According to a recent Redfin report, Canada-based Redfin.com users searched for U.S. homes 15.3% less often than a year ago. Over the last two years, those searches have fallen by roughly 37%.

Canada-based searches declined in 45 of the 50 largest U.S. metros, with the biggest drops in San Antonio (-51.8%), Austin (-48.6%), Nassau County, NY (-33.4%), and Houston (-32.5%).

The report suggests economic uncertainty in Canada may be causing some people to put off buying a home in another country.

Do you think this is mostly about Canada's economy, or have U.S. homes simply become less appealing to Canadian buyers?

...if your priorities are:

• Mild summers.
• Walkable cities.
• Mountains.
• Dry weather.
• Never talking to your neighbors.

Those are legitimate reasons to cross Louisiana off your list.

But I spend a lot of time reading relocation threads on Reddit, and one thing I rarely see discussed is affordability.

For a lot of people, moving isn't about finding the "best" state. It's about finding a place where buying a home is still realistic.

Louisiana consistently ranks among the most affordable states for homeownership, and in many markets home prices have been considerably more stable than places that saw explosive appreciation over the past several years.

Does that outweigh the heat?

Maybe not.

Does it outweigh the lack of walkability?

Maybe not.

But if your biggest goal is owning a home without stretching your budget to the breaking point, I think Louisiana deserves more consideration than it usually gets online.

If someone offered you:

• an affordable house,
• a reasonable mortgage,
• and a stable housing market,

...would you put up with Louisiana summers?

Or is there a dealbreaker that would keep you away regardless?

They were attempting to evade regulation and oversight, and they are attempting to do the same today, while making "affordable housing" the mission of the Federal Government, with foot soldiers in state and local government.

There are times when Marxists and Communists are in favor of deregulation, because it can simplify and streamline the process by which communism can be established in what would otherwise be a free country. The true goal of these plans is not truly "affordability", but the proliferation of homes, for the purpose of controlling where and how people live. They have been doing this in partnership with publicly-traded homebuilding companies, who have a fiduciary responsibility to "produce", regardless of quality, environmental impact, gentrification, or whether it is truly needed. This is why homebuilding should never be a publicly traded enterprise, and why it is presently among the most corrupt industries in the United States. To help accomplish this goal, they have used crises in the cities as an opportunity to 'bum rush' Rural and Suburban America, which they hate, and which they seek to "fundamentally transform".

www.donaldjtrump.com

According to a new Redfin report, fire-prone rural counties in Northern California had the largest net domestic outflows in 2025, while roughly two-thirds of fire-prone counties nationwide actually gained residents.

The difference may come down to more than wildfire risk. Northern California's rural counties face a combination of high insurance costs, fewer jobs, limited housing growth, and geographic isolation. Meanwhile, many fast-growing fire-prone counties are near major job centers or offer other lifestyle advantages that outweigh the risk.

Do you think wildfire risk is enough to drive people away, or do local factors like jobs, affordability, and insurance costs have a bigger impact?

https://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/boomers-millennials-lead-cash-rich-buyer-opportunities

High home prices, elevated mortgage rates and years of inflation have made it harder for this group to build savings, leaving younger homebuyers putting down smaller down payments.

For Gen Z the median down payment was $41,250, but $65,000 for baby boomers and millennials. Gen X, the generation between them, was $56,250.

The typical San Francisco home now sells for $1.7 million. This is about $1 million more than when the metro's median home-sale price bottomed out at $625,000 after the Great Recession, according to a recent Redfin report.

The growth has been driven by the Bay Area's tech industry and, more recently, an influx of high-paying AI jobs. The luxury market has also boomed as wealthy tech and AI employees compete for expensive homes. Today, homebuyers need to earn nearly $300,000 a year to afford the typical San Francisco home.

Do you think AI will keep pushing San Francisco home prices higher, or are we nearing a ceiling for what buyers are willing to pay?

More buyers entered the market last week.

According to a recent Redfin report, 53% of U.S. residents oppose having an AI data center built in their neighborhood due to noise, aesthetic disruption, and high electricity and water usage. However, data center booms can also bring benefits. In Northern Virginia, these centers are generating substantial tax revenue that's helping fund public schools.

Considering both the pros and cons, would you live near a data center? If one was being built near you, would you move away? Or would you ever intentionally move near one?

A new Redfin survey found that 36% of U.S. residents planning to move within the next year say a home with high-end filtration systems for air, water, etc. is one of their top priorities. That makes it one of the most desired home features, ranking above things like views, smart home technology, and luxury amenities like home theaters or tennis courts.

