto, the largest privately-owned residential real estate search website. The company's platform for buying, selling, and homeownership meets people wherever they are on their journey, offering personalized guidance every step of the way. Through a bespoke combination of people and technology, OJO cultivates a deep understanding of individual needs and preferences, matching people with the right tools and trusted providers to equip anyone to unlock the abundant benefits of home ownership. As one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., OJO has placed 29th on the Deloitte Tech Fast 500 and 49th on the Inc. 5000. To date, the company has raised more than $140 million to fuel its rapid growth. CEO and Founder, John Berkowitz, has been named EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Central Texas and a top CEO by the Austin Business Journal and the company's executives have won more than a dozen industry awards in the past year. OJO Labs is headquartered in Austin, Texas and has more than 700 employees globally with a presence in Chicago, Minneapolis, and San Mateo; and a large operations center in St. Lucia.

HomeStack and LiveEasy Forge Partnership to Streamline Homeownership Journey
Calabasas, CA – March 5, 2024 – HomeStack, who specializes in building white-labeled mobile real estate solutions for brokers, teams, and agents to empower their clients with data-driven insights and control, today announced a partnership with LiveEasy, the country’s first full-service home management and client engagement platform designed to help homeowners and renters in the US manage all aspects of their buying, selling, renting, or living journey. Meanwhile, helping keep agents top of mind, build meaningful relationships, and generate referrals for life. This strategic alliance marks a significant step forward in simplifying the homeownership journey for both buyers and sellers while allowing them an optimized mobile experience. "At HomeStack, we believe that owning a home shouldn't be a mystery," said Will Grewal, CEO of HomeStack. "Our platform puts homebuyers and homeowners in the driver's seat, equipping them with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions about their biggest investment. Partnering with LiveEasy expands our reach and strengthens our commitment to offering a holistic homeownership ecosystem." LiveEasy's user-friendly platform enhances the homeownership experience by offering valuable solutions to tasks like comparing quotes from various service providers, accessing pre-negotiated savings from home service companies, tracking the value of the home, and what home improvements help to increase the value. This integration with HomeStack will provide homeowners and homebuyers with a smooth mobile experience. LiveEasy clients will gain access to HomeStack's powerful data and analytics, empowering them to make informed decisions about potential investments, home sales, and purchases. ‍"We are thrilled to partner with HomeStack and leverage their cutting-edge technology to empower our users further," shared Venkatesh Ganapathy, CEO of LiveEasy. "This collaboration creates a comprehensive solution that redefines the entire homeownership journey, from buying and selling to homeownership. We believe this partnership will revolutionize how people think about and experience homeownership." ‍‍The key benefits of this partnership include: Seamless Transition to the Homeownership Journey: HomeStack users buying or owning their property can easily connect with LiveEasy to set up their home services, eliminating the hassle of manual processes. Data-Driven Decision Making: LiveEasy users gain access to HomeStack's market insights and property data in a mobile application, enabling them to make informed decisions and optimize their purchase strategies. Streamlined Communication: Both platforms facilitate efficient communication between homeowners, homebuyers, agents, and others fostering a first-class experience. This partnership between HomeStack and LiveEasy marks a significant milestone in the real estate industry, paving the way for a more informed and empowered homeownership experience. By combining data-driven insights with user-friendly tools, both platforms are committed to making the journey of buying, owning, and managing a home smoother and more rewarding for everyone involved. ‍About HomeStack‍ HomeStack specializes in providing mobile solutions for real estate professionals. They offer mobile apps and technology solutions designed to enhance the experience for real estate agents and their clients. HomeStack's mobile apps are often customized for real estate agents and brokerages, providing a platform to showcase property listings, market information, and other relevant real estate data. These apps aim to streamline communication between agents and clients, offering features such as property search, smart notifications, and messaging. Learn more at www.HomeStack.com. About LiveEasy ‍LiveEasy is the country's first full-service home management concierge platform designed to help the 190 million+ homeowners and renters in the U.S. with all their moving and home management needs. LiveEasy makes it easy to access service providers, savings, a dedicated concierge, and more. For partners, LiveEasy is a white-labeled, turnkey solution that enables businesses to customize and brand the platform, so they can offer a true end-to-end home management solution to their clients and develop a lifetime connection with them. Today, LiveEasy partners with a range of businesses including mortgage, insurance, rental, home services, and the largest real estate brokerages in the country representing more than 275,000 agents. For more information about LiveEasy, visit LiveEasy.com.

NAR Opens Applications for 2024 Good Neighbor Awards
Marking its 25th year, esteemed program celebrates volunteerism legacy CHICAGO – The National Association of Realtors® announced the opening of applications for its 2024 Good Neighbor Awards. 2024 marks the 25th year of honoring NAR members who exemplify dedication to volunteer service and make significant impacts in their communities. "NAR's Good Neighbor Awards highlight the remarkable dedication of Realtors® to making a meaningful difference where they live and work," said NAR President Kevin Sears, broker-partner of Sears Real Estate in Springfield, Massachusetts. "As we celebrate 25 years of this program, we are reminded of the power of giving back and how one person can change the lives of many." Five winners will each receive a $10,000 grant for their nonprofit organization and be recognized in November during NAR NXT, The REALTOR® Experience in Boston. Five honorable mentions will also each receive a $2,500 grant. Since its inception, NAR's Good Neighbor Awards have recognized more than 240 Realtors® for their volunteer efforts, contributing more than $1.5 million to Realtor®-led nonprofit organizations. Past winners, hailing from 43 states and Puerto Rico, have made a meaningful impact in 17 countries worldwide, embodying the spirit of community and compassion that defines the real estate community and transcends borders. "Realtor.com® salutes the Good Neighbor Awards and the program's 25 years of recognizing how agents who are Realtors® improve lives and communities," said Realtor.com® Chief Marketing Officer Mickey Neuberger. "As a long-time sponsor, we've witnessed the profound impact and been inspired to make a difference with consumers, customers and housing industry partners." Entries must be received by April 17, 2024. To be eligible, nominees must be an NAR member in good standing and should have made a significant impact as a volunteer for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Nominees are chosen for the award based on their community impact through volunteer work. For additional details, judging criteria and to apply, visit nar.realtor/gna or call 800-874-6500. About the National Association of Realtors® The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. About Realtor.com® Realtor.com® is an open real estate marketplace built for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago. Today, through its website and mobile apps, Realtor.com® is a trusted guide for consumers, empowering more people to find their way home by breaking down barriers, helping them make the right connections, and creating confidence through expert insights and guidance. For professionals, Realtor.com® is a trusted partner for business growth, offering consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com.

Home buyers need to earn $47,000 more than in 2020
The income needed to comfortably afford a home is up 80% since 2020, while median income has risen 23% in that time SEATTLE, Feb. 29, 2024 -- Home shoppers today need to make more than $106,000 to comfortably afford a home, a new Zillow® analysis finds. That is 80% more than in January 2020, showing how the math has changed for hopeful buyers, who are more often partnering with friends and family or "house hacking" their way to homeownership. In 2020, a household earning $59,000 annually could comfortably afford the monthly mortgage on a typical U.S. home, spending no more than 30% of its income with a 10% down payment. That was below the U.S. median income of about $66,000, meaning more than half of American households had the financial means to afford homeownership. Now, the roughly $106,500 needed to comfortably afford a typical home is well above what a typical U.S. household earns each year, estimated at about $81,000. "Housing costs have soared over the past four years as drastic hikes in home prices, mortgage rates and rent growth far outpaced wage gains," said Orphe Divounguy, a senior economist at Zillow. "Buyers are getting creative to make a purchase pencil out, and long-distance movers are targeting less expensive and less competitive metros. Mortgage rates easing down has helped some, but the key to improving affordability long term is to build more homes." A monthly mortgage payment on a typical U.S. home has nearly doubled since January 2020, up 96.4% to $2,188 (assuming a 10% down payment). Home values have risen 42.4% in that time, with the typical U.S. home now worth about $343,000. Mortgage rates ended January 2020 near 3.5%, keeping the cost of a home affordable for most households that could manage the down payment. At the time of this analysis, mortgage rates were about 6.6%. For a household making the median income, it would take almost 8.5 years before they would have enough saved to put 10% down on a typical U.S. home, about a year longer than it would have in 2020. It's no wonder, then, that half of first-time buyers say at least part of their down payment came from a gift or loan from family or friends. With the cost of a mortgage rising, most millennial and Gen Z buyers say "house hacking" — the ability to rent out all or part of a home for extra cash — is very or extremely important. Co-buying with a friend or relative is another way to help with affordability, something 21% of last year's buyers reported doing. Metro areas where a buyer could comfortably afford a typical home with the lowest income are Pittsburgh ($58,232 income needed to afford a home), Memphis ($69,976), Cleveland ($70,810), New Orleans ($74,048) and Birmingham ($74,338). The only major metros where a typical home is affordable to a household making the median income are Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Detroit. There are seven markets among the major metros where a household's income must be $200,000 or more to comfortably afford a typical home. The top four are in California: San Jose ($454,296), San Francisco ($339,864), Los Angeles ($279,250) and San Diego ($273,613). Seattle ($213,984), the New York City metro area ($213,615) and Boston ($205,253) complete the list. To help find a home within budget, home shoppers on Zillow can filter search results by monthly cost instead of by list price. The tool simplifies the complex calculation of translating a home's list price into the monthly cost, factoring in the latest mortgage rates. Those needing a down payment boost may qualify for down payment assistance. Home listings on Zillow include a down payment assistance module to help shoppers see what local resources could be available to them. *Table ordered by income needed to afford a mortgage in January 2024. About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated partners and agents, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences. Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans℠, Trulia®, Out East®, StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+℠, Spruce® and Follow Up Boss®.

Former Zillow Execs Launch Tomo Real Estate, a Next-Gen Home Search Portal Redefining Home Buyer Strategies
I-powered search, insider equity insights, and negotiation tips give home shoppers an edge in today's competitive housing market STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 20, 2024 -- Tomo, the mortgage startup founded by Zillow alumni that has raised $110 million, today launched a new real estate portal, Tomo Real Estate, designed to give homebuyers a strategic advantage. Tomo Real Estate's unique home search experience offers home buyers insider intel, transforming the way they approach negotiations and ultimately helping them land their dream homes. Tomo Real Estate has built an AI-first platform that leverages OpenAI to power free-text search capabilities. Home buyers can simply describe their ideal home just as they would in a conversation, and the platform delivers accurate results. The new portal augments Tomo's core business — purchase mortgages, offered through Tomo Mortgage. The company has spent the last three years building mortgage tech that shortens closing times and provides a better customer experience. Tomo is taking a major step forward in furthering its mission to support home buyers at every stage of their journey. The company is extending its commitment to better another critical, yet technologically stagnant, step of the home shopping experience: search and find. Tomo Real Estate offers home buyers insider intel, such as home equity data and owner names, transforming the way they approach negotiations and ultimately helping them land their dream homes. "Tomo's beginnings as a mortgage company set us apart in the real estate industry. We recognized that the mortgage process was the catastrophe of the real estate transaction, and tackled that first. Now, we're channeling that motivation into the real estate search," said Tomo Co-founder and CEO, Greg Schwartz. "Let's face it. The search and find process hasn't changed much since mobile phones launched. Home buyers have been stuck adapting to the technology and experiences available, instead of the technology and experience streamlining how people actually search for homes – which is far more nuanced than a zip code, bed and bath count." At launch, Tomo Real Estate will be available in key markets covering 50 percent of real estate listings in the U.S. To better meet the needs of the next generation of home buyers, Tomo Real Estate has built an AI-first platform that leverages OpenAI to power free-text search capabilities. Unique to Tomo Real Estate, home buyers can simply describe their ideal home just as they would in a conversation with a friend or real estate agent — such as, "a Seattle home that has a top of the line kitchen with space to entertain, great views, and a spot to WFH" — and the platform delivers accurate results, making the home-search process more intuitive and efficient. Additionally, Tomo Real Estate is pioneering the use of computer vision to index photos, extracting over 200 attributes that go beyond standard property descriptions, including features like water views, fenced backyard, and natural light. Home buyers will also have access to valuable information such as home equity data and owner names. Equity data is a game-changer, allowing buyers to gauge negotiation strategies based on a seller's financial situation. Owner names will be displayed based on public record data, serving as a resource to better understand an owner's motivations for selling. "We're not just another listing portal," said Carey Armstrong, Tomo Co-founder & COO. "Tomo Real Estate is here to give home buyers a distinctive advantage with real, actionable insights — not overwhelming them with a buffet of information and ads to decipher alone. Think of Tomo Real Estate as your strategic partner, paving the way for home-buying success." The new portal works in lock-step with Tomo Mortgage's existing purchase mortgage business, which has among the best customer satisfaction in the business. Tomo Mortgage regularly logs NPS scores that are 20-plus points higher than industry stalwarts like Rocket Mortgage, thanks to its tech and customer service center. Start your home search with Tomo Real Estate at https://tomo.com. About Tomo Tomo is a fintech startup on a mission to digitize residential mortgages and vastly improve the home-buying experience through its two companies, Tomo Mortgage and Tomo Real Estate. With a unique perspective rooted in its founding DNA as a mortgage company, Tomo Real Estate is a next-gen real estate portal offering a comprehensive home shopping experience, leveraging AI, visual insights, and purpose-driven data to give home buyers an advantage and redefine the real estate industry.

Inside Real Estate Launches 2024 with New Innovations in AI, Platform and Home Ownership Tech
New products and features highlight smarter tech through the industry's most robust and fully connected ecosystem, unlocking workflows and empowering customers to provide exceptional value to their clients, work more efficiently, and drive higher profitability this year. MURRAY, Utah, February 15, 2024 --- Inside Real Estate, independent industry tech leader, and trusted partner to over 400,000 agents, teams, brokerages and top franchise brands, just announced a wave of new product innovations and enhancements, as well as a look at their 2024 roadmap, designed to make it easy for their clients to increase productivity and profit through a fully connected front-to-back office ecosystem. In a recent webinar for Inside Real Estate clients, the company detailed innovative new enhancements to their platform solutions, as well as a preview of plans in development for future releases. More AI-powered productivity-enhancing solutions have been added including a revamped CRM experience that offers efficient and effective communication tools leveraging AI call scripts, email, and text generating capabilities. New designs and customizations for branded collateral and sites help customers "stand apart from the sea of sameness without the hassle of design or development," said Ken Katschke, SVP of Product at Inside Real Estate, and an upgraded, complete back office technology suite creates a single workflow, boosting productivity, and driving brokerage and team growth with a best-in-class data-backed recruiting and retention solution. The latest release and enhancements are designed to help agents and brokers: Leverage AI, automation and insights, to create opportunities, and drive engagement so agents can focus on their most important activities. Differentiate their business, brand and unique value props with design customization and workflows to help them stand apart. Create clients for life, bringing the front office and back office operations together to seamlessly deliver value during the full homeownership lifecycle. Find and align with a community of support to offer inspiration, motivation, and ample opportunities to come together and build connections. "I am confident this will be a momentum-building 2024, and the businesses that lean in, focus on the fundamentals, and set themselves ahead of the competition will capitalize on the opportunities that await," said Joe Skousen, Founder & CEO of Inside Real Estate. "As much as ever, we are taking our role as technology partner seriously, and are laser-focused on delivering the technology, tools, support, and connections, to help our clients find success and stay ahead." Inside Real Estate rounds out their 2024 innovation roadmap with a keen focus on fostering a strong community, peer-to-peer enablement and elevated customer support experiences. Mastermind events, peer coaching programs, new certifications to maximize ROI, and a highly touted user conference in April, called UNITE will all be available this year. To learn more, visit insiderealestate.com. About Inside Real Estate Inside Real Estate is a fast-growing, independently-owned real estate software firm that serves as a trusted technology partner to over 400,000 top brokerages, agents, and teams. Their flagship product, kvCORE Platform, is the most modern and comprehensive solution in the industry known for delivering profitable growth at every level of a brokerage organization. Built on a modern, scalable, and flexible architecture, kvCORE enables every brokerage to create its own unique technology ecosystem through custom branding, robust integrations, and high-quality add-on solutions. Recent strategic acquisitions have expanded the company's technology portfolio further, including BoomTown, Brokermint, and AmpStats solutions, which solidifies Inside Real Estate as the leading technology partner in the real estate industry. With an accomplished leadership team and its talented staff, Inside Real Estate brings the resources, scale, and vision to deliver ongoing innovation and success to their growing customer base. To learn more visit insiderealestate.com.

