| CURATED for Agents | Existing-Home Sales Rise 1.5%, HouseCanary Signs Arizona’s Largest MLS & a Think Tank Finds the Portals Mostly Match |
TUESDAY · OCTOBER 13, 2026 Your shortcut through today’s real estate news. Ten stories, distilled into what happened, why it matters, and the Takes agents are talking about. |
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| 👋 Agents. Existing-home sales rose 1.5 percent in September.
NAR puts the pace at 3.99 million, and its chief economist says higher rates mean fewer buyers can qualify. HouseCanary signed Arizona Regional MLS to its Google Listings Program three weeks after filing for bankruptcy. A think tank found that Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and Homes.com largely show the same listings. Fed Governor Christopher Waller says higher yields are helping to curb demand for housing. And a military couple is suing REX and a Colorado brokerage, alleging their home was blacklisted. Let’s get into all of it.
Enjoy, — CURATED. |
| 1st TakeExisting-Home Sales Rose 1.5% in September, and Yun Says Fewer Buyers Can QualifyThe Quick TakeThe National Association of Realtors reports that existing-home sales rose 1.5 percent from August to September, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million. Sales were down 2.2 percent from a year earlier. NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said August and September were the two slowest months for home sales this year. He said further increases in mortgage rates in recent weeks mean fewer buyers can qualify. Read more →Why You’ll Feel ItThe median existing-home price was 417,500 dollars, up 1.3 percent from a year earlier. That made 39 consecutive months of annual gains. Inventory reached 1.60 million homes, a 4.8-month supply. Yun says sellers need to be realistic, which could require price discounts and other incentives. | 📊 The Takes
Yun’s call for realistic pricing wins the most agents, some get fresh preapprovals as rates climb, and others point to year-over-year price gains as reason not to panic.
🏷 Prices to the Market — ‘NAR’s own economist said it. If my seller wants it sold, the price has to be realistic.’
📝 Refreshes Every Preapproval — ‘Rates went up again, so last month’s preapproval may be stale. I get a fresh one before we tour.’
📈 Sees a Floor — ‘Prices are still up from last year. I am not telling my sellers to panic.’ |
| 2nd TakeHouseCanary Signs Arizona’s Largest MLS for Google Listings, Three Weeks Into BankruptcyThe Quick TakeArizona Regional MLS has signed up for HouseCanary’s Google Listings Program, Real Estate News reports. The deal came three weeks after the AI-powered national brokerage filed for bankruptcy. ARMLS is the seventh MLS to sign on. Brokerages that choose to participate can have their active listings appear on Google when consumers search for a home in the MLS’s area. Participation is free for its 38,000 subscribers. Read more →What’s ChangingEach listing shows the listing agent’s name and contact methods and the brokerage’s name. The six earlier MLSs are California Regional MLS, My State MLS, San Diego MLS, Bright MLS, Permian Basin MLS, and REcolorado. HouseCanary is still operating in Chapter 11. A status conference is set for November 12. | 📊 The Takes
Arizona agents want the free Google exposure, plenty will wait out the bankruptcy first, and some want proof of buyer calls from the six MLSs already signed.
🔎 Wants the Exposure — ‘Free placement on Google with my name on the listing? I want my broker in.’
⏳ Waits Out the Bankruptcy — ‘I am not building around a partner in Chapter 11 until it comes out the other side.’
📞 Wants Proof of Calls — ‘Six MLSs were in before Arizona. Show me buyer calls from those markets and I am interested.’ |
| 3rd TakeThe Four Big Portals Show Mostly the Same Listings, a Think Tank FindsThe Quick TakeA Consumer Policy Center report found that Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and Homes.com to a large extent show the same information about the same properties. Senior fellow Stephen Brobeck wrote it after examining 500 residential properties in 21 communities. Redfin was the only portal that listed Coming Soon properties brokered by Compass and its affiliated companies. There were 14 of them, which Redfin termed Early Access. Read more →What This MeansRealtor.com was the only portal that prominently listed contingent and pending properties. The report calls its contact button deceptive for not making clear the contact is a buyer agent. Days on market can read low after a relisting. The highest number is probably the most accurate. | 📊 The Takes
Checking all four portals wins out, owning the first call from a buyer comes next, and a smaller camp keeps buyers on the MLS search.
