When is it safe to return home after a wildfire?
After a wildfire fills a house with smoke, when is it safe to return? With a pair of bills passed Monday, California is poised to become the first U.S. state to set standards for that contamination risk. Since last year’s fires in Los Angeles, thousands of people have remained displaced or stuck in temporary housing, even though many of them own homes that survived the blazes. But because there are no consistent requirements for testing and remediating toxins in smoke, like lead and asbestos, which can settle into walls and ducts during a wildfire, the residents fear that moving back to their homes could make them sick. The uncertainty has left many California homeowners at war with their insurers.
State Assembly Member John Harabedian, who represents Altadena, where the Eaton Fire killed 19 people and burned about 9,400 homes and structures, authored one of the bills passed this week. Together, the two bills require California’s Department of Toxic Substances Control and Air Resources Board to develop regulations and guidance on what contaminants need to be addressed after a wildfire, how environmental testing should be conducted and when homes can be considered ready for re-occupancy.
“AB 1642 is a first-in-the-nation setting of standards for testing, remediation and restoration for any residential property that has been affected by a wildfire,” Harabedian said. “Its companion bill, 1795, will ensure that insurance companies will use those standards for testing and remediation when processing insurance claims for homes that were affected by a wildfire.”
Mortgage rate shock stalls housing market
Stubbornly high mortgage rates finally took their toll on buyer demand in August nationwide, snapping an eight-month streak of pending sales growth even as sellers slashed prices. The share of listings in pending status fell 0.2% from a year ago, marking the first negative readout since November 2025, according to the latest Realtor.com® monthly housing market trends report released on Wednesday. Pending sales have been losing steam since May, when the growth rate reached a selling-season peak of 4.8%. That coincided with a steady climb in mortgage rates driven by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which put upward pressure on oil prices and fueled inflation fears.
The average rate on 30-year fixed home loans hit its 2026 high of 6.69% on Aug. 6, according to Freddie Mac. Rates hovered in that range for the next three weeks amid bond market volatility, closing out the month at 6.66%-up more than 20 basis points from early July. “Buyers understand rates aren’t going back to 3%, but when you combine today’s rates with home prices, taxes, and insurance, the monthly payment can still be tough to justify,” Cohen tells Realtor.com. “When rates moved higher again this summer, it caused some buyers to pause, while others believe the short-term affordability factor will improve when we find stability in the markets.”
Alongside pending sales, price cuts serve as another crucial gauge of market health. In August, 20.4% of active listings saw price reductions, catching up to last year’s level for the first time in 2026 after lagging all spring. Nadia Evangelou, principal economist at the National Association of Realtors®, agrees that persistently elevated mortgage rates have had a chilling effect on summer demand. “Mortgage rates are the biggest factor,” she tells Realtor.com. “Even a modest decline in rates can help affordability and bring more buyers back but also ease the lock-in effect for homeowners.”
The other key bellwethers to monitor are price reductions and seller strategy. So far in 2026, sellers have cut less often and less deeply, with repeat discounts nearly halved from last July. Krimmel says that for pending sales to accelerate this fall, mortgage rates will have to see a meaningful decrease, similar to what happened last year, when they shed roughly 20 basis points between early and mid-September and settled below 6.2% by Halloween.
According to Evangelou, even incremental rate declines unlock significant purchasing power. “A 1 percentage-point drop in rates can allow about 5.5 million more households to afford the median-priced home,” the NAR economist says. “We also need more homes in the price ranges that buyers can afford. Inventory has improved, but the market still needs more affordable listings.”
Deep Fraud: How to protect your home from title theft
Imagine waking up one morning to the news that someone has “sold” your home from right under your nose. It sounds like a nightmare situation from a crime drama, but title theft (also known as title fraud or deed fraud) is a very real and growing threat to real property owners across the country. In our latest blog, we explore how title theft occurs and how to protect your home from being targeted.