REACH Australia and New Zealand Unveils Nine Companies Selected to 2024 Scale-up Program
SUNSHINE COAST, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA (February 12, 2024) – Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors®, is delighted to announce the inclusion of nine innovative companies to the 2024 REACH Australia and New Zealand program. Launched in 2019, the REACH Australia and New Zealand program is now entering its fifth year and is the longest-running REACH program outside the United States. This initiative has evolved to become a cornerstone for technology companies aiming to scale their growth and make a lasting impact on the real estate communities of Australia and New Zealand. "We are honored to have the opportunity to work with more exciting property technology startups," said Peter Schravemade, managing partner, REACH Australia and New Zealand. "These nine companies represent the largest number of companies taken on in a calendar year for the REACH Australia and New Zealand program. Regardless of your area of specialization, there is significant value within this group." Recently awarded as Residential VC of the Year by the Center for Real Estate Technology and Innovation, the REACH program consistently asserts its dominance within the Australian property technology community, solidifying partnerships with multiple real estate institutes and the Proptech Association of Australia. This commitment underscores REACH's integral role in propelling innovation and collaboration within the industry. "For five years, this program has been a driving force for Australian and New Zealand real estate technology, opening doors to global markets," said Dave Garland, managing partner, Second Century Ventures. "The diverse and forward-thinking 2024 cohort demonstrates our unwavering dedication to fostering the best innovation and talent from the Asia Pacific region." The companies accepted to the REACH Australia and New Zealand 2024 program are as follows: Arcanite is the ultimate real estate sales management and channel distribution platform to accelerate the transaction rate for all connected parties within the real estate ecosystem. Erin Living Technologies is a resident experience company meeting the demands of modern living. The core product – Erin – is a community-led livability super-app designed to make the lives of residents more connected, secure and convenient. Milk Chocolate has verticalized all parts of the property journey into one experience, offering planning, buying, building and management services. Leesy digitizes and centralizes the leasing process, helping renters to secure a home they love without the stress, landlords to maximize their rental yield, and agencies to reduce the time they spend leasing properties by up to 74%. FLK it Over streamlines residential leases and all real-estate document signing for your office with its seamless dashboard, SMS-powered communication and powerful proptech integrations Agent Profit Planner fine-tunes your real estate agency business for maximum return with online modeling tools to test profit and efficiency outcomes. Square by Square empowers anyone to buy and sell tiny squares of conservation land, making it profitable to protect nature. GXE is the all-in-one platform for investment funds, family offices, and syndicates that provides real-time visibility, efficient workflows, automated administration, reporting and more. THDR Group (aka THEODORE) is an Australian-born custom-tailored menswear brand with the vision of providing property professionals with access to affordable luxury menswear, by innovating and simplifying the customer experience via the use of emerging technology. For further information about REACH Australia and New Zealand and to explore ways to get involved, including attending the 2024 kickoff event in Brisbane, visit www.reachau.com/portfolio. About REACH REACH is a unique technology scale-up program created by Second Century Ventures, the most active global fund in real estate technology. Backed by the National Association of Realtors®, Second Century Ventures leverages the association's more than 1.5 million members and an unparalleled network of executives within real estate and adjacent industries. The REACH program helps technology companies scale across the real estate vertical and its adjacent markets through education, mentorship and market exposure. For more on REACH, visit www.narreach.com. About the National Association of Realtors® The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Realtor.com Avail Survey Finds Despite Cooling Rental Prices, Homeownership Remains Out of Reach for Many
Fewer independent landlords are planning to raise rents this year, but tenants paying persistently higher rents say it's likely to impact their home purchasing plans this year SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 8, 2024 -- Over the past few years it's become more expensive than ever to rent, and with rental affordability a pressing national concern, landlords and tenants alike say it's impacting their future plans, according to a new Realtor.com® Avail Landlord & Renter Survey released today. Fewer surveyed independent landlords are planning to raise rents this year, but with more tenants paying persistently higher rents in recent years, many renters say it's likely to impact their home purchase plans this year. "The once-hot rental market has been stabilizing and softening year-over-year since May 2023, mostly from a surge in new rental options coming to the market that gave renters more to choose from. But the surge in rents and the sheer number of renters, many of whom have held off on buying in recent years, continue to minimize any potential price impacts that increased rental inventory could have on the market," said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist, Realtor.com®. "The median asking rent in 2024 is expected to drop only slightly below its 2023 level (-0.2%), but with wages rising 4.5% in January and anticipated to continue growing, even the modest decline in rent is giving households a real break, reducing the share of each paycheck going toward rent." Fewer landlords raising rents this year According to the survey, while six in 10 landlords (60%) plan to raise rent in the next 12 months, that percentage declined in recent quarters, down from 65% in Q1 2023. The majority of surveyed landlords (69%) noted they raise rent differently for renewals versus new leases, with the most opting for 0-5% increases for renewals and 0-10% increases for new leases. Among landlords who don't raise rents differently for renewal versus new tenants, the majority (50%) plan to increase rent between 0-5%. Planned rent increases are inline with higher costs across the board for many Americans, including landlords who are passing those costs on to their tenants. The majority of landlords (60%) stated that their ownership costs increased upwards of 10% in the past 12 months. Among landlords not planning to raise rents this year, 72% cite their unit already being priced at or above local market value. Persistently high prices squeeze renters The average responding renter pays between $1,000 and $1,500 monthly, but the survey found more renters are paying rents upwards of $1000–$2000 than in previous surveys, indicating continued rent increases for many across the country. In fact, 71% of surveyed renters noted a rent increase when renewing their most recent lease. And relief from high housing costs isn't in sight, with 35% of surveyed renters anticipating future rent increases and 38% unsure if they will see one, leading nearly two thirds (63%) to explore other housing options besides renewing their current lease. Common reasons for those not renewing leases included that the current rent was too expensive (43%) and unaffordable rent increases (23%). For some, staying put when a lease is up and negotiating rent increases may help save money; the percentage of renters attempting to negotiate rent increases when renewing their lease increased from 28% in Q1 2023 to 34% in Q4 2023. This may be especially true in 2024 as higher rental vacancy rates may mean landlords are more interested in securing renewals. Budget constraints put home buying plans on pause Rising interest rates and inflation are impacting home purchasing plans for many renters looking at buying in the year ahead, with 82% of surveyed renters noting the economy has had an impact on their housing plans. Among renters who are not considering a home purchase this year (71%), the majority cited not having enough for a down payment (61%) and that interest rates are too high (42%). The proportion of renters considering purchasing a home in the next 12 months decreased slightly from 30% in Q1 2023 to 29% in Q4 2023, with concerns about a lack of savings and their ability to qualify for a mortgage increasing. That's not surprising, given that two thirds of renters (68%) reported saving less each month than they were 12 months ago. Rental owners staying put on their properties Higher home prices and mortgage rates are also impacting landlords' plans for investing in more rental properties in the year ahead. Only 22% of surveyed landlords reported plans to buy one or more rental properties in the next 12 months, not unexpected given that approximately 7 in 10 surveyed landlords already have a mortgage on at least one rental property, and would likely finance another purchase with a mortgage. The majority of landlords have no plans to exit the market either: 73% stated they don't plan to sell any units in their portfolio over the next 12 months. Methodology Avail's quarterly survey of landlords and renters was conducted online in the U.S. between Dec. 6-15, 2023. Approximately 2,419 landlords and 2,241 renters were surveyed. The margin of error for landlords is estimated at ±2.62% and ±2.72% for renters. About Realtor.com® Realtor.com® is an open real estate marketplace built for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago. Today, through its website and mobile apps, Realtor.com® is a trusted guide for consumers, empowering more people to find their way home by breaking down barriers, helping them make the right connections, and creating confidence through expert insights and guidance. For professionals, Realtor.com® is a trusted partner for business growth, offering consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com.

Home is where the heart is: 42% of recent home buyers find love after moving
Big-city buyers are three times more likely to find love than buyers in the suburbs SEATTLE, Feb. 6, 2024 -- This Valentine's Day, a new Zillow® survey is challenging the conventional order of love, marriage and homeownership. More than 2 in 5 recent home buyers (42%) report finding love after buying their new home. The share is even higher for Gen Z (64%), millennial (49%) and first-time (51%) buyers. Contrary to the made-for-TV romance movie trope, recent buyers are more than twice as likely to find love in the big city than in the country. In a plot twist, nearly 70% of recent buyers who found love after their move reported buying in an urban area (68%), compared to 33% who settled down in a rural area and only 22% who bought in the burbs. "Life events like coupling up and falling in love often prompt households to buy a home," said Manny Garcia, a senior population scientist at Zillow. "What we found is that love does not just prompt home buying, but home buying appears to prompt love as well. Homeownership can provide financial security, a stable foundation and a place to create lifelong memories. For many buyers, it also appears to be, at least in part, the springboard to putting down roots and finding love." Perhaps money can buy you love - and a home. Buyers with an annual household income of at least $100,000 were about twice as likely to report finding love since buying their new home, with 58% reporting such a connection. In contrast, only 28% of recent buyers with incomes of less than $50,000 said they found love after their move. One possible explanation is that higher-income buyers tend to be younger, and the youngest generations were the most likely to report finding love after moving. Recent buyers with the median income of $100,000 and above were between 9 and 11 years younger than those with incomes of less than $50,000. Nearly half of single, never-married home buyers said they fell in love after moving into their new home (47%), while divorced, separated or widowed home buyers are the least likely to report finding love after moving (9%). Gender dynamics also appear to be at play. Male buyers are about twice as likely as female buyers to report falling in love since moving into their new homes — 55% versus 28%. Survey methodology Zillow Group Population Science conducted a nationally representative survey of 901 successful and 993 prospective buyers. The study was fielded in September and October 2023. For more information on survey methodology, contact [email protected]. About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences. Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans℠, Trulia®, Out East®, StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+℠, Spruce® and Follow Up Boss®.

Homes.com Ranked Among Top 50 U.S. Domains in Organic Visibility Improvement in 2023
Homes.com earns spot in SISTRIX's IndexWatch 2023, recognizing domains with significant visibility and growth in the U.S. WASHINGTON — February 2, 2024 — Homes.com, a brand of CoStar Group, a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the property markets, today earned the 43rd spot in SISTRIX's IndexWatch 2023 for organic visibility improvement. Each year, the IndexWatch ranking uses the SISTRIX Visibility Index to measure U.S. domains with the strongest organic visibility growth and declines on Google.com. SITRIX measures rankings of over 100 million domains for 100 million keywords on Google, with Homes.com's ranking being earned specifically from Google's U.S. Index. Homes.com's spot on this list is a testament to the banner year it had in 2023. Homes.com is the fastest growing real estate portal in the world, as witnessed in September 2023 when Homes.com surpassed Realtor.com and Redfin to become the second most-trafficked real estate portal in the country and CoStar Group's network of U.S. real estate portals experienced 160 million unique visitors. "It is an honor to be recognized by SISTRIX's IndexWatch 2023 for the significant growth and awareness that Homes.com has experienced throughout 2023," said Andy Florance, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CoStar Group, which owns and operates Homes.com. "We set out to create a platform with the highest quality content on neighborhoods, schools, and parks that benefits homebuyers and all agents. This visibility growth is a testament not only to the quality of the product, but to the quality of our team for consistently producing the best user experience." Homes.com's growth comes as part of a period of significant growth and expansion for CoStar Group. Founded in 1987, CoStar Group has grown to over 6,200 employees in 14 countries and fulfills Florance's vision to digitize the real estate industry, empowering people to discover properties, insights, and connections that improve their businesses and lives. CoStar Group is included in the S&P 500 Index, one of the premier benchmarks of the U.S. equities market, and in the NASDAQ 100, one of the world's largest preeminent large-cap indexes. For more information about SISTRIX's IndexWatch 2023, including the full ranking list, please visit here. About CoStar Group, Inc. CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the property markets. Founded in 1987, CoStar Group conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of real estate information. CoStar is the global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, enabling clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on property values, market conditions and availabilities. Apartments.com is the leading online marketplace for renters seeking great apartment homes, providing property managers and owners a proven platform for marketing their properties. LoopNet is the most heavily trafficked online commercial real estate marketplace with over twelve million monthly global unique visitors. STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics, and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Ten-X offers a leading platform for conducting commercial real estate online auctions and negotiated bids. Homes.com is the fastest growing online residential marketplace that connects agents, buyers, and sellers. OnTheMarket is a leading residential property portal in the United Kingdom. BureauxLocaux is one of the largest specialized property portals for buying and leasing commercial real estate in France. Business Immo is France's leading commercial real estate news service. Thomas Daily is Germany's largest online data pool in the real estate industry. Belbex is the premier source of commercial space available to let and for sale in Spain. CoStar Group's websites attracted over 160 million unique monthly visitors in September 2023. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar Group maintains offices throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Asia. From time to time, we plan to utilize our corporate website, CoStarGroup.com, as a channel of distribution for material company information. For more information, CoStarGroup.com.

Travis Kelce is the football player Americans most want as their neighbor
Among big-game QBs, more Americans want to be neighbors with Patrick Mahomes than Brock Purdy SEATTLE, Jan. 30, 2024 -- A new survey from Zillow® finds the football player Americans most want to be next-door neighbors with is Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end who is in a relationship with Taylor Swift. Kelce (12%) topped the list of professional football players, beating out his teammate Patrick Mahomes (11%) and Odell Beckham Jr. (7%), wide receiver for the Chiefs' AFC Championship Game opponent, the Baltimore Ravens. Kelce was the overwhelming favorite among 18- to 34-year-old women, 26% of whom selected the tight end as their preferred next-door neighbor, compared to 8% of men in that age range. In the battle of the big-game quarterbacks, Americans would rather share a fence with Patrick Mahomes than Brock Purdy (3%), according to the recent survey commissioned by Zillow and conducted by The Harris Poll. Snoop Dogg (12%) is the halftime performer Americans would most want to live next door to, with strong support from elder millennials ages 35–44 (17%). Jennifer Lopez tied Lady Gaga for second place (11% each). Only 3% of Americans picked Usher, this year's halftime headliner, as their top choice for a next-door neighbor. In the football broadcasters category, Terry Bradshaw (17%) is America's preferred celebrity neighbor, favored by those ages 45 and older (21%). The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback came out ahead of his FOX Sports co-host Michael Strahan, who was selected by 13% of Americans. Of course, real-life neighbors can make or break big-game festivities. Zillow's survey finds 60% of Americans could be friends with a neighbor who actively supports a rival football team, but fewer than half — 46% — would invite a neighbor who roots against their team to their big-game watch party. Only 12% of Americans admit to snooping on their big-game party host's home value online. Many Americans would throw a penalty flag on a neighbor who made a party foul during the big game. More than 2 in 5 (44%) would issue a penalty for "unneighborly conduct" if a neighbor fired up their noisy leaf blower or snow blower during the big game. Four in 10 (40%) would throw a flag if a neighbor showed up empty-handed to a watch party, while 36% would blow the whistle for double-dipping into the guacamole. If there was a trophy for "most valuable neighbor," more than 2 in 5 Americans (44%) would award it to the neighbor who makes the best big-game food, and 16% to the biggest football fan. Fewer Americans would award the coveted "MVN" trophy to the neighbor with the biggest TV (13%) or the comfiest couch (7%). Most Desirable Neighbors of 2024 Survey Method This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Zillow from January 18 - 22, 2024 among 2,085 adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected]. About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences.