🗂 Checks All Four — ‘I tell buyers to check all four sites and trust the highest days on market.’
📲 Owns the First Call — ‘A contact button can hand my buyer to an agent they never chose. I make sure they call me first.’
🏛 Trusts the MLS Search — ‘My buyers get their search from the MLS. The portals are for browsing.’ |
| 4th TakeFed Governor Waller Says Higher Yields Are Helping to Curb Demand for HousingThe Quick TakeFederal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said the surge in long-term US Treasury yields is helping to curb demand in interest-rate-sensitive sectors such as housing and automobiles. He spoke Tuesday at Bloomberg’s New Economy Forum in New Delhi. He said that is not the Fed’s intention, but higher yields are doing a little bit of the work. Read more →The StakesLast week, Waller signaled that further rate hikes will likely be needed, with some flexibility on timing. The Fed raised its benchmark rate last month for the first time since 2023. Investors have pared bets on another increase at the October 27 and 28 meeting. | 📊 The Takes
Planning for higher rates leads, others watch the 10-year Treasury more than the Fed calendar, and a hopeful few are counting on a pause.
🧭 Plans for Higher Rates — ‘Nothing he said brings rates down. I am planning for high rates with every buyer.’
📊 Watches the Ten-Year — ‘Waller just said yields are doing some of the work. I watch the 10-year more than the Fed.’
🧊 Hopes for a Pause — ‘If yields are already cooling housing, I hope the Fed stops there.’ |
| 5th TakeSellers Sue REX and a Colorado Brokerage, Alleging Their Home Was BlacklistedThe Quick TakeJon and Cassi Anderson filed a complaint on October 12 in federal court in Colorado, Real Estate News reports. It names REX, The Platinum Group, and Kelly Connor Young, a 25-year agent with The Platinum Group. In a call REX recorded, the agent allegedly said she would not show their REX listing and would tell people not to work with its local agent. The suit alleges REX never told the couple. Read more →The Real StoryThe Andersons, a military couple, say they learned of the call when a reporter contacted them in October 2023. They claim fewer showings and a delay that left them paying a mortgage and rent at the same time. These are allegations in a new antitrust case. | 📊 The Takes
Showing every listing is the clear favorite, followed by agents minding what they say on phone calls and a few who call this an old-rules case.
🚪 Shows Every Listing — ‘If my buyer wants to see it, I show it. Who listed it is not my business.’
🎙 Minds Every Phone Call — ‘REX recorded that call. I talk about other brokerages as if every call could end up in court.’
🧾 Old Rules, Old Case — ‘That call happened under the old commission rules. I am not sure it says much about today.’ |
| 6th TakeA Columnist Says Agents Are Giving AI Tools Their MLS Logins, Often Against the RulesThe Quick TakeIn a column, HousingWire columnist Craig Rowe writes that agents are using AI tools to pull MLS data for buyer searches and CMAs, in most cases against bylaws. Solid Earth CEO Eric Stegemann said his company’s security software is thwarting up to 1,200 such attempts per day. Six months ago, he said, it was less than 10. Austin agent William Zhang said his local MLS caught on when Claude used his account. Read more →Why It’s HotRowe writes that few MLSs have formal policies on AI use. Lundy.ai founder Justin Lundy says the real risk is the tool storing your credentials. Stegemann says the data bots touch keeps training large AI models. FBS says it built the Flexmls MCP Server to make MLS data securely accessible. | 📊 The Takes
Wanting AI access now has a slight edge over waiting for an MLS-approved tool, and some agents refuse to risk their login on a bot.
⚡ Wants Access Now — ‘My clients get better reports when AI pulls the data. The MLS needs to catch up.’
🔌 Waits for Approved Tools — ‘Build me an approved connection and I will use it tomorrow. Until then, I play by the bylaws.’
🔐 Guards the Login — ‘A bot with my login can get my account flagged. I am not risking MLS access for a faster CMA.’ |
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