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February 2026

No exodus after all? Manhattan luxury market sales accelerate under Mamdani

Compass, Douglas Elliman, Home Prices, Home Sales, Housing Market, HWmember, Luxury Real Estate, Manhattan, New York City, Politics, Property Tax, Real Estate, Tax /

For months, some affluent New Yorkers warned they would leave if progressive policies took hold at City Hall. With Zohran Mamdani now mayor and debate intensifying over a possible city wealth tax or property tax increase, early market data shows no sign of a luxury exodus. Instead, Manhattan’s top tier appears to be accelerating. HousingWire […]

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FirstHome IQ partners with MBA to boost loan officer advocacy on Capitol Hill

Bob Broeksmit, HWmember, Loan Officer, Mortgage, Mortgage Bankers Association, Partnerships, Politics /

FirstHome IQ, a nonprofit focused on first-time homebuyer education and financial literacy, announced Thursday that it’s teaming up with the Mortgage Bankers Association to bring a coalition of loan officers to Washington, D.C., for the MBA’s National Advocacy Conference in April. The initiative aims to have at least one LO from every state advocating together

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Bachman Realty Group joins The Real Brokerage

Agent, Brokerage, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, HWmember, Mergers and Acquisitions, People Movers, Real Estate, Texas, The Real Brokerage /

The Real Brokerage has added Bachman Realty Group — a 65-agent team serving the Dallas–Fort Worth and Houston metro areas. Led by Tiffany and Greg Bachman, the team closed 650 transactions in 2025 totaling $245 million in sales volume, according to the company. The group joins Real from Fathom Realty. For the Bachmans, Real’s technology

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Rising Star Leah Sommerville drives paperless mortgage workflows

Awards, HW Rising Stars /

For more than a decade, the HousingWire Rising Stars award has recognized professionals ages 40 and under who are driving measurable impact across housing. Since being named a 2025 Rising Star, Leah Sommerville has expanded both her leadership scope and her industry influence — transitioning into a sales leadership role at DocMagic while continuing to

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REMAX promotes Chris Lim to president, adds global sales leaders

Brokerage, HWmember, People Movers, Real Estate, REMAX /

REMAX has made some changes to its leadership team. On Wednesday, the company announced the promotion of Chris Lim to president of REMAX.  He will continue to serve as the firm’s chief growth officer. Prior to this promotion, Lim had served as REMAX’s executive vice president and chief growth officer since February 2025.  “I’m excited

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Rate adds seven former Movement Mortgage loan officers

HWmember, Loan Officer, Mortgage, Movement Mortgage, People Movers, Rate /

Rate announced Thursday that it added seven loan officers from Movement Mortgage in December 2025, a move the Chicago-headquartered Rate characterized as a “significant wave of competitive talent acquisition momentum to close out the year.” The loan officers who joined Rate are Gabriel Carter of Santa Barbara, California; Alexandra Hunt of Tampa, Florida; James Golotko

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Medallion stresses home improvement to drive 2026 growth

Medallion stresses home improvement to drive 2026 growth

Community banking, Consumer lending, Earnings /

Key insight: New York’s Medallion Financial is counting on a newly hired home-improvement lending team to boost loan growth in 2026. Supporting data: At the one-time taxi lender, medallion loans now comprise less than 1% of total loans. Expert quote: “The last five years, we’ve made more than we have in the first 85 combined.

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New home mortgage applications up as starts end 2025 strong

Homebuilders, Housing markets, MARKETING TO BORROWERS, Mortgage Rates, Originations /

Loan applications for newly constructed homes increased 19% between December and January, benefitting from how housing starts performed at the end of 2025, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Processing Content Year-over-year, however, volume increased by just 2%, the MBA’s Builder Application Survey reported. Rates for the 30-year fixed reached a three-year low at 6.09%

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Is more servicing M&A coming? Here’s what executives say

M&A, Servicing /

Mortgage consolidation continued full steam at the start of 2026 with Pennymac’s purchase of Cenlar’s subservicing business, but executives at an industry conference this week had mixed views on its outlook and pace going forward. Processing Content Last year’s megadeal combination of Rocket and Mr. Cooper slowed M&A activity temporarily at one point, David Sheeler,

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