NAR's Volunteering Works Program Announces Mentoring Recipients
CHICAGO (January 18, 2024) – The National Association of Realtors® and the Good Neighbor Society have announced recipients of the 15th annual Volunteering Works grants and mentoring program. The program matches real estate agents who work on small-scale charitable efforts with mentors who can help them improve and expand their impact. The five Volunteering Works recipients will each receive a $1,000 seed grant and a year of one-on-one mentoring from a member of the Good Neighbor Society. This group is made up of past recipients of NAR's annual Good Neighbor Awards, the highest honor the association awards to members involved in community service. "These Volunteering Works recipients are shining examples of the positive impact that real estate professionals make in their communities," said NAR President Kevin Sears, broker-partner of Sears Real Estate in Springfield, Massachusetts. "Their dedication, compassion and tireless efforts enhance the lives of those they serve and set a standard for community engagement. They will not only grow their initiatives but inspire others to take meaningful action." 2023 Volunteering Works Grant and Mentoring Recipients: Arlin Fisher, Park Company REALTORS®, Horace, North Dakota (Crosses for Cameron) Realtor® Arlin Fisher and his wife co-founded two nonprofit organizations in memory of their son who died in a car accident at age 23. Crosses for Cameron educates people about the importance of organ donation. The Garden of Healing, located within a park between two hospitals, was created to facilitate healing through nature. "Even though this garden stemmed from the loss of Cameron, we want it to be a place of life and living," said Fisher, who is working with mentor Craig Conant, a 2001 Good Neighbor Award winner. Pam Graves, Summer House Realty, Fernandina Beach, Florida (Stirring Hope, Inc.) When Realtor® Pam Graves met Mary Apio – a former child bride turned self-made chef – while on a mission trip to Uganda, it was their backgrounds in food that connected them. In 2021, Graves and Apio built Sonrisa School of Culinary Arts & Bakery, a cooking school to help other survivors of assault and forced child marriage build a new life. "After Mary told me her story, and we figured out we had cooking in common, I realized that this is where the lasting change comes in," Graves said. In 2022, the school graduated 22 students. Graves' mentor is Dawn Rucinski, a 2021 Good Neighbor Award finalist. Kyle Olson, Keller Williams Inspire Realty, Fargo, North Dakota (Alzheimer's Association MNND Chapter) For 64 hours straight, Realtor® Kyle Olson held an open house and raised $10,000 to combat Alzheimer's – the disease that robbed him of more time with his father, Dewey. The third annual World's Longest Open House – which featured hourly livestreams and events like jazzercise and chalk art – is more than a tribute to Olson's father. It has turned into a bonding experience for Olson and his son, Tucker, who simultaneously hosted the Longest Lemon-aid Stand on-site for 12 hours on the first day. "It's fantastic to go from working with my dad as a farmer and having those great memories to now having my son join me to do these fun things for a good cause," said Olson, who will be mentored by 2013 Good Neighbor Award winner Kristina Rhodes. Glenda Pollard, Pollard Partners LLC, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Clean Pelican) Realtor® Glenda Pollard founded Clean Pelican to improve and beautify Baton Rouge. The nonprofit engages local businesses, volunteers and the mayor's office to organize cleanup days. Through innovative programming in schools, they use technology to teach middle- and high-school students to map areas that need cleanup, and track and store what was picked up and by whom. Pollard has been paired with mentor Tami Hicks, a 2022 Good Neighbor Award finalist. "I am looking forward to working with Tami to find ways to recruit more volunteers," said Pollard. Daphne Thomas, RE/MAX Alliance Group, LLC, Tampa, Florida (Unbroken Dreams, Inc.) Realtor® Daphne Thomas founded Unbroken Dreams in 2021 to address homelessness and help people rebuild their lives. She has connected hundreds of people with housing resources; runs a cold-weather shelter; provides necessities like food, warm clothing and blankets; and sometimes buys bus tickets to help reunite people with their families. "When people stumble upon rough times, such as homelessness or incarceration, their dreams tend to be forgotten – or broken," said Thomas. "Unbroken Dreams believes that these dreams are attainable." Thomas will work with mentor Debbie McCabe, a 2022 Good Neighbor Award finalist. Volunteering Works recipients were selected based on devotion to their communities through volunteer endeavors and the potential for their good works to be expanded or improved with the help of an expert mentor. The Volunteering Works program is made possible thanks to the generous support of Wells Fargo Home Lending. "Congratulations to all of the Volunteering Works mentoring recipients," said Arlene Maloney, divisional sales manager for the North Pacific/Midwest division for Wells Fargo Home Lending. "We are once again proud to sponsor this great mentoring program, celebrating agents who have made a difference in their communities and want to do more. "At Wells Fargo, we share their passion for building a sustainable, inclusive future for all and hope the grant for their charitable organizations can help further their work. We are happy to be a part of the great things these recipients are doing." About the National Association of Realtors® The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. About Wells Fargo & Company Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is a leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 47 on Fortune's 2023 rankings of America's largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, 2 November 2023 | News Release small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy. News, insights, and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

Renting a Home Still More Affordable Than Owning Across U.S. Even as Both Remain Financial Stretch
Home rental and ownership still difficult in 2024 for average workers in most of nation, but renting less of a burden in nearly 90 percent of local markets trend continues despite rents growing faster than home prices IRVINE, Calif. – Jan. 18, 2024 — ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property and real estate data, today released its 2024 Rental Affordability Report, which shows that median three-bedroom rents in the U.S. are more affordable than owning a similarly-sized home in nearly 90 percent of local markets around the nation. The report shows that both renting and owning a three-bedroom home continue to pose significant financial burdens for average workers, consuming more than one-third of their wages in the vast majority of county-level housing markets. But median rental rates still require a smaller portion of average wages than major home-ownership expenses on three-bedroom properties in 296, or 88 percent, of the 338 U.S. counties with enough data to analyze. That gap extends trends from 2023 even as rents have commonly risen faster than home prices over the past year around the U.S. The analysis for this report incorporated 2024 rental prices and 2023 home prices, collected from ATTOM's nationwide property database, as well as publicly recorded sales deed data licensed by ATTOM (see full methodology below). Those two data sources were combined with average wage figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (see full methodology below). "Finding an affordable home remains a daunting prospect around the country for average workers, regardless of whether they want to buy or rent. Continuously increasing home prices contribute to the escalation of rental costs, making both buying and renting properties a challenging endeavor across most of the United States.," said Rob Barber, CEO at ATTOM. "But the latest data shows that even as rents are growing faster, they remain more affordable than owning." The current situation favoring renting over buying reflects a combination of housing market trends that offer limited straightforward options for home seekers but ultimately lean towards the advantage of rentals. Over the past year, both rental rates and home prices have continued to rise in most of the country. Rental rates have climbed even faster in a majority of counties with enough data to analyze. That has happened as elevated home prices have become further and further out of reach for average workers, preventing those with marginal finances from obtaining mortgages and leaving them with few options other than renting. Home prices kept going up in 2023 despite rising mortgage rates, in part because of a tight supply of homes for sale. Still, despite renting and ownership consuming more than a third of average wages in most local markets, rents haven't escalated enough to keep them from being the more affordable option for average workers. That trend has held throughout the country but remains most pronounced in the most populous urban and suburban markets. Changes in rents outpacing home price trends in nearly two-thirds of U.S Median rents for three-bedroom homes have increased more over the past year, or declined less, than median prices for single-family homes in 210, or 62 percent, of the 338 counties analyzed in this report. Counties were included in the report if they had a population of 100,000 or more, at least 100 sales from January through November of 2023 and sufficient data showing changes in three-bedroom rents from 2023 to 2024. Changes in three-bedroom rents commonly have ranged from 3 percent decreases to 15 percent increases while changes in median sale prices for single-family homes last year typically ranged from 3 percent losses to 7 percent gains. Most populous counties have widest affordability gaps between renting and owning Renting a three-bedroom home, while still difficult for average workers, is most affordable in 2024 compared to owning a median-priced single-family home in the nation's largest counties. In almost three-quarters of markets with populations of at least 1 million, the portion of average local wages consumed by renting is at least 10 percentage points lower than the portion required for typical major home ownership expenses. (Comparisons assume a home-purchase mortgage based on a 20 percent down payment. Major ownership expenses include mortgage payments, property taxes and insurance). Among 45 counties with a population of at least 1 million included in the report, the biggest gaps are in Honolulu, HI (median three-bedroom rents consume 67 percent of average local wages while typical single-home affordability consume 134 percent); Kings County (Brooklyn), NY (72 percent for renting versus 136 percent for owning); Alameda County (Oakland), CA (51 percent for renting versus 108 percent for owning); Santa Clara County (San Jose), CA (29 percent for renting versus 83 percent for owning) and Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles) (88 percent for renting versus 136 percent for owning). The only two counties with a population of more than 1 million where it is more affordable to buy than rent in 2024 are Riverside County, CA (median rents consume 101 percent of average local wages while typical home ownership costs consume 91 percent) and Wayne County (Detroit), MI (22 percent for renting versus 19 percent for owning). Renting three-bedroom homes stretches budgets but remains most affordable in South and Midwest The report shows that the median three-bedroom rent requires more than one-third of the average local wage in 274 of the 338 counties analyzed for the report (81 percent). Among the 64 markets where median three-bedroom rents require less than one-third of average local wages, 59 are in the Midwest and South. The most affordable for renting are Jefferson County (Birmingham), AL (22 percent of average local wages needed to rent); Wayne County (Detroit), MI (22 percent); Ingham County (Lansing), MI (22 percent); Genesee County (Flint), MI (23 percent) and Caddo Parish (Shreveport), LA (23 percent). Aside from Wayne County, the most affordable counties for renting among those with a population of at least 1 million are Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), OH (24 percent of average local wages needed to rent); St. Louis County, MO (24 percent); Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), PA (26 percent) and Philadelphia County, PA (28 percent). The least affordable counties for renting are spread mostly through the South and West, including Collier County (Fort Myers), FL (153 percent of average local wages needed to rent); Santa Barbara County, CA (131 percent); Monterey County, CA (outside San Francisco) (107 percent); Indian River County (Vero Beach), FL (102 percent) and Riverside County CA (101 percent). Aside from Riverside County, the least affordable for renting among counties with a population of at least 1 million are Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles) (88 percent of average local wages needed to rent); Los Angeles County, CA (83 percent); Kings County (Brooklyn), NY (72 percent) and Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach), FL (70 percent). Most-affordable home ownership markets still in South and Midwest; least affordable in West and Northeast The report shows that major expenses on a median-priced single-family homes require more than one-third of average local wages (assuming a 20 percent down payment) in 296 of the 338 counties analyzed for the report (88 percent). The most affordable markets for owning are Wayne County (Detroit), MI (19 percent of average local wages needed to own); Montgomery County, AL (21 percent); St. Louis City/County, MO (23 percent); Bibb County (Macon), GA (23 percent) and Caddo Parish (Shreveport), LA (23 percent). Aside from Wayne County, the most affordable for owning among counties with a population of at least 1 million are Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), PA; (27 percent of average local wages needed to own) Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), OH (27 percent); St. Louis County, MO (30 percent) and Harris County (Houston), TX (35 percent). The least affordable markets for owning among those analyzed are Marin County, CA (outside San Francisco) (164 percent of average local wages needed to own); Santa Cruz County, CA (160 percent); Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles) (136 percent); Kings County (Brooklyn), NY (136 percent) and Honolulu County, HI (134 percent). Aside from Orange, Kings and Honolulu counties, the least affordable counties among those with a population of at least 1 million are Alameda County (Oakland), CA (108 percent of average local wages needed to own) and Queens County, NY (105 percent). Rents growing faster than wages in majority of markets Median three-bedroom rents are increasing more than average local wages in 197 of the 338 counties analyzed in the report (58 percent). They include Los Angeles County, CA; Harris County (Houston), TX; Maricopa County (Phoenix), AZ; San Diego County, CA, and Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles). Average local wages are growing faster than average rents in 141 of the counties in the report (42 percent), including Cook County (Chicago), IL; Kings County (Brooklyn), NY; Miami-Dade County, FL; Queens County, NY, and San Bernardino County, CA. Wages growing faster than home prices in nearly 60 percent of nation Average weekly wages are rising faster than median home prices in 197 of the 338 counties in the report (58 percent), reversing a pattern seen in 2023. They include Los Angeles County, CA; Cook County (Chicago), IL; Harris County (Houston), TX; Maricopa County (Phoenix), AZ, and San Diego County, CA. Median home prices are rising faster than average weekly wages in 141 of the counties analyzed in the report (42 percent), including Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles); Kings County (Brooklyn), NY; Miami-Dade County, FL; Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), FL, and Middlesex County, MA (outside Boston). Methodology For this report, ATTOM looked at January-November (YTD) 2023 single-family home price data from ATTOM's publicly recorded sales deed data, as well as 3-bedroom median rental data for 2024, collected and licensed by ATTOM. This data was then analyzed for U.S. counties with a population of 100,000 or more and sufficient home price and rental rate data. The analysis also incorporated second-quarter 2023 average weekly wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (most recent available). Rental affordability represents the median rent for a three-bedroom property as a percentage of the average monthly wage (based on average weekly wages). Home-buying affordability represents the monthly house payment for a single-family median-priced home (including mortgage, based on a 20 percent down payment, plus property tax, homeowner's insurance and private mortgage insurance) as a percentage of the average monthly wage. About ATTOM ATTOM provides premium property data to power products that improve transparency, innovation, efficiency, and disruption in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation's population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes, and enhances the real estate data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID — the ATTOM ID. The 30TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include bulk file licenses, property data APIs, real estate market trends, property navigator and more. Also, introducing our newest innovative solution, that offers immediate access and streamlines data management – ATTOM Cloud.

National Association of Realtors Announces Partnership with Chirpyest
WASHINGTON (January 17, 2024) – The National Association of Realtors® today announced Chirpyest as a new partner with NAR REALTOR Benefits®. Chirpyest is a social commerce marketplace that empowers users to earn cash back when they shop and share their curated finds. As part of the agreement, NAR members will receive multiple shopping boards to customize around themes or listings, as well as custom training workshops to help optimize website visitors, social profiles, emails and open houses. Members can earn up to 30% cash back on the products they buy while simultaneously monetizing their past and present listings. "The NAR REALTOR Benefits® team constantly seeks innovative ways to support our members in growing their businesses and enhancing the value they provide to their clients," said Rhonny Barragan, NAR vice president of strategic alliances. "Our partnership with Chirpyest represents a unique opportunity for real estate professionals to seamlessly integrate the latest in social commerce into their business models." Chirpyest provides all NAR members with the exclusive opportunity to create multiple shopping boards on the platform, each customized around themes or listings. Users can create a go-to storefront with the best furniture, appliances and decor items for home buyers and sellers, and earn cash back when clients purchase their finds. "Real estate agents are at the forefront of home and lifestyle trends – they are influencers in their own communities. We are excited to partner with NAR to help its members create a new revenue stream using the power of their influence," said Colette Shelton, Chirpyest founder & CEO. "With Chirpyest, agents can earn additional income by sharing products from hundreds of online retailers immediately through their own curated storefronts." To claim this benefit, NAR members can visit chirp.chirpyest.com/narrealtorbenefits. About the National Association of Realtors® The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. About Chirpyest Founded in 2019 by former TV executive and COCOCOZY founder Colette Shelton, a Forbes Top 30 influencer, Chirpyest was launched as a social commerce marketplace with a mission to democratize the influencer model and help small business owners create new income streams.

