Industry news - page 2
Funding
Homeward banks $450M to scale buy-before-you-sell financing
Austin-based Homeward raised $120 million in Series D equity led by Saluda Grade plus $330 million in asset-backed debt facilities to expand its bridge financing and cash-offer products. Its lineup — Buy Before You Sell, Cash Offer, Buy with Cash — targets the slower market where longer selling times stall move-up buyers; the company says it has worked with more than 25,000 agents and facilitated over $4 billion in transactions since founding. For working agents: deeper funding behind contingency-removing offers means more of your buyers can write cash-competitive bids — a financing lever worth understanding before your next multiple-offer situation.
FinTech Global: Homeward banks $450M to scale buy-before-you-sell financing → Image: FinTech Global
Market
NAR survey — most agents spend $500 a month or less on tech, and only 46% use a CRM
NAR's 2026 REALTORS Technology Report, based on 1,165 member responses, found the largest spending band is $50 to $250 a month at 36%, with 55% of agents spending $500 or less overall; cost remains a top adoption barrier at 59%. AI use keeps climbing — 48% now use it daily or weekly, led by listing descriptions at 75% — but 34% still say it has had no impact on their business. For working agents: the data argues for spending discipline over stack sprawl — a CRM and automation that save real time beat three subscriptions you never open, and MLS access at 96% use still beats everything.
The Close: NAR survey — most agents spend $500 a month or less on tech, and only 46% use a CRM → Image: The Close
Tools
Tether RE ships Tether Guardian, a wearable panic button for solo showings
Safety firm Tether RE launched Tether Guardian, a neck-worn, voice-operated fob that connects the wearer to a live monitoring professional — either when the agent presses the button or when the device automatically detects a fall. The company says its monitoring center answers in an average of 9.4 seconds and sends help even if the agent can't respond, with GPS tracking and up to 45 days of battery on board. For working agents: solo showings and vacant properties remain the riskiest part of the job — a broker-supplied wearable means you don't have to fumble for a phone app in a tense moment; ask your brokerage who pays, since lone-worker device laws generally don't cover independent contractors.
Real Estate News: Tether RE ships Tether Guardian, a wearable panic button for solo showings → Image: Real Estate News
Market
Proptech job postings down nearly 59% in three months as the sector goes lean
CRETI's analysis of CareerHound and LinkedIn listings found open proptech postings fell from 1,152 to 478 in about three months — a nearly 59% drop that accelerated (14%, then 33%, then 28%), sharper than the broader labor market's softening. The firm frames it as an operating-leverage shift: AI, automation and outsourced services are substituting for headcount, and each hire now needs a clearer tie to revenue, retention or product output. For working agents: headcount growth is becoming a weak signal of vendor momentum — when evaluating a new tool, ask about customer growth, retention and unit economics instead of how fast the startup is hiring.
CRETI: Proptech job postings down nearly 59% in three months as the sector goes lean → Image: CRETI
Funding
Valon's $150M Series D doubles it to $2.3B as servicers swap mainframes for AI
Valon Technologies raised $150 million in a Series D that doubled its valuation to $2.3 billion, with Ribbit Capital joining and Andreessen Horowitz re-upping. Its ValonOS platform — one operating system for loan data, compliance, payments, and AI agents that answer homeowner emails and run escrow analyses — is already live at two of the ten largest US servicers, with one-sixth of outstanding US mortgages under contract to run on it. For working agents: this is the money story behind the servicing side of every deal — a modernized servicer means fewer payment-allocation and escrow errors that can stall closings.
PYMNTS: Valon's $150M Series D doubles it to $2.3B as servicers swap mainframes for AI → Image: PYMNTS
Market
.com wholesale price rises 7% on November 1 — renew early to lock today's rate
Verisign raises the .com wholesale price from $10.26 to $10.97/yr on Nov 1, 2026 (first of up to four annual 7% hikes through 2030). Retail prices follow at each registrar's own rate, so check your renewal quote rather than assuming the wholesale bump. Renewing before Nov 1 locks the current price for every year you prepay, up to ten years; worth doing for the domain your website and email run on.
Maxinames: .com wholesale price rises 7% on November 1 — renew early to lock today's rate → Image: Maxinames
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