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- Compass to acquire Anywhere for $1.6 Billion
Compass to acquire Anywhere for $1.6 Billion
Plus: Summer was the strongest buyer’s market on record
🚀 Yes, it’s Tuesday — and welcome to Libra season!
Today's newsletter is 831 words, a 3-minute read.
1. Summer was the strongest buyer’s market on record
According to the latest Redfin report, there were 35.2% more home sellers than buyers in the U.S. housing market in August — about 505,915 more sellers in total.
The only time sellers outnumbered buyers by a larger margin was June 2025, when the gap hit 36.3%. In other words, this summer marked the strongest buyer’s market since records began in 2013.
Texas saw some of the nation’s strongest buyer’s markets, led by Austin (130.7% more sellers than buyers), San Antonio (110.6%), Dallas (98.1%), Houston (84.1%), and Fort Worth (76.4%).
Source: MLS data, Redfin data
🗞️ Related News: Active listings fell 1.4% in August—the biggest decline since 2023.
2. Compass to acquire Anywhere for $1.6 Billion
Compass announced yesterday that it will acquire Anywhere in a $1.6 billion all-stock deal, giving the combined company an estimated enterprise value of around $10 billion.
The acquisition will bring together Compass’ 40,000 agents and Anywhere’s 300,000 agents into one network. It will cover all 50 U.S. states, nearly every major U.S. city, and 120 countries and territories worldwide.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, pending approval from both Compass and Anywhere shareholders.
“By bringing together two of the best companies in our industry, while preserving the unique independence of Anywhere’s leading brands, we now have the resources to build a place where real estate professionals can thrive for decades to come.”
A MESSAGE FROM DAVE YOUR MORTGAGE GUY
20 Smart Ways to Use Your Home Equity!
Mortgage rates just dropped to a 3-year low and the average homeowner with a mortgage is sitting on over $300,000 in equity. That’s a lot of untapped cash sitting in your home!
Now might be the perfect time to refinance and unlock that money.
– DYMG
P.S. I’m more then happy to run quick refinance estimates for you or any of your clients. Let’s take a look!
3. Catch up quick
💸 A Texas beach house listed at $799K dropped to $199K in just five months. (Chron)
🏠 How the nation’s housing has changed in 20 years. (Census)
🤝 Douglas Elliman signs on to American Real Estate Association. (RisMedia)
📈 Airbnb hosts had their most profitable summer on record. (AirDNA)
💰 Institutional investors are still buying up houses across Texas. (Axios)
📅 AI books 2–5 appointments a day for real estate teams. (ReminderMedia)
A MESSAGE FROM FISHER INVESTMENTS
Retirement Planning Made Easy
Building a retirement plan can be tricky— with so many considerations it’s hard to know where to start. That’s why we’ve put together The 15-Minute Retirement Plan to help investors with $1 million+ create a path forward and navigate important financial decisions in retirement.
4. Home flipping profits hit the lowest level since 2008
The share of U.S. homes flipped by investors fell in Q2 2025, while profit margins dropped to their lowest point in more than 15 years, according to ATTOM.
Investors flipped 78,621 single-family homes and condos between April and June, representing 7.4% of all sales. That’s down from 8.3% in Q1 and slightly below the 7.5% share in Q2 2024.
In fall 2012, the average return on investment was nearly 63%. By Q1 2025, it had fallen to 25.1% before expenses — the smallest margin ATTOM has recorded since 2008.
The median gross profit was $65,300, down 4% from the prior quarter and 13.6% from a year earlier. Median purchase prices rose to a record $259,700, while the median resale price held steady at $325,000.
5. Zillow faces class-action suit over Premier Agent, Flex commissions
Zillow is facing a class-action lawsuit in Seattle federal court over its Premier Agent and Flex programs. The complaint, filed by Portland homebuyer Alucard Taylor, alleges that Zillow misleads consumers by routing them to affiliated agents through the “contact agent” button, rather than the property’s listing agent.
Plaintiffs claim Zillow presents its Touring Agreement as offering “free” buyer services, but commissions are still paid, with Flex agents required to give Zillow up to 40% of their earnings. The lawsuit argues this structure inflates home prices, discourages commission negotiations, and locks sellers into paying high fees.
The suit accuses Zillow of violating RESPA and the Washington Consumer Protection Act, and seeks treble damages, profit forfeiture, and an injunction against the practices. Zillow denies the allegations, saying the complaint misrepresents its business and that it will “vigorously defend” itself.
6. Texas leads the nation in job growth
A Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed that Texas led the nation in job gains over the past 12 months, adding 195,600 nonfarm payroll jobs.
Gov. Greg Abbott celebrated the milestone while announcing his appointment of a director for the new Texas Regulatory Efficiency Office, which aims to sustain job growth by cutting regulations and boosting state agency efficiency.
In August alone, Texas added 17,600 nonfarm jobs—the most of any state—and its labor force grew to 15.9 million.
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