Title theft is a form of identity theft where a criminal targets a property and forges the owner’s signature on a deed to transfer ownership to themselves or a third party. Criminals often target properties that are free and clear of any mortgage or liens, focusing on second homes, rental units and vacant properties. They tend to leverage stolen personal information, use fake IDs to impersonate homeowners, or even work with unethical notaries to make the transaction appear legitimate. Once they’ve gained control of your title, the criminal can not only sell the home to an unsuspecting buyer, but they can also do any of the following:
- Secure new loans against the property, such as a home equity line of credit (HELOC).
- Refinance the mortgage to cash out equity.
- Rent out the property illegally.
These situations can result in overwhelming debt, significant credit harm and even unlawful foreclosure or eviction, typically requiring months or years of costly litigation to resolve.
According to the FBI’s 2025 IC3 Report:
12,368 real estate fraud complaints were filed.
Losses totaled over $275 million.
Seniors (age 60+) filed 2,473 complaints, accounting for $123.6 million in losses.
This is why an owner’s policy of title insurance is so important-it provides a layer of protection against title fraud. If someone forges documents or attempts to transfer ownership without your consent, your policy may help cover the costs of defending your rights and restoring your title-depending on the coverage you selected. Title theft is serious, but preventable. By staying vigilant, using available tools and understanding your property rights, you can protect your most valuable asset: your home.
Affordable housing concerns unite older Americans
Housing affordability is a pressing concern for Americans 50 and older. Nearly 9 in 10 (87%) say the lack of affordable housing nationwide is a significant problem, including a majority who view it as a very significant problem. Concern is equally strong closer to home: 86% say housing costs in their community are too high, with half (51%) saying they are much too high.
Importantly, these concerns cross political lines. Large majorities of Republicans (83%), Democrats (95%), and Independents (76%) agree that the shortage of affordable housing is a significant problem. Similarly, most Republicans (81%), Democrats (91%), and Independents (85%) say housing costs in their communities are too high. While Democrats express somewhat higher levels of concern, affordable housing clearly resonates across the political spectrum.
Older Americans are not only concerned about the problem but also open to practical solutions. Just 13% oppose allowing homeowners to rent part of their home to someone outside their family. In contrast, 53% support the idea, while 29% neither support nor oppose it. Support spans party lines, including 49% of Republicans, 59% of Democrats, and 44% of Independents.
Taken together, these findings underscore a broad bipartisan consensus: Older Americans recognize the growing challenge of housing affordability and are receptive to common-sense approaches that expand housing options and help make communities more affordable for people of all ages.
New Homes Are 12% Smaller but Cost 72% More per Square Foot
The American dream is still alive-but its floor plan is changing. LendingTree analyzed the latest housing data and found that new homes are getting smaller, even as buyers pay more for every square foot. And while the trend is national, the story varies sharply by region. Here’s a closer look at how new-home sizes and costs have shifted across the U.S.
New homes are shrinking nationwide-except in the Northeast. Average U.S. new-home size fell 11.6%, from 2,724 square feet in 2015 to 2,409 in 2025. Declines were steepest in the South (13.4%), followed by the Midwest (12.2%) and West (9.2%); the Northeast rose 1.1%.
New homes sold remain spacious by historical Standards. Average size grew 17.5%, from 2,050 square feet in 1995 to 2,409 in 2025, after peaking at 2,724 in 2015. Northeast homes are largest (2,866 square feet); Midwest homes are smallest (2,262).
Smaller homes are making a comeback, but not everywhere. In 2025, 25% of new homes were under 1,800 square feet, up from 16% in 2015, while homes of 3,000+ square feet fell from 33% to 20%. The share of under-1,800-square-foot homes was 31% in the Midwest, 28% in the West, 24% in the South, and 19% in the Northeast.
New-home price per square foot surged 71.9%. It climbed from $100.02 in 2015 to $171.95 in 2025. Increases were largest in the Northeast (97.2%), followed by the West (87.1%), South (70.4%), and Midwest (60.9%).