Beginning in the early hours of last Monday morning, the announcement of the Compass-Anywhere merger dominated real estate discourse. Here at Inman, our wall-to-wall coverage examined — and continues to unpack — the implications for agents both inside and outside of those companies.
Amid all of the merger talk, you probably missed some of the other big things that happened last week. From the latest stats impacting your market to the implications of political upheaval, here are the stories you may have scrolled past. And don’t miss our ongoing Back to Basics theme month content.
Market conditions
We asked 5 new agents, ‘How’s business?’ Their answers might surprise
During a time of significant disruption, new agents have continued to enter the industry with optimism. Turns out, many of them have good reason — they’re crushing it.
August existing-home sales may have been lowest in a
Sales slowed month-over-month to an annualized rate of 4M homes sold this year, according to a new report released by NAR.
Douglas Elliman debuts private listing network for
The brokerage told Inman that the goal in creating the platform is to provide homesellers with marketing options, market testing capability, privacy and discretion.
The cash offer pioneer is pivoting to a national rollout of its “Buy Before You Sell” bridge financing program.
New-home sales spiked in August to highest rate since
The 20.5 percent increase was unexpected and reversed a trend of lower new-home sales thus far in 2025.
Should your clients look at a condo or townhouse as their starter-home option? As with all things in real estate, location is everything.
In predicting that mortgage rates will drop below 6 percent next year, economists at Fannie Mae are more optimistic about growth and less worried about inflation than their MBA counterparts.
Political impacts
How a government shutdown would affect real estate
The National Flood Insurance Program is set to lapse on Sept. 30, and federal agencies critical to processing mortgage paperwork like HUD, FHA, VA, USDA and the IRS face staff reductions.
LA’s so-called ‘mansion’ tax has failed. It’s time to overturn
The Los Angeles housing market has an albatross around its neck called the United to House LA (ULA) or “mansion” tax. Danny Brown explains why it’s a failed experiment.
How Charlie Kirk’s assassination could impact real
Kirk’s assassination may reshape real estate sentiment and buyer behavior. Jeremy Brazoban explores five takeaways on how tragedy can ripple through housing markets and client psychology.
Back to Basics
Why agents who ignore branding won’t survive the next 5
Without a brand, you will spend your career chasing deals. Alyssa Stalker explains why recognition and presence are the difference between hustling harder and selling more.
Here’s a simple formula for building a healthy, thriving
The way you handle your leads lifecycle must be optimized for a real estate business to be healthy and thriving. Jimmy Burgess shares the GNC formula that makes it work.
Top 7 safety risks for real estate agents — and how to avoid them
For real estate agents, it’s essential to be prepared to protect and defend yourself and your client’s property and data, Erica Ramus writes.