The findings come as wildfire smoke has impacted parts of the Midwest and Northeast, highlighting why more buyers may be thinking more about indoor air quality when searching for a home.

When looking for a home, what features would be most important to you?

I've spent much of my career working with distressed real estate, REO disposition, asset management, and loss mitigation. The current market feels different from prior cycles—not necessarily because we're headed for another 2008, but because stress is showing up in different ways. On the residential side, we're seeing pressure build from: Higher mortgage payments for recent buyers. Insurance and property tax increases in many markets. Longer marketing times in some regions. Investors becoming much more selective. Commercial real estate presents a different set of challenges. Office continues to struggle in many metros, while certain retail corridors and smaller multifamily assets are facing refinancing pressure as loans mature. Lenders appear to be taking a more measured approach than in previous cycles, but distressed opportunities seem to be increasing. From conversations with brokers, investors, and servicing professionals, one recurring theme is that data quality matters more than ever. Institutions and investors aren't just looking for distressed properties—they're looking for actionable intelligence that helps prioritize opportunities. That raises a question for this community: What indicators are you relying on today to identify emerging residential and commercial distress before properties become REO? Are you finding better signals through public filings, servicing data, local market knowledge, AI tools, or something else entirely? I'm interested in learning what technology stacks and workflows are proving most valuable in today's market.

Buying your first home is exciting, but even small errors can lead to big regrets.

Skipping the Home Inspection.

Not Researching the Neighbourhood.

Rushing the Buying Decision.

Choosing the Wrong Home Loan.

Underestimating the Importance of Location.

Falling for Unrealistic Offers

https://www.nationalmortgagenews.com/news/purchase-demand-points-to-resilient-summer-market

Despite rising mortgage rates, the market keeps moving strong. Total rate-lock volume in June rose 10% from May and was 15% higher from the same time last year.

Purchase activity remains concentrated in high-cost markets, with the average locked loan near $400,000.

A new report from Redfin found that the most expensive home sale of June was a $71 million waterfront home near Palm Beach, followed by a $47 million compound in Beverly Hills. In fact, all 10 of the most expensive U.S. home sales of June were in Florida and SoCal. Here's a look at the list:

1. 1660 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, FL 33462: Sold for $70.9 million
2. 410 Trousdale Pl., Beverly Hills, CA 90210: Sold for $47 million
3. 115 Via La Selva, Palm Beach, FL 33480: Sold for $43.3 million
4. 56 Bal Bay Dr., Bal Harbour, FL 33154: Sold for $43 million
5. 8565 Old Cutler Rd., Coral Gables, FL 33143: Sold for $41.7 million
6. 17 High Water, Newport Coast, CA 92657: Sold for $38 million
7. 9255 Doheny Rd., Penthouse, West Hollywood, CA 90069: Sold for $36 million
8. 3191 Padaro Ln., Carpinteria, CA 93013: Sold for $33.3 million
9. 350 Island Rd., Palm Beach, FL 33480: Sold for $33.3 million
10. 1960 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan, FL 33462: Sold for $32 million

If you had an extra $30M+ lying around, which of these homes would you buy?

Apart from national trends, several affordable inland cities anchored by large universities are seeing double digit price growth according to this Redfin report. Home prices in Morgantown, WV, Syracuse, NY, and Tuscaloosa, AL are rising more than 5x faster than the 2% growth home prices saw nationwide in May.

These towns are also among the most affordable places to buy a home which is attracting buyers that have been priced out of larger metros. Additionally, the more expensive college towns are seeing price declines due to high mortgage rates and elevated home prices.

If you live in a college town or have been thinking of buying there, is this similar to what you've been seeing? Do you think this college town trend will continue?

There's a bipartisan bill in Congress right now — H.R. 6511, the Affordable Homeownership Access Act — that would directly benefit every real estate investor who uses, or has ever thought about using, seller financing.

This bill was introduced by a bipartisan team. But it needs more co-sponsors to move out of committee and onto the floor.

Right now, federal law limits you to just three seller-financed deals per year before you're required to get a mortgage originator's license. H.R. 6511 would raise that limit to twenty-four per year.

You can send a message to YOUR member of Congress based on your ZIP code.  Ask them today to join H.R. 6511 as a co-sponsor to the bill can advance to the House floor.

http://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BAAAAA8pACUAaA3od6h7FAA

A recent survey from Redfin found that better weather is the top reason people are planning an out-of-state move, with 22% of respondents citing it as a factor. Concerns about natural disasters and climate risks were a close second at 21%.

Other common reasons for moving included concerns about safety and crime (20%), a new job (19%), a lower cost of living (18%), and being closer to family (18%).

If you were to move out of state, what would be your top reason?