Weekly Real Estate News

09/10/2026

A Phil Hall Op-Ed: Did you ever get the feeling that artificial intelligence is often more effective than genuine human intelligence? This explains why too many people are relying on AI tools to get input on everything from writing books to romantic advice.

Thus, I decided to converse with my ChatGPT account about what next year's housing market is going to look like. After all, can an AI tool accurately predict the trends, challenges and anomalies that will shape housing in 2027?

Allow me to share my Q&A with ChatGPT on the subject, which I admit up front had a lot more A than Q. Here is the exchange in its unedited entirety:

Q: What is your forecast for the US housing market in 2027?

A: If you mean “What do you think the housing market will look like in 2027?”, my base case is: better than 2026, but not a boom. I’d expect a market that is more active, somewhat more balanced, and still frustratingly expensive.

My 2027 forecast

- Home prices: roughly +2% to +4% nationally.

The artificial intelligence tool shares its forecast on what next year could bring to the housing market.

09/10/2026

It was a slow August across the Mid-Atlantic region served by Bright MLS, with 19,191 total closed sales, a 3.6% year-over-year decline. Pending home sales were down 5.8% from August 2025, while the number of home showings was down by 5.5%.

Active listings at the end of last month were up by 12.6% compared to one year earlier, although the number of new listings in August was 1.7% lower than a year ago. The median sold price was $441,995, up 2.1% from August 2025.

Bright MLS Chief Economist Lisa Sturtevant blamed the weak August data on economic burdens.

“Mortgage rates have remained persistently high this summer,” she said. "With home prices still rising in most markets, some homebuyers are simply hitting an affordability ceiling. Others are waiting for more certainty in both the economy and the housing market.”

Among the region’s major markets, the Philadelphia metro area recorded 5,820 closed sales, down 3% from the 6,000 transactions that occurred one year before.

It was a slow August across the Mid-Atlantic region served by Bright MLS, with 19,191 total closed sales, a 3.6% year-over-year decline.

09/10/2026

Maine’s housing market took a summertime slump, with 1,542 existing single-family homes being sold in August, a 10.09% year-over-year decline.

The Maine Association of Realtors (MAR) observed that although sales were in a tailspin, prices were in ascension. The August median sales price was $424,550, an increase of 4.31% from one year earlier.

“The August statistics show an overall steady marketplace and the beginning of seasonal adjustments with lower sales volume and slowing price appreciation in some counties,” said Judy Oberg, MAR’s 2026 president and associate broker at Oberg Insurance & Real Estate Agency in Bridgton. “Across Maine, we tend to see motivated and focused sellers and buyers as we move into the cooler months.”

Oberg added, “As additional for-sale inventory comes onto the market, buyers have more opportunities and leverage to negotiate. Properties that are appropriately priced for their condition within their market are getting attention and selling.”

Maine’s housing market took a summertime slump, with 1,542 existing single-family homes being sold in August, a 10.09% year-over-year decline.

09/10/2026

AngelAi has spent years arguing that artificial intelligence can do more in mortgage lending than answer questions, summarize documents or assist employees.
Now an investor closely tied to the mortgage assets produced through that technology is committing as much as $100 million to help expand it.
Read the full article on WRENews.com

Mortgage Treasury has committed up to $100 million to AngelAi developer Celligence, linking mortgage AI technology with an investor that says it holds loans produced through the platform.

09/10/2026

Property insurance now accounts for 9.6% of the average monthly mortgage payment. The average single-family mortgage holder pays $209 a month for insurance—nearly 80% more than at the start of 2020. 🏡
🔗 Full story — link in first comment.

09/10/2026

Mortgage professionals seeking new access to one of the Federal Housing Administration's most important technology systems will soon have to prove they are who they say they are—and that will include submitting a selfie.
Read the full article on WRENews.com

FHA will require new FHA Connection users to submit identifying information, government ID and a selfie for identity verification beginning Sept. 14.

09/10/2026

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has declared a “rent emergency” for the city and unveiled six new ordinances designed to delay evictions, limit the level of rent increases forced upon residents, and increase funding for nonprofit lawyers who represent tenants in eviction cases.

According to combined media sources, median rent in San Francisco was up by nearly 26% year-over-year in August, with the hikes being mostly attributed to the boom in the Bay Area’s artificial intelligence (AI) industry and a significant lack of new housing construction. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city is more than $4,300. At the same time, eviction notices were 44% in the latest yearlong period tracked by the city.

Lurie, a moderate Democrat who was elected in 2024, lacks the legislative authority to freeze rents. The evaporation of affordable housing has been an obstacle in the mayor’s effort to reanimate San Francisco’s economy and standard of living.

“Rising rents are making it harder for the people who have built their lives here to stay here,” Lurie said.

09/10/2026

Two publicly traded apartment landlords are combining in an $8.1 billion deal that will put more than 44,000 apartments under one company—and create a portfolio built around a particular view of where rental demand will hold up best.
Independence Realty Trust and Centerspace announced Wednesday that they have entered into a definitive all-stock merger agreement.
Read the full article on WRENews.com

Independence Realty Trust and Centerspace agreed to an $8.1 billion merger creating a 44,354-unit apartment REIT spanning 17 states.

09/10/2026

Three different data sources are reporting an increase in mortgage rates, with two of the sources insisting the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage topped 7% for the first time in over a year.

Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) reported the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.76% as of Sept. 10, up from last week when it averaged 6.71%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.35%.

However, Mortgage News Daily, an online housing industry publication and mortgage rate tracking platform, reported the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is now at 7.07%, a 10-basis-points spike from yesterday and its highest level since May 2025. This increase was attributed to the rise in oil prices resulting from ongoing war with Iran.

“It’s been a rough couple of days for the bond market,” said Matthew Graham, chief operating officer at Mortgage News Daily, in a CNBC interview. “Yesterday, it was Bessent and the reaction to the Treasury buyback announcement.

Three different data sources are reporting an increase in mortgage rates, with two of the sources insisting the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage topped 7% for the first time in over a year.

09/10/2026

The national entry point for luxury housing fell to $1.2M in August, down 4% from both July and a year ago. Luxury listings also moved faster, with 90th-percentile homes spending a median of 74 days on the market. 🏡

🔗 Link in first comment.