Interstate movers chased affordability in 2023
People relocated to metros $7,500 less expensive, a Zillow study of United Van Lines data shows SEATTLE, Jan. 9, 2024 -- Households that moved across state lines in 2023 relocated to markets where homes cost on average $7,500 less than where they came from, a new Zillow® study of United Van Lines® data shows. That's down a bit from $8,900 at the peak of the pandemic housing market in 2021, but up from a savings of just $2,800 in 2019. Charlotte, Providence, Indianapolis, Orlando and Raleigh led major metros for inbound interstate moves relative to outbound, according to a Zillow study of Univted Van Lines data. The five metro areas that saw the largest net migration gains according to the United Van Lines data were relatively affordable markets in the South, Midwest and Northeast. Although housing affordability has always played a key role in explaining migration patterns, the increase in house prices during the pandemic and the subsequent jump in mortgage rates appears to have intensified the search for more tolerable monthly payments. "Affordability is one of the biggest considerations for home buyers and sellers, and clearly plays a major role in deciding where to put down roots," said Zillow Senior Economist Orphe Divounguy. "Housing costs hit record highs last year, and made both buying and selling difficult, even for homeowners sitting on massive equity. Finding a less expensive area where dollars aren't quite so stretched was a smart move for a lot of people." Affordability may improve slightly in 2024, but it has declined significantly over the past four years. The share of median household income needed to pay rent has risen from less than 27% in November 2019 to nearly 30% in November 2023. The share of income needed for a monthly mortgage payment on a typical home purchase has risen even more dramatically, from about 23% to nearly 39% over the same period. In many places, especially the West Coast, costs are so high that a family making the median household income won't even qualify for a mortgage. United Van Lines customers have higher average household incomes than movers overall, but migration flows in the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey reveal a similar pattern. In 2021, the average interstate mover moved to a metro area where homes would save them about $10,000 when compared to where they came from; that's in comparison to savings of a little less than $700 in 2019, before the pandemic. Among the 50 largest metros by population, those with the highest net in-migration from United Van Lines customers in 2023 were Charlotte, Providence, Indianapolis, Orlando and Raleigh. Of those five metros, four ranked among Zillow's 10 hottest markets of 2024. This index is driven by expected home value growth, how fast home sellers are entering into contracts with buyers, job growth per new home permitted and growth in owner-occupied households. Metros with the highest net number of residents relocating were Chicago, San Diego, Cincinnati, Detroit and Boston. United Van Lines customers are also, increasingly, moving to markets with less potential competition for homes. Movers relocated to destination metros with an average of six fewer competitors per listing in 2019. That difference grew to 13 in 2023. Metros with more United Van Lines outbound moves than inbound moves tended to experience less growth in their working-age population in the same year, and lower growth in home values in the year that immediately followed.   Source: United Van Lines and Zillow data * Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences. Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans℠, Trulia®, Out East®, StreetEasy®, HotPads®, ShowingTime+℠, and Spruce®. All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). © 2023 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. About United Van Lines United Van Lines is America's #1 Mover®. United Van Lines offers a full range of moving solutions. With headquarters in suburban St. Louis, United Van Lines maintains a network of 300 affiliated agencies. For more information about United Van Lines, visit: UnitedVanLines.com

Buffalo charges to the top of Zillow's 2024 hottest markets list
Affordability and job growth push the Great Lakes, Midwest regions to the forefront of the forecast SEATTLE, Jan. 4, 2024 -- Buffalo, New York, will be the hottest major housing market this year, according to a new analysis by Zillow®. Affordability is the most powerful force driving real estate, bringing lower-cost markets in the Great Lakes, Midwest and South regions to the top of Zillow's 2024 rankings. "Housing markets are healthiest where affordable home prices and strong employment are giving young hopefuls a real shot at buying and starting to build equity," said Anushna Prakash, data scientist for Zillow Economic Research. "I'm cautiously optimistic that the housing market will get back on stable footing in 2024 — we shouldn't see the massive price spikes of the early pandemic or fast-rising mortgage rates of recent years." This ranking of the nation's 50 most populous metros takes into account Zillow's forecast for local home value growth and the speed at which home sellers are entering contracts with buyers. It also considers job growth per new home permitted and growth in owner-occupied households. Among the front-runners, Buffalo has the highest number of new jobs per new home permitted — a measure of expected demand. New jobs often mean new residents, which increases competition and drives prices up unless new construction can match that additional demand. Inventory is moving extremely quickly in Cincinnati, and Columbus is home to the fastest expected rise in owner-occupied households, an indication of family formation and population growth. Housing costs hit record highs for both buyers and renters in 2023. This made buying and selling an expensive proposition, even for homeowners with plenty of equity. Zillow's most popular markets in 2023 were relatively affordable, and a Zillow study of United Van Lines data shows relocating households were attracted to areas where houses were roughly $7,500 less expensive than in the area they were leaving. Affordability should improve in 2024, but it is still going to be the biggest driver of the housing market. Competition for homes is already high in affordable Great Lakes and Midwest markets. Homes listed in these areas tend to go under contract faster than the national average. Charlotte was dubbed Zillow's hottest market for 2023, and Cleveland and Atlanta also returned from last year's top 10. San Antonio took a long fall to the 49th spot, after ranking 13th last year and fourth in 2022. Latest stats for Zillow's hottest markets in 2024 Methodology Zillow analyzed the 50 largest U.S. metro areas to forecast the hottest, or most competitive, housing markets of 2024. The analysis incorporates expected home value appreciation from December 2023 through November 2024, the anticipated change in home value appreciation from 2023, new jobs per new housing unit permitted, an estimate of the net new number of home owning households based on current demographic trends and the speed at which homes are being sold. About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences.

Redfin Reports Only 16% of Home Listings Were Affordable for the Typical Household in 2023
Housing affordability is expected to improve in 2024 as mortgage rates fall and more homes go up for sale SEATTLE -- Just 15.5% of homes for sale in 2023 were affordable for the typical U.S. household—the lowest share on record, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That's down from 20.7% in 2022 and more than 40% before the pandemic homebuying boom. The number of affordable homes for sale also dropped to the lowest level on record. There were 352,500 affordable listings in 2023, down 40.9% from 596,135 in 2022 and down from over a million per year during the prior decade. While the decline is partly due to a drop in listings in general—listings overall fell 21.2% year over year—it's also due to the fact that elevated mortgage rates and stubbornly high prices made the listings hitting the market more expensive. Mortgage rates have fallen from their October peak, but remain higher than they were in 2022; the typical homebuyer's monthly payment is roughly $250 more than it was a year ago. Elevated mortgage rates have also propped up housing costs by limiting supply. Many homeowners are staying put instead of selling because they don't want to lose their ultra low interest rate. That's bolstering home prices because it means buyers are competing for a limited pool of homes. The good news is that housing affordability has already started to improve, and Redfin expects it to continue improving in 2024. "Many of the factors that made 2023 the least affordable year for homebuying on record are easing," said Redfin Senior Economist Elijah de la Campa. "Mortgage rates are under 7% for the first time in months, home price growth is slowing as lower rates prompt more people to list their homes, and overall inflation continues to cool. We'll likely see a jump in home purchases in the new year as buyers take advantage of lower mortgage rates and more listings after the holidays." Housing Affordability Was Three Times Worse for Black Households Than for White Households Only 6.9% of homes for sale in 2023 were affordable for the typical Black household, compared with 21.6% for the typical white household. The share was nearly as low for Hispanic/Latino households (10.4%) and was highest for Asian households (27.4%). Housing has become unaffordable for a lot of Americans, but Black and Hispanic/Latino families have been hit especially hard because they're often less wealthy to begin with. On average, these groups earn less money, have less generational wealth, and have lower credit scores (and sometimes no credit scores at all) than white Americans due to decades of discrimination. That makes it tougher to afford a down payment and qualify for a low mortgage rate. Black Americans, in particular, also frequently face racial bias during the homebuying process. The racial housing affordability gap exists nationwide, from the least affordable metros to the most affordable metros. In Detroit, which has the lowest mortgage payments in the country, 31.8% of listings were affordable for the typical Black household this year and 50.2% were affordable for the typical Hispanic/Latino household, but that's much lower than the 66% affordable for the typical white household. In Anaheim, CA, one of the most expensive markets in the country, people across the board have a hard time finding affordable housing. Still, Black and Hispanic/Latino house hunters have fewer options. Less than 0.5% of listings were affordable for the typical Black household and the typical Hispanic/Latino household in 2023, compared with 1.8% for the typical white household. It's worth noting that wages have grown faster for nonwhite households than for white households this year, helping to shrink the income gap. Rents have also started to fall, which disproportionately impacts communities of color because they're more likely to be renters. Affordable Markets Became Much Less Affordable in 2023 In Kansas City, MO, 27.9% of homes for sale in 2023 were affordable for the typical local household, down from 42.8% in 2022. That 14.8 percentage point decline is the largest among the metros Redfin analyzed. Next came Greenville, SC (-14.1 ppts), Worcester, MA (-13.7 ppts), Cincinnati (-13.7 ppts) and Little Rock, AR (-13.5 ppts). Relatively inexpensive metros have seen affordability erode quickly because housing costs have relatively more room to rise, and local incomes are often climbing at a fraction of the pace that mortgage payments are. In San Francisco, 0.3% of homes for sale in 2023 were affordable for the typical local household, down from 0.4% in 2022. That's the smallest decline among the metros Redfin analyzed. Next came Detroit (-0.2 ppts), Los Angeles (-0.2 ppts) Boise, ID (-0.3 ppts) and Oakland, CA (-0.5 ppts). Markets that have long been expensive like San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles already had so few affordable homes that the share didn't have much room to fall. In the five aforementioned metros aside from Detroit, less than 5% of listings were affordable for the typical household in 2023. View the full report including charts, methodology and metro-level breakouts, here. About Redfin Redfin is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, title insurance, and renovations services. We also run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with same day tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home in certain markets can have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Customers who buy and sell with Redfin pay a 1% listing fee, subject to minimums, less than half of what brokerages commonly charge. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.5 billion in commissions. We serve more than 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,000 people.

Inside Real Estate Releases Smart Assistant, a First-of-its-Kind AI Integration Powered by ChatGPT
Smart Assistant leverages listing data, market understanding, and CRM information, to provide accurate and instant communication through text message, email responses, and AI-built custom call scripts, with just one click. MURRAY, Utah, December 20, 2023 -- Inside Real Estate, one of the fastest-growing independent real estate software companies and trusted technology partner to nearly 500,000 agents, teams, brokerages and top franchise brands, is thrilled to announce the release of Smart Assistant, the first-of-its-kind AI integration harnessing the power of generative AI to deliver a new level of efficiency, personalization, and responsiveness to real estate professionals and their clients. "Serving as a technology partner to our clients means staying on the bleeding edge of innovation, and we are very excited to announce the release of Smart Assistant, bringing generative AI into the kvCORE Platform," said Nick Macey, President of Inside Real Estate. "These are the first steps towards our vision of bringing AI to agents, teams and brokerages helping them grow their business and save time, freeing them up to focus on what they do best- building relationships and serving as a trusted expert to their clients." Smart Assistant is powered by ChatGPT, and directly integrated into kvCORE's CRM, leveraging information about the contact, along with an understanding of market and listing data to generate accurate and instant communication, while maintaining privacy and security. Users can create text and email responses, or leverage AI-built customized call scripts. Email and Text Messaging: Smart Assistant creates tailored, personalized responses in real-time for engaging with consumers Call Scripts: Smart Assistant generates personalized call scripts, making suggestions for the best way to engage with your customer Proactive Prompts: Smart Assistant allows you to select from predefined prompts, tested to work well for creating content, as well as tweak a prompt for your specific scenario Effortless Editing: Use manual content revision for small tweaks, or click the "regenerate" button and Smart Assistant will start again "While the future always brings change, good relationships remain, and this is precisely the type of tool to foster and grow those pivotal relationships, helping facilitate agent-centric and consumer-centric experiences, and delivering them at scale" said Joe Skousen, Founder & CEO of Inside Real Estate. "It's a privilege to provide innovative tools like this, championing the agent and empowering them with the solutions they need to continue driving value, and serving this industry." About Inside Real Estate Inside Real Estate is a fast-growing, independently-owned real estate software firm that serves as a trusted technology partner to nearly 500,000 top brokerages, agents, and teams. Their flagship product, kvCORE Platform, is the most modern and comprehensive solution in the industry known for delivering profitable growth at every level of a brokerage organization. Built on a modern, scalable, and flexible architecture, kvCORE enables every brokerage to create its own unique technology ecosystem through custom branding, robust integrations, and high-quality add-on solutions. Recent strategic acquisitions have expanded the company's technology portfolio further, including BoomTown, Brokermint, and AmpStats solutions, which solidifies Inside Real Estate as the leading technology partner in the real estate industry. With an accomplished leadership team and its talented staff, Inside Real Estate brings the resources, scale, and vision to deliver ongoing innovation and success to their growing customer base. To learn more visit insiderealestate.com.

Inside Real Estate Announces Winners of Fourth Annual Give Back Awards
Three winners were selected for the fourth annual Give Back Awards, highlighting members of the real estate community who have made a significant impact through service within their communities in 2023. MURRAY, Utah, December 18, 2023 -- Inside Real Estate, one of the fastest-growing independent real estate software companies and trusted technology partner to over 400,000 agents, teams, brokerages and top franchise brands, is thrilled to announce the winners of the fourth annual Give Back Awards, highlighting members of the real estate community who have made a significant impact through service within their communities in 2023. "It was truly inspiring to read the hundreds of examples of real estate leaders bettering their communities, their businesses, and having such a positive impact on the lives of others and the world around them," said Joe Skousen, Founder & CEO of Inside Real Estate. "We're excited to celebrate these leaders in our industry, and delighted to share some good news with the industry." 2023 Give Back Award Winners: The Helping Hand Award: Jessica Patterson, Weichert Realtors® Welch & Company The Walk-The-Talk Award: Heather Schleeper, Heather & Company Realty Group The Creative Changemaker Award: Jennifer Fairfield, Fairfield Realty The Helping Hand Award celebrates an individual who jumps in to aid friends, family, employees, another business or the community, The Walk-The-Talk Award honors those making charitable giving a part of their business, and The Creative Changemaker Award recognizes those using their creativity to put an innovative spin on giving back. Winners are featured on social media, and the Give Back Awards website, and receive a $1,000 prize with the option to donate the prize to an organization of each winner's choice. Learn more about the awards and our winners here. About Inside Real Estate Inside Real Estate is a fast-growing, independently-owned real estate software firm that serves as a trusted technology partner to over 400,000 top brokerages, agents, and teams. Their flagship product, kvCORE Platform, is the most modern and comprehensive solution in the industry known for delivering profitable growth at every level of a brokerage organization. Built on a modern, scalable, and flexible architecture, kvCORE enables every brokerage to create its own unique technology ecosystem through custom branding, robust integrations, and high-quality add-on solutions. Recent strategic acquisitions have expanded the company's technology portfolio further, including BoomTown, Brokermint, and AmpStats solutions, which solidifies Inside Real Estate as the leading technology partner in the real estate industry. With an accomplished leadership team and its talented staff, Inside Real Estate brings the resources, scale, and vision to deliver ongoing innovation and success to their growing customer base. To learn more visit insiderealestate.com.

