The Property Pulse

MLS access without mandatory membership could reshape real estate forever The National Association of REALTORS® just dropped a bombshell. With their announcement that MLS access will no longer require NAR membership, the industry is about to see something we haven’t had in a long time: choice. There are a lot of agents, myself included, who have asked for years what we’re actually paying for. What does my membership do that justifies the cost? When I look at NAR’s offerings, I see: A Code of Ethics they’ve been quietly watering down for years. Training and designations that feel canned, outdated, and biased toward the status quo. Advocacy that rarely feels like it represents the working agents in the trenches. For decades, the real value of being a REALTOR® wasn’t prestige, professionalism, or ethical standards. It was access. It was protection money. It was a pay-to-play system where your ability to earn a living was tied to paying an organization that didn’t have to earn...

With the federal shutdown finally over, buyers and sellers are asking how long the housing market will take to rebound, especially for FHA, VA and USDA loans. The short answer is that recovery will happen, but each loan type returns to normal at a different pace. What Happened During the Shutdown Housing related services slowed down. FHA and VA continued operating but with reduced capacity. USDA loans faced heavy disruption because many of their services pause completely. Flood insurance processing slowed, and IRS income verification delays caused underwriting bottlenecks. These issues stacked up and created a temporary drag on closing timelines. Expected Recovery by Loan Type VA Loans: 1 to 3 months The VA handles shutdowns better than most agencies. Operations continue but slower. Once staff return and backlogs clear, VA loans normalize relatively quickly. FHA Loans: 2 to 4 months FHA deals with case numbers, condo approvals and regional staffing gaps. Delays will ease as HUD offices...