On this week’s RealTrending, Tracey Velt interviews Sean Miku — founder and CEO of simpliHŌM — a tech-focused brokerage launched in 2018. Miku outlines the firm’s 85/15 commission split, free transaction management and its goal to go public by 2028, while sharing perspectives on today’s real estate

New Western and PadSplit have entered a partnership aimed at increasing affordable co-living housing, effective last week. New Western cofounder and President Kurt Carlton told HousingWire the collaboration will allow investors to access PadSplit’s model for converting single-family homes into share

Playboy will take its ongoing makeover from Los Angeles to Miami Beach, as the once-iconic brand is moving its headquarters to Robert Rivani’s office building. PLBY Group, the Los Angeles-based publicly traded company that owns Playboy magazine, its website and its trademarks, is moving its roughly

OneTrust Home Loans filed a lawsuit this week challenging the long-promoted neutrality of mortgage coaching programs, alleging the services were used by a rival to gain a competitive edge. The California-based lender is suing former loan officer Broch Lassig, mortgage coach Richard Ruby, and Ruby’s

Developer Mark Bellissimo won zoning changes needed for the next phase of his plan to reimagine the epicenter of American equestrian sports. Wellington’s Village Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the changes for his project, called the Marketplace at the Wellington, which will complement

Sumanth Kamath — chief technology officer at eXp Realty — took the stage Tuesday in Dallas at HousingWire’s AI Summit to share how his company is using artificial intelligence (AI) to drive efficiency, empower employees and scale operations. In a conversation with HousingWire Senior Director of Data

Empira Group bought a development site in Coral Gables for $18 million, with plans for a 161-unit luxury multifamily project.  The deal marks the Swiss firm’s continued investment and growing pipeline of projects in Miami-Dade County since making its market debut three years ago.  Empira wants to bu

The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security benefits could rise to 2.7% in 2026, up from this year’s 2.5%, according to estimates from The Senior Citizens League (TSCL). The COLA is based on the average Consumer Price Index for urban wage earners and clerical workers (CPI-W) for July, A

Mesa, a membership platform built for homeowners, announced on Wednesday a funding round of $24 million in debt and equity from partners in the housing, lending and home improvement space, bringing its total raised to over $33 million to date. Lowe’s and Paramount Residential Mortgage Group (PRMG) p

Real estate closing platform Qualia would like to reintroduce the industry to its product Qualia Connect, which is now a branded multi-channel communications platform for personalized real estate closings and no longer just a document portal. The company says that this evolution enables title and es

Keynova Group announced on Wednesday the results of its 2025 Mortgage-Home Equity Scorecard, a consumer experience benchmark that evaluates the top 12 U.S.-based mortgage and home equity lenders. Bank of America and PNC tied for first place in the annual Scorecard. The Scorecard, syndicated since 20

Earlier this year, NEO Home Loans and Better Mortgage announced a partnership that combined Better’s AI-driven technology with NEO’s distributed retail expertise. The ultimate goal? To transform mortgage lending and find the balance of AI and human interaction in the loan process. During Better’s ea

Spirit AIrlines issued a going-concern warning in its quarterly report.

Palm Beach County’s condo sales and dollar volume dropped last week.  Brokers closed 76 condo sales totaling $31.4 million from Aug. 4 to Aug. 10. That’s down from 94 condo sales totaling $37.1 million the week prior.  Last week’s units sold for an average of $413,454, higher than the $395,110 avera

A developer planned to complete a 141-unit apartment building in Miami’s Wynwood Norte neighborhood last year.  The project was first revealed in the fall of 2022. Yet, instead of starting construction, Evolve Companies listed the six-lot assemblage for sale this spring, asking $14 million.  Across

Resorts World Sentosa will "be ready" when Singapore's Gambling Regulatory Authority evaluates its license renewal in 2026, CEO Lee Shi Ruh told CNBC.

Richard Schulze, the billionaire founder of Best Buy, is linked to the $27 million purchase of a waterfront spec home on Miami Beach’s Venetian Islands. Records show Miami Maison Holdings Trust, managed by Kevin Bergman, bought the house at 220 West Dilido Drive from an LLC named for the address and

Shoma Group proposes a 201-unit Live Local Act apartment project in Coral Gables, marking the first known development in the city under the state’s affordable and workforce housing law.  Coral Gables-based Shoma wants to build the 16-story Ponce 8 on a 0.8-acre site at 3808-3850 Southwest Eighth Str

Two homes in Boca Raton’s most expensive neighborhood, Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club, topped signed contracts in Palm Beach County last week.  Buyers signed 10 contracts between Aug. 4 and Aug. 10 for luxury properties in Palm Beach County, according to a market report from Douglas Elliman’s Eklun

Spirit AIrlines issued a going-concern warning in its quarterly report.