Take an AI-powered tour of Santa's $1.18M North Pole cabin on Zillow
One of Zillow's most viewed homes now includes an interactive floor plan, a 3D Home tour and a virtual treasure hunt SEATTLE, Dec. 12, 2023 -- There's an all-new, interactive way to tour Santa's House on Zillow®. Starting today, families can take a virtual 3D tour of the Clauses' North Pole cabin and explore every charming corner using a floor plan generated by artificial intelligence (AI). They'll also find bigger, high-resolution photos of never-before-seen spaces, such as Santa's mailroom and gift-wrapping suite, organized room by room. Santa added more fun this year with a virtual treasure hunt, hiding more than a dozen holiday items throughout his cozy cabin. Mistletoe, fruitcake and 15 other traditional trimmings are now hidden within the 3D Home tour. The Clauses are also unveiling a few festive upgrades to their cabin, including a custom elf door, a naughty-or-nice detector and a hot cocoa bar. "Rest assured, Santa is not selling his beloved home," said Amanda Pendleton, Zillow's home trends expert. "The Clauses wanted to spread joy this holiday season by adding new photos and virtual experiences to their home details page on Zillow. This immersive technology makes it easy to imagine the spicy, sugary scent of gingerbread fresh out of Santa's cookie-baking oven, the nostalgic sounds of classic Christmas carols crackling on the record player and the comfort of sliding into a pair of well-worn slippers warmed by the fire." The Clauses first claimed their home on Zillow in 2016. Santa's House has since become a high-tech holiday tradition, with more than 3 million views and counting. It is one of Zillow's most visited off-market homes. Santa's House is now worth $1.18M, up more than 2% since last Christmas. Zillow first calculated a special Zestimate® for Santa's one-of-a-kind property by using comparable homes in remote locations and adding a Santa premium. This interactive version of Santa's House was created with Listing Showcase from Zillow's ShowingTime+ brand. It is the same technology sellers and agents can use to highlight a for-sale home's best features and make it stand out on Zillow. Listing Showcase will be available nationwide early next year. Listing Showcase uses AI to select scrolling images based on what home shoppers want to see. AI then organizes and matches the photos to their corresponding rooms, and embeds those images into a clickable floor plan so home shoppers know exactly where each photo was taken. This technology gives visitors to Santa's House a much better sense of its layout and an easier way to navigate the cabin remotely without a trek to the North Pole. It gives true believers an enchanting yet realistic look inside the Clauses' magical world. About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences. Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans℠; Zillow Closing Services℠; Trulia®; Out East®; StreetEasy®; HotPads®; and ShowingTime+℠, which includes ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive®, and dotloop®. All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). © 2023 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. About ShowingTime+ ShowingTime+℠ is modernizing real estate for the benefit of all agents, brokers and multiple listing services (MLSs). A brand of Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG), ShowingTime+ provides products and services to help real estate professionals streamline their businesses and deliver elevated experiences to their customers. The ShowingTime+ technology suite includes ShowingTime®, dotloop®, Bridge Interactive®, Listing Media Services, Listing Showcase℠, and Aryeo®. ShowingTime+ products are used by hundreds of MLSs representing more than 1 million real estate professionals across the U.S. and Canada.

Second Century Ventures Opens Applications for 2024 REACH U.S. Program
CHICAGO (December 6, 2023) – Second Century Ventures, the strategic investment arm of the National Association of Realtors®, opened applications today for the 2024 U.S. REACH technology growth program. SCV, the most active global venture fund in real estate technology, operates the award-winning REACH program across North and South America, Europe, Australia and Asia-Pacific. The U.S. REACH program focuses on solutions supporting the residential real estate sector, including innovations from adjacent industries such as banking, finance, home services, title, mortgage and insurance. Applications for the U.S. REACH Commercial program will open in March 2024. "The support and developmental opportunities that REACH provides to the proptech sector are unmatched," said Ashley Stinton, managing partner, REACH. "Our goal is to turn the industry's significant challenges into opportunities for creative solutions and advanced development, offering substantial advantages for the participating companies in terms of innovation, market positioning and economic impact." NAR's REACH program selects and helps scale the most promising technology companies across the real estate ecosystem. Participants in the program receive premier access to the following: Mentorship from real estate, venture capital and technology sector leaders; Education on how to navigate the trillion-dollar global property industry from top experts; Exclusive opportunities at the most impactful conferences, trade shows and networking events; Unique access to top media and academic organizations; and A global network of highly talented, like-minded entrepreneurs including 250 REACH portfolio companies, venture advisors and curated program sponsors. "As real estate technology continues its rapid evolution, the startups we welcome into the REACH program this year will play a key, central role in our industry's future," said Dave Garland, managing partner, Second Century Ventures. "Participation in REACH offers these companies a unique platform and access to a variety of diverse resources and professional expertise, providing these entrepreneurs support as they work to expand their networks and grow their enterprises." Applications for the 2024 U.S. REACH program will be accepted through January 31, 2024. For more information about REACH, or to apply, visit nar-reach.com. About NAR The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. About REACH REACH is a unique technology scale-up program created by Second Century Ventures, the most active global fund in real estate technology. Backed by the National Association of Realtors®, Second Century Ventures leverages the association's more than 1.5 million members and an unparalleled network of executives within real estate and adjacent industries. The REACH program helps technology companies scale across the real estate vertical and its adjacent markets through education, mentorship and market exposure. For more on REACH, visit www.nar-reach.com.

Zillow predicts more homes for sale, improved affordability in 2024
Home buying will remain expensive, so expect a competitive market for homes that need some work and for single-family rentals SEATTLE, Nov. 30, 2023 -- The housing market's headline news this year has been the affordability challenge brought on by mortgage rates reaching 20-year highs. Looking ahead to 2024, Zillow® predicts home buyers will have a bit more breathing room — but only a bit. Buying a home will remain expensive, keeping pressure on the rental market to cater to families that will be renting for longer than previous generations. Many who buy will turn to homes that need some work, according to Zillow's predictions, and do-it-yourself upgrades and repairs will keep new homeowners busy. "I expect the beginning of a long healing process to kick off in the housing market next year," said Skylar Olsen, Zillow chief economist. "We know there are a huge number of households in prime home-buying ages waiting for the winds to turn in their favor. While still presenting challenges, the market will be better for buyers, with more homes to choose from and improved affordability. Many will continue to look toward rentals, and given renter demographics single-family rental demand in particular will be strong. Recent deliveries should keep rent growth down, and concessions high in that market, too. This is our breather year." More homes will hit the market as homeowners accept that current mortgage rates are sticking around "Higher for longer" is the key refrain regarding mortgage rates as Zillow economists look ahead to the next year in housing. It's becoming clear that high mortgage rates have some staying power. Zillow economists expect more homeowners who locked in long-term payments when rates were near all-time lows to list their homes for sale, as they grow weary of waiting for the historically low rates of 2021 to return. A very small pool of homes for sale has kept competition fairly stiff for most of this year, even with high costs limiting the number of shoppers. With mortgage rates rising over the past two years, homeowners have been reluctant to sell, opting instead to hold onto the ultralow interest rate on their current mortgage. Many of those homeowners will have their eye on a home with a bigger backyard, an extra bedroom or in their preferred neighborhood across town, and Zillow predicts more of these homeowners will end their holdout for lower rates and go ahead with those moves. More homes on the market would be good news for buyers, spreading demand and slowing price growth. Home-buying costs will level off, giving hopeful buyers a chance to catch up A typical home buyer in October would have spent more than 40% of their earnings on their mortgage payment — an all-time high according to Zillow data, which stretches back to the 1990s. While affordability will undoubtedly remain the top concern for potential home buyers in 2024, there is reason to expect those challenges to ease just a bit. Zillow's latest forecast calls for home values to hold steady in 2024. Predicting how mortgage rates will move is a nearly impossible task, but recent inflation news gives the impression that rates are likely to hold fairly steady as well in the coming months. The cost of buying a home looks likely to level off next year, with the possibility of costs falling if mortgage rates do. That would give time for wages and buyers' savings to grow — welcome news after the rapid rise in housing costs over the past two years. The new starter home will be a single-family rental Though Zillow expects some improvement in home-buying affordability in 2024, many households will still be priced out. The median renter is now 41 years old, up from 37 in 2000, and the types of rentals they're interested in has likely shifted. Zillow predicts demand — and prices — for single-family rentals will continue to increase next year as families look for a more affordable option for enjoying amenities like a private backyard or a home that doesn't share walls with neighbors. One possible path to more single-family rentals could lie in homeowners deciding to turn their home into an investment property and rent it out, rather than selling it when they move. The ultralow mortgage rates held by many existing homeowners make it more likely that this option would pencil out. Zillow Rental Manager offers a suite of tools — including free listings, pricing suggestions, background checks, online applications and state-specific lease generation — designed to provide comprehensive support for those seeking rental income from their homes. More markets will follow New York City's lead, with rental demand surging near downtowns Throughout much of the pandemic, and even before, suburban rent prices were growing faster than rents in urban neighborhoods. While the gap has narrowed, suburban rents continue to outpace urban rents in most major markets, specifically, 33 of the 50 largest metro areas. In New York City, data from StreetEasy, Zillow Group's New York City real estate marketplace, shows demand is surging for rentals in commutable areas with easy access to Downtown or Midtown Manhattan, while areas farther from these office-laden neighborhoods are seeing relatively less demand. StreetEasy experts predict a strong year for Manhattan demand in 2024, and Zillow foresees more markets following suit, with rental demand surging near downtown centers. Renters looking for a place near downtown will likely have more options with this year's multifamily-construction boom, which means a huge number of new homes have hit the market. More choices for renters looking for a new place means landlords who are trying to attract tenants have more reason to compete with each other on price. That's a key reason more rental listings are offering concessions. Traditional home buyers will compete with flippers for homes that need a little TLC Typically the target of home flippers, homes that need a little work before they qualify for "dream home" status will see increased interest from buyers looking to move in. Inventory has been far below normal for a while, and though Zillow economists predict more homes will hit the market in 2024, inventory will remain much lower than pre-pandemic norms. Faced with limited choices, buyers will be willing to overlook small flaws, such as an outdated bathroom or kitchen. The higher cost of buying a home today makes a flip harder to pencil out, so buyers may face less competition from flippers than they might have in previous years. Even with less chance of being subject to a bidding war, these homes won't come cheap, so expect buyers to frequent their local hardware stores as they work on DIY home improvements. If Zillow's 2024 home trends to watch are any indication, expect brutalist-inspired features and sensory gardens to be on home improvement to-do lists, but not "cloffices" or Tuscan kitchen designs. Artificial intelligence will enhance the home search experience Since 2006, Zillow has been leveraging AI and machine learning to power the Zestimate. Generative AI made waves this year, and Zillow expects AI advancements to streamline the home-shopping and home-selling journey in 2024, improving the experience of buyers, sellers and their agents. Zillow tech experts expect a variety of new tools and technologies designed for real estate agents next year, allowing them more time to connect with more clients and prioritize face-to-face interactions. Agents have been using AI to assist with writing listing descriptions and to create 3D content for their listings. Next year's advancements are expected to focus on visual and multimodal capabilities, including more rich media content. Expect home shoppers to benefit from generative-AI-powered experiences to glean valuable insights and guidance on home financing. About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences.

New Analysis Reveals Best Day to Buy a Home Based on Lowest Premium Above AVM
Homebuyers closing on this day avoid prices well above market value; Analysis also shows best months to buy nationwide and by state IRVINE, Calif. — Nov. 28, 2023 — ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property and real estate data, today released its annual analysis showcasing the best days of the year to buy a home, which found that while October continues to offer lower premiums for homebuyers, the single best day to buy a home is in January. According to ATTOM's latest analysis of more than 47 million single family home and condo sales over the past 10 years, buyers who close on January 9th are seeing the lowest premium above the automated valuation model (AVM). While still above market value, homebuyers are only paying a 3.8 percent premium, compared to the 14.4 percent premium buyers are seeing on May 28th. (Full methodology is enclosed below.) Other days of the year offering lower premiums for homebuyers include: December 4th (4.4 percent premium above market value); October 9th (4.4 percent premium); October 2nd (4.5 percent premium); October 10th (4.5 percent premium); and September 7th (4.6 percent premium). ATTOM's new analysis also looked at the best months to buy at the national level and best months to buy at the state level. Best Months to Buy Nationally, the best months to buy are October (6.2 percent premium above market value); September (6.8 percent premium); November (6.8 percent premium); December (6.9 percent premium); and August (7.6 percent premium). Best Months to Buy by State According to the study, the states realizing the biggest discounts below full market value are Michigan (-2.6 percent in October); New Hampshire (-2.1 percent in December); Hawaii (-1.8 percent in June); New Jersey (-1.7 percent in February); and Illinois (-1.6 percent in October). Methodology For this analysis ATTOM looked at any calendar day in the last 10 years (2013 to 2022) with at least 15,000 single family home and condo sales. There were 362 days (including leap year data) that matched these criteria, with the four exceptions being Jan. 1, July 4, Nov. 11, and Dec. 25. To calculate the premium or discount paid on a given day, ATTOM compared the median sales price for homes with a purchase closing on that day with the median automated valuation model (AVM) for those same homes at the time of sale. About ATTOM ATTOM provides premium property data to power products that improve transparency, innovation, efficiency and disruption in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation's population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes, and enhances the real estate data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID — the ATTOM ID. The 30TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include bulk file licenses, property data APIs, real estate market trends, property navigator and more. Also, introducing our newest innovative solution, that offers immediate access and streamlines data management – ATTOM Cloud.

Transactly and Earnnest Announce Strategic Partnership and Integration: New Partnership Continues the Modernization of the Real Estate Transaction Industry
CHESTERFIELD, Mo. -- Transactly, the leading real estate transaction coordination platform, and Earnnest, one of the largest and most trusted digital earnest money platforms in the U.S., have announced a strategic partnership. This integration will embed Earnnest's secure payment processing capabilities into Transactly's platform, streamlining the real estate transaction process even further. Bryan Bowles, CEO of Transactly, expressed his enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, "This integration with Earnnest is a game-changer. By incorporating their trusted digital earnest money processing into our platform, we're enhancing our commitment to providing the most efficient transaction coordination experience for our customers. It's a win-win for both companies and, more importantly, for real estate professionals nationwide." Russell Smith, President and COO of Earnnest, echoed this sentiment. "We're thrilled to partner with Transactly. Their transaction coordinator platform is already a powerhouse in the real estate industry, and by integrating our secure payment solutions, we're jointly setting a new standard for how money moves in real estate. This partnership aligns perfectly with our mission to provide safe, transparent, and hassle-free transactions." This collaboration is expected to provide a significant boost to both companies. Transactly will benefit from an even more streamlined transaction coordination process, while Earnnest will see an expansion in its user base, leveraging Transactly's extensive network. Both Transactly and Earnnest are backed by Second Century Ventures, highlighting the strong foundational support and shared vision of the two companies. This partnership is seen as a strategic move that will further solidify their positions as leaders in the real estate tech industry. About Transactly Transactly is the premier real estate transaction coordination platform in the U.S., dedicated to streamlining the transaction process for agents, brokerages, and coordinators. Under the leadership of CEO Bryan Bowles, Transactly has consistently innovated to provide top-tier services to its users. About Earnnest Earnnest is How Money Moves in Real Estate and the leading digital earnest money service in the United States. It offers a secure and efficient way for homebuyers to deposit earnest money electronically, simplifying the real estate transaction process for all parties involved. To date, Earnnest has facilitated over 300,000 digital earnest money deposits, totaling almost $2 billion, without a single instance of payment fraud. For more information, visit www.earnnest.com.

