America's Top 10 Real Estate News: Recent US Real Estate & Home News
Friday, April 17th, 2026
A look at some of the most interesting recent real estate news stories in the United States. America's Top 10 Real Estate News is featured at TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.
America's Top 10 Real Estate News
Where Millennials Buy Their Homes
Home affordability has become extremely difficult in much of the US, such as Los Angeles, where only 30% of Millennials own their home. But in Dubuque, Iowa; Monroe, Michigan; and Wausau, Wisconsin, more than 75% of Millennials own their homes. Even in larger metro areas such as Grand Rapids, Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Detroit, Millennials probably own their homes.
Older Americans Hog Housing Market
According to a recent Redfin report, for the first time ever, Americans 70 and older owned a bigger portion of the country's real estate wealth than those between the ages of 40 and 54. The proportion of US real estate wealth owned by the oldest Americans increased from about 16% in 2005 to almost 26% in 2025. The reverse pattern has been observed among those between the ages of 40 and 54, whose percentage has decreased from roughly 36% to 26% during that time.
Starter Homes Shine In Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City is the #1 city for starter home buyers in the US, with high availability, affordability and good quality of life. Little Rock, Des Moines, Austin, and Birmingham are the next US-ranked towns for starter homes. According to the National Association of Realtors, first-time home buyers in the US are at a record low of just 21% of total home purchases. Historically, first-time home buyers represented about 40% of home purchases.
People Are Moving To Texas & Florida
The top two states for US net domestic migration in 2024 were Texas and Florida. Florida posted a net domestic gain (move-ins minus move-outs) of about 68,000 residents, while Texas had about a 75,000-resident net domestic gain. New York lost about 128,000 people, and California lost about 263,000 people.
Fallingwater Fixes Water Problems
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater with its cascading waterfall is one of the world's most famous and beautiful homes. After 90 years of water exposure and occasional flooding, the home is undergoing a three-year, $7.5 million repair of the water damage. Fallingwater welcomes approximately 150,000 to 160,000 visitors per year.
Home Refinance Applications Fall 40%
The Iran conflict has caused the mortgage market to tremble, resulting in a sharp decline in demand, particularly for refinances. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the demand for mortgages fell precipitously for a third consecutive week, with a 10.4% decrease in total applications. Refinancing activity has decreased by 40% since late February due to a roughly 40 basis point increase in mortgage rates.
Fed Interest Rate Cuts Now Unlikely
The Iran War, high gas prices, and higher inflation make it unlikely that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again this year, as President Trump has been demanding. Instead of a decrease from the current rate of 3.50 to 3.75%, some experts think the rates will go up.
Home Buying With Crypto
As part of a new mortgage offering, prospective home buyers who have invested in specific cryptocurrencies will be able to utilize their holdings as collateral to finance their down payment. In collaboration with cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase, real estate services provider Better Home & Finance Holding Co. intends to launch the cryptocurrency-backed mortgage later this month.
First-Time Home Buyers Emerge In February
First-time home buyers represented 34% of existing-home purchases in February, which is the highest share since April 2025. Overall sales were up 8.2% in the western US states and were down by 6% in the Northeast.
LA's Graffiti Towers Sells For $470 Million
LA's Oceanwide Plaza has been in limbo since 2019 when the developers ran out of money. It has been the target of taggers and base jumpers with 27 floors of graffiti. The skyscraper has finally been sold and the new owner has promised to make it "the jewel of downtown LA."
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