Interest in 'house hacking' explodes among Millennial and Gen Z home buyers seeking extra income
More than half of young home buyers consider renting out all or a portion of their home to produce additional income. SEATTLE, Nov. 16, 2023 -- Young home buyers, who more often struggle to afford a down payment and mortgage, are leading a popularity surge in house hacking – renting out part or all of a home for extra cash. A recent Zillow® survey shows most Millennial (55%) and Gen Z (51%) buyers find it very or extremely important to have the opportunity to rent out part of their home for extra income while living in it. That's compared to 39% of all homebuyers, which is up eight percentage points in the past two years. Zillow's 2023 Consumer Housing Trends Report (CHTR) also shows that more than half of Millennial (59%) and Gen Z (54%) buyers say it's highly important to be able to rent out the entire home in the future, compared to 43% of all buyers. "Younger homebuyers — mostly Gen Z and Millennials — are especially into the idea of rental income as a key factor in their home buying decisions," said Zillow senior population scientist Manny Garcia. "For those first-time buyers navigating the 'side hustle culture,' where a regular 9-to-5 might not quite cut it for homeownership dreams, rental income can step in to help with mortgage qualification and smoothing out those monthly payments." Zillow's survey also further illustrates the disproportionate impact of the affordability crisis on households of color, while reinforcing that people maintain an unwavering desire to own a home regardless of market conditions. Latinx homebuyers prioritize the potential for rental income at a higher rate than other racial groups. Among Latinx buyers, 51% expressed interest in renting a portion of the home for additional income while residing in it, followed by 46% of Black buyers and 40% of white buyers. To empower homeowners looking to generate income, Zillow developed a suite of tools, available through Zillow Rental Manager, including free listings, pricing suggestions, background checks, online applications, and state-specific lease generation. These resources provide comprehensive support for those seeking rental income from their single-family or multi-unit properties. Successful Buyers: High Importance of Rental Income from Home Purchase by Generation (based on 2023 CHTR data) Successful Buyers: High Importance of Rental Income from Home Purchase by Race (based on 2023 CHTR data) Prospective Buyers: High Importance of Rental Income from Home Purchase among Home Shoppers (based on 2023 CHTR data) About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences.

CoreLogic Announces ScanToSketch, an Augmented Reality Measuring Tool for Appraisers
More Than 20,000 property sketches and 12,000 appraisals completed in the first 90 Days IRVINE, Calif., November 9, 2023 — CoreLogic, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, has announced that it has launched a new property measuring and sketching tool, ScanToSketch. To date, ScanToSketch, which was developed using CoreLogic's appraisal software brand a la mode, has been used to complete more than 20,000 property sketches and has been featured in over 12,000 appraisal reports. ScanToSketch uses an innovative combination of LiDAR and Augmented Reality (AR) Technology to allow appraisers to complete their scans in minutes – building a full exterior footprint of a home and enabling instant access to the sketches for real-time adjustments on-site. "From ScanToSketch to proprietary image analytics, our CoreLogic teams are always working to put new, advanced technology in the hands of our customers. This product improves speed, accuracy and access. We look forward to seeing ScanToSketch's impact across the real estate industry," said Devi Mateti, president, CoreLogic Find and Enterprise Digital Solutions Group. Appraisers who have used ScanToSketch and compared it with traditional measuring tools have noted its speed and accuracy. They can scan any size property and access their sketch immediately. ScanToSketch has an average accuracy variance of 1-2% when compared to traditional measuring tools. While ScanToSketch was created for appraisers, it has the potential to be used in additional aspects of the home-buying process by home inspectors and real estate agents. No specialized hardware is needed to operate ScanToSketch, as it is currently supported on the latest Apple Pro and Pro Max devices and is currently free of charge in the TOTAL for Mobile app, an appraisal software app. About CoreLogic CoreLogic is a leading provider of property insights and innovative solutions, working to transform the property industry by putting people first. Using its network, scale, connectivity and technology, CoreLogic delivers faster, smarter, more human-centered experiences, that build better relationships, strengthen businesses, and create a more resilient society. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com.

Lone Wolf kicks off vision for the future with a connected platform for real estate agents
One-of-a-kind marketing center from tech leader proves that the future of real estate software is already here DALLAS, TX and CAMBRIDGE, ON – November 9, 2023 – Hot on the heels of the company's announcement of the future of real estate software, Lone Wolf Technologies is getting down to business—by helping agents get down to theirs. The company has been hard at work throughout 2023 building out its vision for complete, digital, connected real estate software, and now, is introducing an all-new agent marketing center—made to connect the solutions real estate agents use every day—to kick that vision off. "Right now, the real estate industry doesn't need promises—it needs proof that providers can deliver the software it needs for the future," said Jimmy Kelly, CEO of Lone Wolf. "It's more important than ever in today's market that real estate agents, and especially buyer's agents, have the tools they need to articulate their value to prospective clients. But as we as an organization have said through much of this past year, real estate agents need better software to do that, not more software—and that software is here today in the form of our agent marketing center." The Lone Wolf agent marketing center is a unique, connected platform that brings together the disparate tools that real estate agents need to promote and expand their businesses—including lead generation, comparative market analysis (CMA), MLS searches and alerts, CRM, open house management, landing pages, and more—into one convenient location, under one login. This way, agents have the flexibility to stop worrying about the small details and can instead focus on showcasing their unique value propositions to potential clients through a combination of prospect engagement, tangible demonstration of the agent's knowledge and expertise, and the personalized service clients expect—helping them win more business and reach their goals for 2024. The agent marketing center comes with two plans, curated to meet each agent's unique needs and help reinforce their value to prospective and current clients: The Empower plan focuses on building strong client connections and establishing agents as a go-to resource through powerful, relevant, and timely communication strategies The Amplify plan focuses on helping agents expand their real estate businesses with a complete lead generation package for those who want to attract, nurture, convert, and win over new clients Throughout the month of November, agents can sign up for either of these plans on an annual renewal and receive an exclusive discount for the entire year, setting them up for long-term success without undue strain on their budgets. "In introducing both the agent marketing center and this unprecedented Black Friday promotion, we're rising to the challenge that so many real estate agents across North America are currently facing. The market shifts and volatility have taken a toll across the industry, and unfortunately, that's left many feeling uncertain and discouraged in what should be a time of planning and preparing for another successful year," said Aaron Kardell, Vice President of Product at Lone Wolf. "It's our hope that by making the software of the future available—and by offering it at a discounted price point throughout November—we can help agents prepare enthusiastically for the coming year." For more information, or to get started on Black Friday shopping early, please visit the Lone Wolf website here.  About Lone Wolf Technologies Lone Wolf Technologies is the North American leader in residential real estate software, serving over 1.5 million real estate professionals across Canada, the U.S., and Latin America. With cloud solutions for agents, brokers, franchises, MLSs and associations alike, the company provides the entire real estate industry with the tools they need to amaze clients, build their business, and improve profits—from transactions to back office, insights, and more, all in one place. Lone Wolf's head offices are located in Cambridge, ON, and Dallas, TX.

NAR Unveils Flood Disclosure Tracker
FEMA looks to require a flood disclosure form to participate in NFIP, but all 50 states and DC currently require the disclosure of property conditions or facts, including prior flood damage. WASHINGTON (November 8, 2023) – Today, the National Association of Realtors® unveiled a state flood disclosure tracker. The association worked with the Legal Research Center to conduct a complete, thorough, and accurate survey of existing state disclosure requirements. This tracker aims to educate the public and Congress as it considers the Federal Emergency Management Administration's (FEMA) legislative proposals to reform the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), including the unnecessary and misguided disclosure form proposal. Under the proposed legislation, to qualify for the NFIP, states would be required to mandate a real estate-related disclosure form with specific flood-related questions. If passed, all but one state would be required to make significant amendments to its laws and regulations, significantly increasing states' administrative and enforcement burden for a limited benefit to homeowners, buyers, or renters. Based on the research done by the Legal Research Center, all fifty states and D.C. already require the disclosure of known material property conditions or facts, including prior flood damage. Most states have added flood-related disclosure forms and requirements developed by local authorities with unique knowledge and expertise, benefitted from decades of court decisions and interpretations of common law, and have been tailored to meet state-specific flooding concerns and enforcement. "America's 1.5 million Realtors® are in the business of streamlining processes to best serve all current and future homeowners across this country," said Tracy Kasper, president of NAR. "The proposed legislation would add unnecessary red tape to an already complex purchasing and selling process. Our research has found that every single state has flood disclosure requirements, and there is no need to have federal government involvement in a practice that each state knows how to handle best. The proposed FEMA form would not be useful to buyers and duplicative for sellers, virtually having them check the same box on a different form." NAR engaged the Legal Research Center, which has decades of legal research and real estate expertise, to identify all flood disclosure requirements not identified in FEMA's study supporting this proposal. NAR asked the Legal Research Center to evaluate state disclosure laws using three guiding principles: is it useful information for buyers, is it reasonable for sellers to provide, and is it feasible for states to administer and enforce? The findings underscored that FEMA's proposal would require another disclosure form that does not provide useful information to buyers, duplicates form questions, will be difficult for sellers to complete fully, and could create new opportunities for frivolous lawsuits and technical paperwork "I-gotchas." "Our research reveals that states have a long history of tailoring and enforcing their respective disclosure requirements to meet state-specific flooding concerns. The FEMA study solely considers whether specific questions are asked on a required disclosure form and ignores existing state laws, regulations, and court rulings addressing flood disclosure requirements. A one-size-fits-all approach of a federally-required form fails to address local needs," said Kevin Ritchey, CEO of the Legal Research Center. While opposing FEMA's disclosure form proposal, NAR does agree that the federal government can and should do more to help inform property buyers and renters as part of broader NFIP reform legislation. For example, NAR supports the Flood History Information Act, which requires FEMA to disclose its NFIP claims and disaster aid data directly to property buyers and renters. Property buyers and renters have the right to know, and the legislation would confirm FEMA's authority to disclose this information under the Privacy Act. The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Only 3 in 10 Veterans Know They Can Buy a Home with Zero Down
Realtor.com® and an alliance of organizations launches the #MissionZero campaign to educate veterans and servicemembers about their hard-earned home loan benefit SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 8, 2023 -- While many veterans are aware they have access to Veterans Affairs home loan benefits, which honor their service by making homeownership more accessible, just 3 in 10 know they can use that benefit to buy a home with a zero down payment, according to a new national survey of veterans and active duty service members. A unique alliance of real estate, media, mortgage and Veteran service organizations are joining forces to change that. The #MissionZero campaign aims to make sure every Veteran and service member knows their hard-earned VA loan benefit helps them buy with 0% down. Joining Realtor.com® in the effort are some of News Corp's most popular media properties, such as the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal, along with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Veterans United Home Loans. The #MissionZero campaign aims to provide essential information and support to those who are serving or have served our nation, helping them achieve their dreams of buying a home. The campaign aims not to end until every Veteran and service member knows the power of what they've earned. "VA home loans offer many benefits, especially at times like this when affordability is such a major factor in home purchase decisions. Yet only a small portion of eligible Veterans are tapping into the financial benefits they deserve for their service," said Damian Eales, CEO at Realtor.com®. "At Realtor.com®, the #MissionZero campaign was born out of the belief that nothing should stand in the way of homeownership, especially a down payment. We owe it to our Veterans to ensure they have the information they need to make informed housing decisions. It's a small way to give back to those who have given so much, and we appreciate our partners for joining us in the cause." VA home loans help boost savings and homeownership among Veteran households VA home loans typically offer qualified borrowers zero down payment, more flexible credit terms, and lower interest rates, making it easier to access homeownership, especially for first-time buyers who do not have home equity to draw on. These advantages place Veterans in a more favorable position than non-Veterans in today's housing market, according to a new Realtor.com® report. Realtor.com®'s report found the homeownership rate for Veteran households, according to the latest available data, was 79.7%, significantly surpassing that of non-Veterans, 63.5%. Additionally, data shows homeownership rates for Veterans are higher than non-Veterans in all of the top 100 metros, and with greater awareness, VA loans could help even more Veterans overcome current market challenges. "After nearly eight decades of helping Veterans and military families buy homes and build generational wealth, the VA loan benefit is more important than ever," said Nathan Long, CEO of Veterans United. "The #MissionZero campaign helps highlight how VA loans are built to eliminate obstacles and make homeownership more accessible for those who serve. At the same time, they also offer Veterans the freedom to choose how and where they invest their savings." VA loans empower Veteran homeownership by allowing lower down payments and credit scores, along with lower interest rates The hallmark advantage of VA loans is the ability to purchase a home without the burden of a down payment, a game-changer in today's market. Realtor.com® found that over the last year, while 3 in 4 (75.2%) VA loans had a 0% down payment, some borrowers do put money down to reduce their loan's principal balance, and the average down payment percentage for VA loans was 2.7% – significantly less than the average 19.1% down payment percent for conforming loans. Data on VA loans shows a greater share of issuance to those with less than perfect credit compared to other loans, making homeownership possible to a wider net of borrowers. In the past year, about 24.8% of home buyers with VA loans fell into the Fair credit score category (580-669) compared to 4.7% among conforming loan borrowers. VA loans also typically have lower mortgage interest rates, which reduces monthly costs. Between October 2022 and September 2023, the average mortgage rate for 30-year fixed-rate VA loans was 6.27%, whereas it was 6.67% for conforming loans. All of these loan advantages stack up, and VA loans place Veteran households in a more favorable position than non-Veterans in today's housing market, saving borrowers hundreds monthly. Veterans and military personnel interested in learning more about VA home loans and the #MissionZero campaign, can visit www.realtor.com/veterans. Methodology See the full Realtor.com® report for the methodology and additional findings. The 3 in 10 statistic is based on a national survey of 300 respondents, split evenly between active duty service members and Veterans, conducted in October 2023 by data and analytics firm Sparketing. About Realtor.com® Realtor.com® is an open real estate marketplace built for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago. Today, through its website and mobile apps, Realtor.com® is a trusted guide for consumers, empowering more people to find their way home by breaking down barriers, helping them make the right connections, and creating confidence through expert insights and guidance. For professionals, Realtor.com® is a trusted partner for business growth, offering consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com.

Realay.com Is Modernizing How Referrals Are Done
MILFORD, MI - Nov. 1, 2023 -- Kaibo LLC today announced the launch of Realay.com, a new client referral platform that has eliminated multiple pain points in the existing referral processes. The Realay platform provides dashboard tracking, status visibility, is quick and easy to use, and automatically connects your client with a Realay-vetted Network Agent in a one-to-one handoff. As a result, referring agents save time looking for an agent and gain visibility into their client's progression, Network Agents receive high-quality referrals, and clients are promptly paired with a top agent. Unlike other networks that cost you hundreds of dollars per month, Realay is completely free to use. Sending a referral on the Realay platform takes no more than one minute. This platform is perfect for independent brokers and their agents. The exclusive Realay Network Agents are thoroughly vetted and already include many of the top agents and teams across the country, ensuring clients have a positive experience. Any agent or team can apply to be a Network Agent for a one-time fee of $89; however, agents must pass the vetting process, which includes how responsive they are throughout the application process. Realay's innovative approach is poised to redefine the referral process and improve the experience for all parties involved, seamlessly connecting clients with top-performing real estate agents and marking a significant leap forward in efficiency, reliability, and transparency in the referral process. "It's like having an oil well of qualified referrals on your front lawn," says Cliff Freeman, CEO of The Cliff Freeman Group and a Realay Charter Network Agent. Key features of Realay: Free for anyone to send a referral — referring agent receives 25% commission at close. Solves the black hole syndrome of current referral networks with full visibility and trackability in the Realay's dashboard. No hidden or recurring monthly fees. Saves you time and money — sending a referral takes less than a minute, and your referral is automatically paired with a vetted Realay Network Agent. Broker agnostic — Realay is for any agent regardless of location or broker affiliation. Realay's philosophy revolves around ensuring that the opportunities they provide are genuine. Realay is publicly available nationwide as of November 1, 2023. To learn more about Realay, visit www.Realay.com.

RPR Integrates with Risk Factor to Provide Property-Specific Climate Risk Assessments
Chicago, IL (October 25, 2023) – Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®), the nation's largest real estate property database exclusively for REALTORS®, proudly announces its integration with First Street Foundation's Risk Factor™, an advanced online tool offering property-level climate risk assessments. This integration empowers REALTORS® to provide environmental risk data tied to their client's properties, fostering informed decision-making. The new integration is featured within RPR's "Additional Resources" section and offers REALTORS® a seamless way to view a risk analysis for any property. This detailed information allows agents and their clients to understand associated environmental risk scores, including potential hazards such as flooding, hurricane wind, wildfires and extreme heat exposure. Jeff Young, Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of RPR says, "Our integration with Risk Factor equips REALTORS® with an efficient access point to property-specific environmental risk data. This detailed information helps them deliver these insights to their clients, enabling informed real estate decisions based on clear, data-driven risk assessments." "This new integration allows us to reach a broader audience with our risk assessment data models," adds Matthew Eby, founder and CEO of First Street Foundation. "Having this information accessible to REALTORS® significantly empowers them in advising clients about potential hazards tied to certain properties and thereby allowing consumers to make well-informed decisions." About RPR® (Realtors Property Resource®) Realtors Property Resource®, LLC (RPR®), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, is a NAR member benefit that helps REALTORS® "wow" their clients and close more deals. This exclusive online real estate database covers more than 160 million residential and commercial U.S. properties, and provides REALTORS® with the analytical power to help clients make informed decisions while increasing efficiency in the marketplace. For more on RPR, visit blog.narrpr.com. About First Street Foundation First Street Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) research and technology group dedicated to making climate risk accessible, easy to understand and actionable for individuals, governments, and industry. Using world class modeling techniques based on the most up-to-date science available they inform Americans of their risk today and into the future through their numerous peer-reviewed publications and reports along with Risk Factor (riskfactor.com), their publicly facing property-specific climate risk assessment tool. To learn more about First Street Foundation, visit FirstStreet.org.

National Association of Realtors Announces Partnership with IRAR Trust Company
WASHINGTON (October 31, 2023) – The National Association of Realtors® today announced IRAR Trust Company (IRAR) as a new partner with NAR REALTOR Benefits®. As NAR REALTOR Benefits®' preferred provider for self-directed retirement plans, IRAR provides discounted self-directed IRAs and solo 401(k) accounts to NAR members, their families, and association staff at the national, state and local levels. As part of the agreement, members will receive an exclusive discounted flat annual fee of $299 for self-directed IRAs and $799 for solo 401(k) accounts. "Partnering with IRAR Trust Company underscores NAR's dedication to delivering value to our members, offering them tools and resources needed for their financial wellbeing," said Rhonny Barragan, NAR vice president of strategic alliances. "This collaboration not only amplifies the choices available to our members for retirement planning but also aligns seamlessly with their professional expertise and goals." After enrolling, users can access program benefits, exclusive pricing and additional educational resources. To claim this benefit or schedule a free consultation, NAR members can visit iraresources.com/nar. "We are thrilled to partner with NAR to offer agents the opportunity to secure a prosperous retirement by investing in what they know best – real estate," said Yvonne Garcia, chief marketing officer at IRAR Trust Company. "Together, we are paving the way towards a brighter and more secure future." About NAR The National Association of Realtors® is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.5 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries. The term Realtor® is a registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of Realtors® and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. About IRAR Trust Company Founded in 1996, IRAR Trust Company (IRAR) serves as a custodian for self-directed retirement accounts nationwide. IRAR works with real estate agents and their clients helping them to investing in real estate to diversify their retirement portfolios. IRAR's mission is to empower people to build retirement wealth through real estate at a lower cost.

Rental Beast and RPR Announce Integration for Streamlined Rental Applications
BOSTON -- Rental Beast® and RPR® (Realtors Property Resource®) are excited to announce an integration to provide a seamless solution for real estate professionals to collect applications on rental listings. This integration will allow REALTORS® to effortlessly expand into the rental market with the help of a shareable application link called the Quick Apply Link, available for rental listings in the RPR® system. The Quick Apply Link revolutionizes the process of requesting applications for rental listings. REALTORS® can easily share the link via social media or email, making it more convenient for potential tenants to apply. This innovative feature saves them time and streamlines the application process. With the integration, Rental Beast® is now the exclusive rental application provider for RPR®, which comes at a critical time as high interest rates and low supply have created a notable shift in demand for rental properties. Would-be homebuyers turning to rentals forges a path for REALTORS® to grow their homebuyer pipelines and diversify their revenue streams during this challenging market. "We are excited to collaborate with Rental Beast® to enhance the capabilities of RPR® in the rentals category and offer our members a tool to be more efficient," said Janine Sieja, Senior Vice President of Product at RPR®. “This integration underlines our dedication to providing REALTORS® with robust tools, aiming to elevate client services and enhance member success." The Quick Apply Link is available to all RPR® users, empowering real estate professionals across the network to optimize their businesses. Users can generate the shareable application link by clicking the Rental Beast® logo on the listing details page. "We are thrilled to partner with RPR® and introduce this integration," said Ishay Grinberg, Founder and CEO of Rental Beast®. "More people are having to turn to rentals for their housing. By providing REALTORS® the tools to work with renters, they can build lifelong relationships with future homebuyers and investors.” Rental Beast® is the exclusive recommended rental software provider by the National Association of REALTORS® and partners with MLSs and Associations nationwide to provide real estate professionals with tools and resources to succeed. About RPR® (Realtors Property Resource®) Realtors Property Resource®, LLC (RPR®), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, is a NAR member benefit that helps REALTORS® “wow” their clients and close more deals. This exclusive online real estate database covers more than 160 million residential and commercial U.S. properties, and provides REALTORS® with the analytical power to help clients make informed decisions while increasing efficiency in the marketplace. For more on RPR®, visit blog.narrpr.com. About Rental Beast® Rental Beast® is a leading real estate technology firm with an end-to-end SaaS platform designed to empower real estate professionals and the nation's most comprehensive database of nearly eleven million rental properties. Sourced directly from property owners, updated in real time, and offering a fulfillment-grade rental dataset, the Rental Beast® database provides real estate professionals with an unparalleled view of all properties and owner types. Utilizing a seamless and secure integration, participating MLSs and REALTOR® Associations can capture thousands of properties that are normally off-MLS inventory, and leverage essential search, data ingestion, and maintenance systems needed to help member agents and subscribers capture their share of $12 billion in annual leasing commissions. Rental Beast® is recognized and supported by Second Century Ventures, the capital and strategic growth arm of the National Association of REALTORS®, and is a proud member of the 2022 REACH-Canada program. Learn more at rentalbeast.com/MLS.

Zillow unveils a new look for property pages, their biggest redesign in 5 years
Zillow app also receives updates, which include improved navigation on for-sale listings and a way to simplify financing with the new Zillow Home Loans tab SEATTLE, Oct. 23, 2023 -- Today Zillow® is launching a big update to the look and feel of for-sale property listings on its website, improving home shoppers' experience with a more intuitive and simplified layout. The enhanced design of for-sale property listings on Zillow.com offers a wider, single-scroll format, making it easier for home shoppers to find key information, such as square footage, the Zestimate® feature, lot size and home type. The new layout also introduces a media section at the top of the page that better showcases photos and 3D tours. By clicking on a photo, the media section expands, providing a full-page, magazine-style layout for seamless navigation through the rest of the home's photography. "The new design delivers a fun and efficient way to browse homes on the Zillow website, making it easier for home shoppers to navigate and process information," said Jenny Arden, chief design officer at Zillow. "We introduced a wider layout for images, larger fonts for the most important facts and a clearer articulation of what makes the home special to help our users quickly understand if the home is right for them." Zillow's app updates: Navigate with ease and simplify financing with the Home Loans tab In addition to the redesign on the Zillow website, for-sale property listings on the Zillow app (iOS) are also receiving an update. This new look minimizes excessive scrolling by allowing users to more easily find the information that matters the most to them, whether that's home facts and features, a cost calculator or the Zestimate history. When viewing a for-sale listing on the app, users will see a new look that presents the home details categorized into sections such as "What's Special,"' "Market Value," "Monthly Cost" and "Neighborhood." Users can click into particular sections of interest to find more details. This new look will be available before the end of the year on the Zillow iOS app. For-sale property listings on the Zillow app (iOS) are receiving a new look that minimizes excessive scrolling by allowing users to easily find the information that matters the most to them. Zillow is also introducing a new "Home Loans" tab on the Zillow app to help shoppers become buyers. Users can now easily figure out their budget, connect with a lender, get prequalified with Zillow Home Loans℠, and track their loan status — all in one place. "Financing is a critical part of the home-buying process, and 60% of buyers say setting their budget is their first step when buying a home. With this update, we're helping the millions of people browsing the Zillow app better understand what they can afford within their budget and see a clear path toward getting the mortgage they need," said Matt Daimler, senior vice president of product at Zillow. "We're already seeing an impact: Customers are saying it's easier than ever to access and use our financing tools and get prequalified with Zillow Home Loans." About Zillow Group Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, great partners, and easier buying, selling, financing and renting experiences. Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans℠; Trulia®; Out East®; StreetEasy®; HotPads®; and ShowingTime+℠, which includes ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive®, and dotloop®.

Freddie Mac Launches New Tool to Help Millions of Homebuyers Take Advantage of Down Payment Assistance Programs Nationwide
DPA One® simplifies the process for lenders and program assistance providers to help more first-time homebuyers achieve homeownership MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 16, 2023 -- Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today announced it has launched DPA One® to help mortgage lenders quickly find and match borrowers to down payment assistance programs nationwide. DPA One is an innovative new tool that aggregates and showcases down payment assistance programs in a single, standardized, insights-rich tool so lenders can quickly and efficiently access and compare programs to help make home possible for more families. "Time and again research reveals that the down payment is the single largest hurdle first-time homebuyers need to overcome to attain homeownership. But finding and comparing the many programs and their guidelines is challenging," said Sonu Mittal, Freddie Mac Single-Family Senior Vice President of Acquisitions. "DPA One delivers a one-stop shop at no cost that brings lenders and their borrowers greater detail and visibility into these programs, while seamlessly connecting the right assistance program with the lender, housing counselors and borrowers who need this assistance the most." For lenders and housing counselors, DPA One makes it easy to enter client eligibility parameters, quickly receive and compare appropriately matched programs, and download results to immediately share with clients for easy reference. By comparing up to three programs at a time side-by-side, lenders can review and make faster and more informed decisions on programs they would like to pursue to help their clients. "State housing finance agencies help meet the affordable housing needs of their residents including making first-time homeownership more feasible for millions of people around the country by providing down payment assistance," said Stockton Williams, Executive Director of the National Council of State Housing Agencies. "DPA One will make it easier for mortgage lenders of all kinds to participate in HFA down payment assistance programs so they can more easily reach the underserved borrowers these programs were designed to help." For down payment assistance program providers, DPA One helps reduce submission errors and program requirement questions from lenders by using a single, standardized format while providing access to manage, edit and update their programs in real-time. "We are proud to invest in down payment assistance programs to serve Colorado homebuyers," said Dan McMahon, Home Finance Director with Colorado Housing and Finance Authority. "DPA One is an exciting innovation that simplifies the intake process and offers lenders a standardized view of various down payment assistance programs across the state. This will ultimately help connect more homebuyers with the resources they need to achieve homeownership." DPA One is available immediately at no cost to lenders, housing counselors and down payment assistance program providers. DPA One currently has the down payment assistance programs available for 48 of the 50 state housing finance agencies, including local and municipal programs for the Texas and Minnesota markets. Additional local and municipal assistance programs will be available for Florida, Virginia, California, and Kentucky before yearend, with the remaining local and state programs coming online throughout 2024. The Freddie Mac Home Possible® mortgage helps very low-to low-income borrowers attain the dream of owning a home with a down payment requirement of as little as 3%. In addition to their own funds, borrowers can also receive down payment assistance to help reach the minimum 3% down payment requirement. Since 2015, Freddie Mac has made homeownership possible for more than 760,000 families through $150.4 billion in Home Possible and Freddie Mac HFA Advantage® mortgages. Loan officers and down payment assistance program providers can visit the DPA One website for more information and to request a demo. About Freddie Mac Freddie Mac’s mission is to make home possible for families across the nation. We promote liquidity, stability, affordability and equity in the housing market throughout all economic cycles. Since 1970, we have helped tens of millions of families buy, rent or keep their home.

HomeZada Provides Severe Weather Alerts Integrated with Zada AI Empowering Homeowners
Digital home management platform offers industry's first customized weather alerts to empower homeowners to minimize the risk of damage, loss and insurance claims Research shows that 80% of homeowner's insurance claims are weather-related – so what if there was a way for homeowners to get real-time weather alerts that were customed not only to their neighborhood but also their home to allow them to minimize damage during hurricanes, tornados, thunderstorms, wildfires, winter storms and other severe weather events? HomeZada has figured out a way to do exactly that with its digital home management platform that combines real time weather alerts, push notifications, and Zada AI by sending homeowners severe weather-related preparedness recommendations tailored to their address and the home, yard and property specifics that may be the most susceptible to damage. The new feature, an extension of HomeZada's "Zada" AI Chat Assistant launched in June, continually monitors the National Weather Service and then sends a geotargeted email, push notification and/or in-app notice to subscribing HomeZada homeowners in the path of a potentially destructive storm along with a list of AI-generated suggestions for protecting their home and minimizing the risk of damage. "Most homeowners are challenged to keep up with all the severe-weather events that can damage or destroy their home – and, even if they do, aren't sure what steps to take to protect their single-largest investment," said John Bodrozic, HomeZada co-founder. "HomeZada is the first platform to empower every homeowner, no matter the location or severe weather event, with a timely, customized alert and a set of recommendations. He says the alerts combine with HomeZada's insurance documentation feature – seamless, cloud-based storage of photos, videos and receipts of home and personal property – to ensure homeowners are properly insured and prepared in case they need to make a claim. In the end, he believes this new feature helps homeowners gain peace of mind by better protecting their largest financial asset. Beyond documenting property for insurance purposes, HomeZada can schedule maintenance and repairs, streamline remodeling projects and manage all finances associated with the home. Watch a video about the AI-enabled weather alerts here: For more information on all HomeZada features, go to www.homezada.com. About HomeZada HomeZada is the home industry's first and only fully integrated, cloud-based platform dedicated to digital home management. Created by project management pros in 2012 who wanted a similar, all-encompassing digital platform for their home, the Northern California company offers an all-in-one suite of apps able to schedule maintenance and repairs, streamline remodeling projects, document inventory for insurance purposes and manage all finances associated with the home. For the homeowner, the result is maximum property value and peace of mind and a significant savings of time, money, personal stress, and impact on the environment. For more information on HomeZada and the digital home management space it helped create, which represents a $6 billion market opportunity in the U.S., visit www.homezada.com.

Happy Grasshopper Introduces New 1-Year Annual Consulting Program with 100% Money Back Guarantee
TAMPA, Fla. -- Happy Grasshopper, real estate's #1 database and content marketing solution, is excited to announce a new offering that is set to transform the landscape of their business-client relationships. The launch of the 1-Year Annual consulting program promises not only cutting-edge marketing solutions but also a strategic partnership that guarantees success for their members. As part of their updated 1-Year Annual Membership, Happy Grasshopper members will team up for an exciting collaboration that involves active monitoring throughout the year. This partnership model reflects Happy Grasshopper's commitment to go beyond the conventional vendor-client relationship and instead focus on becoming an integral part of the client's journey to success. "We believe in more than just providing services – we believe in creating results. With our 1-Year Annual Membership, we're solidifying our dedication to our clients' triumphs by forming a strategic alliance," said Dan Stewart, CEO of Happy Grasshopper. The partnership entails a set of requirements outlined in the membership contract, designed to ensure active engagement and ROI from their marketing campaigns. Members will benefit from: Regular one-on-one consultations with Happy Grasshopper's team of experts Detailed tracking of key metrics, including: open rates, replies, positive responses, and conversion rates A comprehensive analysis of campaign success Timely adjustments and strategic changes based on real-time data One of the most exciting aspects of this announcement is the 100% Money Back Guarantee. Happy Grasshopper is so confident in their services, and the power of this strategic collaboration, that they are offering a unique assurance: If, after fulfilling all contract requirements, members do not double their investment within 12 months of working together, they will receive a full refund. To learn more about Happy Grasshopper and watch a FREE Demo, visit: https://happygrasshopper.com/demo-on-demand/. About Happy Grasshopper Happy Grasshopper is a technology-leveraged marketing company that creates and delivers content that fosters conversations with prospects, customers, and others through a variety of media (email, text, social media posts, ringless voicemail drops, handwritten cards, and gifting!). For more information, visit: happygrasshopper.com.

Fannie Mae Launches New Resources to Help Latino Communities Access Homeownership
New Credit Education Course is One of Several Ways Fannie Mae is Working to Address the Latino Homeownership Gap in America WASHINGTON, DC – Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) today announced new resources and programs to provide responsible access to housing and long-term sustainable homeownership opportunities across the country for Latino communities and further the company's mission. Building upon Fannie Mae's HomeView® launch in early 2022 and reaching over 340,000 consumers who completed the homebuyer education course, the company is unveiling HomeView en Español, a Spanish-language digital consumer education platform providing 24/7 end-to-end access to information about financial literacy and homeownership. The course is designed for Latino consumers to leverage it on their own, or to help them plan with trusted advisors. HomeView en Español features a new in-language credit education course with content tailored to help Latino consumers effectively build and manage their credit – a critical component to access the traditional homebuying process. Thin or insufficient credit history is a challenge disproportionately faced by Latino renters and first-time homebuyers, according to Fannie Mae's Latino Housing Journey research. The comprehensive course, created for and written by Spanish speakers, focuses on enabling success throughout every stage of their housing journey. HomeView en Español is: Free to all upon registration, and can be accessed across desktop, mobile and tablet. An interactive educational course, incorporating short quizzes and audio clips to increase information retention and support all kinds of learners. Customized to address key hurdles and challenges experienced by Latino consumers establishing or maintaining their credit. Further enhancements to HomeView, Fannie Mae's award-winning homeownership education platform, are planned for 2024. To address upfront housing costs, another housing obstacle that disproportionately impacts Latino renters and first-time homebuyers, Fannie Mae this month expanded access to its Special Purpose Credit Program (SPCP) pilot, which now can provide down-payment assistance to eligible first-time homebuyers living in majority-Latino communities located in Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, and Philadelphia. Fannie Mae plans to further expand the program to additional cities, to include those with large Latino populations early next year. According to The Urban Institute, 70 percent of net-new homeowners between 2020 and 2040 will be Hispanic/Latino, and this demographic represents one of the fastest-growing segments of potential homeowners. At the same time, Latino consumers face several obstacles along their housing journey, including lack of affordable housing supply, higher incidences of insufficient credit, and higher relative up-front housing costs. Fannie Mae is focused on knocking down these obstacles so that historic housing disparities can be addressed, and more borrowers can equitability access affordable housing and long-term housing stability. "We want to help people get into and stay in their homes for a long time. Downpayment assistance and homeownership education can help the Latino community and achieve both goals. We will continue to work closely with the Latino community to craft solutions to the barriers Latinos face on their housing journey. We're committed to a future where everyone has fair access to sustainable housing," said Fannie Mae CEO Priscilla Almodovar. In the last two years, Fannie Mae has introduced several innovative programs designed to help Latino, Black and other historically underserved consumers throughout their housing journey's, including: Positive Rent Payment reporting that allows for a renter's on-time rental payments to be shared directly to credit bureaus and help build and improve renters' credit scores. As of June 2023, 302,000 units in rental properties have adopted the program, enabling 14,500 residents to establish a credit score. Those who have seen an increase in their score due to the program improved their score by an average of 40 points. The ability for renters to make their rent count with a consistent history of making on-time rental payments to help first-time homebuyers qualify for a home loan, which is another way we're equipping lenders to provide responsible access to mortgage financing. As of Q2 2023, 4,700 applications have benefited, meaning they were eligible when otherwise they might not have been. Additionally, 42 percent of those applicants who benefitted from the enhancement identified as Black or Latino/Hispanic. Enabling consumers without a credit score to be considered within the underwriting process with innovations to Fannie Mae's automated underwriting system, Desktop Underwriter (DU). "The housing challenges faced by Latinos are real – but they are not insurmountable. With innovative thinking and committed partners, it is possible to expand housing opportunities in ways that are sustainable and responsible – both for the housing system and for homeowners. These initiatives represent the next steps on that journey," added Almodovar. Additional resources are available to learn more about Fannie Mae's approach to providing equitable and sustainable access to housing opportunities for the Latino community. About Fannie Mae Fannie Mae advances equitable and sustainable access to homeownership and quality, affordable rental housing for millions of people across America. We enable the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage and drive responsible innovation to make homebuying and renting easier, fairer, and more accessible. To learn more, visit fanniemae.com.

Homes.com Skyrockets Past 100 Million Unique Visitors in September
Homes.com Grew 1290% Year over Year, Surpassing Competitors Redfin and Realtor.com WASHINGTON -- CoStar Group, an S&P500 leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics, today announced Homes.com achieved a major milestone in September with over 100 million unique visitors, now positioning Homes.com as one of the two most heavily trafficked real estate portals in the U.S. Homes.com's 100 million unique monthly visitors beat direct competitor Realtor.com, who recently reported 74 million monthly unique visitors, and Redfin, who recently reported 52 million unique visitors.* In total, CoStar Group's network of U.S. real estate portals brought in 160 million unique visitors in September, which is more traffic than Realtor.com and Redfin generated combined. Homes.com's unparalleled growth is built on its unique "your listing, your lead" business model which, unlike other real estate portals, connects home shoppers directly to a sale property's listing agent, who is the best source of information for that listing. Homes.com is also advantaged with a clear and intuitive user experience that is free from random distracting ads. Home buyers live in more than just a house. They live in a house within a community defined by its parks, schools, shopping, happenings, and people, so Homes.com has photographed, researched, and produced tens of thousands of in-depth neighborhood guides to help home buyers find their perfect house in a community they love. "We set out to deliver an agent friendly site that homebuyers would love, and we believe 100 million unique visitors in September is evidence we have achieved that goal," said Andy Florance, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CoStar Group, which owns and operates Homes.com. "We believe that the millions of leads we are generating by connecting home buyers directly to agents is generating billions of dollars of commissions for those agents. Our entire team is focused on continuing to build even more value for home shoppers and agents over the next six months. We intend to begin monetizing the significant value we are creating in the second quarter of 2024." Homes.com breaking through the 100 million unique monthly visitors mark has important significance in U.S. residential real estate at a time when the industry is grappling with the potential seismic impact of class action lawsuits challenging the buyer-broker commission rule, which has been a fundamental construct of agent compensation. The Sitzer/Burnett v. NAR lawsuit is scheduled for trial this month and several defendants have already agreed to collectively pay $138 million in settlements and to changes to the rule. The first-generation real estate portals have been leveraging this threatened buyer-broker commission rule to divert listing leads from all the agents in the market to a small handful of agents who are then required to split their commissions with the portal. Many agents and brokers strongly resent that model. Now that Homes.com is one of the most heavily trafficked portals, there is a strong and viable alternative for lead generation available to agents that does not require usurious commission splits. Unlike the first-generation portals, Homes.com's business model is not negatively impacted by the potential end of the buyer-broker commission rule. Homes.com's growth comes alongside a time of significant growth and expansion for the wider company. Founded in 1986, CoStar Group now has over 5,600 employees across 14 countries. About CoStar Group CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) is a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the property markets. Founded in 1987, CoStar Group conducts expansive, ongoing research to produce and maintain the largest and most comprehensive database of real estate information. CoStar is the global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and news, enabling clients to analyze, interpret and gain unmatched insight on property values, market conditions and availabilities. Apartments.com is the leading online marketplace for renters seeking great apartment homes, providing property managers and owners a proven platform for marketing their properties. LoopNet is the most heavily trafficked online commercial real estate marketplace with over twelve million monthly global unique visitors. STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics, and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Ten-X offers a leading platform for conducting commercial real estate online auctions and negotiated bids. Homes.com is the fastest growing online residential marketplace that connects agents, buyers, and sellers. BureauxLocaux is one of the largest specialized property portals for buying and leasing commercial real estate in France. Business Immo is France's leading commercial real estate news service. Thomas Daily is Germany's largest online data pool in the real estate industry. Belbex is the premier source of commercial space available to let and for sale in Spain. CoStar Group's websites attract over 160 million unique monthly visitors. Headquartered in Washington, DC, CoStar Group maintains offices throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Asia. From time to time, we plan to utilize our corporate website, CoStarGroup.com, as a channel of distribution for material company information. For more information, visit CoStarGroup.com * In September 2023, Homes.com surpassed 100 million monthly unique visitors, according to Google Analytics, exceeding Realtor.com's 74 million monthly average unique visitors for its fiscal fourth quarter as reported in its earnings release on August 10, 2023, and Redfin's 52 million monthly average unique visitors for the quarter ended June 30, 2023 as reported in its Form 10-Q filed August 3, 2023.

New Renovation Calculator on Realtor.com Takes the Guesswork Out of Home Remodeling Plans
As renovation costs rise, Realtor.com® teams up with Kukun to assist the nearly three quarters of surveyed homeowners who wish they better understood the financial return on home improvement projects SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 27, 2023 -- Despite the rising cost of renovations, 70% of U.S. homeowners plan to renovate their home in the next year, according to a new survey from Realtor.com® and CensusWide. However, nearly three quarters of those surveyed wish they better understood the potential return on investment of any upgrades they might make. To help homeowners determine the costs and ROI for renovation projects, Realtor.com® today introduced a new Renovation Calculator, powered by Kukun, in the My Home dashboard. The newest RealValue™ tool from Realtor.com®, the Renovation Calculator, helps give homeowners a better understanding of how renovations may impact the value of their property. The Renovation Calculator provides information from Kukun, a home data and analytics company that gives homeowners personalized estimates with comparative insights based on the quality of renovations. "Whether homeowners are thinking about selling, or just want to know whether it makes financial sense to invest in home upgrades, Realtor.com®'s RealValue™ tools, including the new Renovation Calculator, can help," said Dave Masters, director of product, Realtor.com®. "Our homes are often our biggest investments and, with the cost of labor and building materials on the rise, it's important to understand the ROI of a home improvement project or how different upgrades or design choices might impact the value of a home." To use the new calculator, homeowners can claim their home in the Realtor.com® My Home dashboard and choose from a selection of rooms and projects under the Renovations tab. After entering a few additional details about one or a combination of projects, users are presented with estimated costs to renovate and the potential increase in their home value. Homeowners can also download a detailed report with itemized costs to help with project management. "Kukun is excited to collaborate with Realtor.com® so that millions of people across America can realize their financial goals while creating their dream home at the same time," said Raf Howery, CEO and founder of Kukun. Most homeowners would rethink reno plans with a better grasp of ROI, survey shows Among those surveyed, reasons for renovating run the gamut, from addressing maintenance and issues (45%) to enhancing their space for enjoyment (45%), or bringing their home up-to-date (43%). Others have money and moving on their minds: 20% plan to renovate because it's more cost-effective than moving, and 18% are renovating in preparation to sell their home. Of those looking to make changes to their home in the next 12 months, the most common plans include bathroom and kitchens (37% each), interior paint (35%), or flooring replacement (33%) — however, two-thirds of homeowners (62%) would change their renovation plans if they better understood which improvement would add the most value to their home's resale price. The survey also found that consumers generally think that performing renovations prior to selling is a good investment, with 80% of homeowners saying as much. The projects that consumers think will deliver the biggest ROI include kitchens (32%), bathrooms (26%) and floors (24%). Around one-quarter believe painting the interior of their home (23%) or replacing major parts of the house like windows and doors (21%) add the most value. To try the Renovation Calculator, visit www.realtor.com/myhome. In the My Home dashboard, homeowners can also manage their home's details, track their home's value with up to three RealEstimate valuations, explore their equity and how their home compares to others nearby, as well as compare top local real estate agents and view offers from third party buyers such as Opendoor and others. About Realtor.com® Realtor.com® is an open real estate marketplace built for everyone. Realtor.com® pioneered the world of digital real estate more than 25 years ago. Today, through its website and mobile apps, Realtor.com® is a trusted guide for consumers, empowering more people to find their way home by breaking down barriers, helping them make the right connections, and creating confidence through expert insights and guidance. For professionals, Realtor.com® is a trusted partner for business growth, offering consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. For more information, visit Realtor.com. About Kukun, Inc. Kukun is a real estate data, analytics, and applications platform for homeowners, agents, and the industries that serve them. The platform includes a complete home investment optimization suite of products underpinned by a residential property database of current condition and more home valuations. Real estate agents leverage the Kukun Agent Dashboard to strengthen client relationships and look to Kukun's proprietary PICO™ Score for refined home valuations that consider home upgrades. Kukun is the leading real estate-focused consumer web products provider for large enterprises, with customers that include Realtor.com, USBank, SoFi, and PNC Bank. Visit mykukun.com to learn more.

Matterport Announces the Next Generation of AI-Powered Real Estate Insights, Now in Beta
Matterport launches beta program for automated room measurements, layouts, and reporting to drastically reduce manual efforts -- empowering customers with actionable property insights SUNNYVALE, Calif., Sept. 26, 2023 -- Matterport, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTTR) introduces the next generation of intelligent digital twins with powerful new capabilities fueled by the company's rapid advancements in AI and data science. Now in beta, customers can access automated measurements, layouts, editing, and reporting capabilities generated from their digital twins. Automation marks a significant breakthrough, saving customers time by eliminating the need for manual measurements and reporting by automatically processing the millions of 3D data points captured with a Matterport digital twin. Accurate room-by-room measurements are one of the most common and time-consuming requests from buyers to understand whether a property suits their needs. Now, customers can automatically generate 2D and 3D layouts that identify and label the details of a property including walls, the type of room, length and width, and total square footage. These details allow a buyer to quickly assess a property, while enabling property marketers to accelerate home listings and sales with instant at-a-glance property overviews and Multiple Listing Service (MLS) data. New customization capabilities allow property managers to edit layouts to optimize the functionality of a space or surface details that guide the development, renovation or remodeling of interior and exterior spaces. "I'm excited to see the progression of our digital twins helping customers put AI and automation to practical use for their properties," said RJ PIttman, Chairman and CEO of Matterport. "Instant access to room dimensions, total square footage by room, floor, and the entire space, builds upon one of our most popular features - Measurement Mode. With our new intelligent digital twins, our customers get hundreds of useful measurements, room names, print-ready layouts and more - automatically. With these new 'power tools' we're driving customer productivity through the roof!" Matterport's new AI-powered capabilities are made possible through the company's technical leadership in spatial data, computer vision, and deep learning. Cortex, the company's AI-engine, brings it all together to create thousands of digital twins every day, trained with Matterport's massive spatial data library. At more than 33 billion square feet of spaces in the real world digitized, Cortex will continue to learn, grow, and define the future of the digital twin for years to come. Matterport customers are invited to sign up for the beta to gain early access to the next generation in digital twin technology. To learn more and join the beta program, please visit: Matterport.com/blog. About Matterport Matterport, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTTR) is leading the digital transformation of the built world. Our groundbreaking spatial data platform turns buildings into data to make nearly every space more valuable and accessible. Millions of buildings in more than 177 countries have been transformed into immersive Matterport digital twins to improve every part of the building lifecycle from planning, construction, and operations to documentation, appraisal and marketing. Learn more at matterport.com and browse a gallery of digital twins.