HUD halts foreclosures in Texas flood zone

Plus: Texas ranks #3 as foreign buyers spend $56B on homes

July 15, 2025

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1. Texas ranks #3 as foreign buyers spend $56B on U.S. homes

Overseas buyers invested $56 billion into U.S. residential real estate in the 12 months ending March—up 33.2% year over year, according to a Monday report from NAR.

Foreign buyers purchased 78,100 U.S. properties between April 2024 and March 2025—a 44% year-over-year increase and the first annual gain since 2017.

Texas ranked third among states, capturing 10% of all foreign buyer purchases.

Source: NAR

2. Compass to share private listings, with limits

Compass is opening its exclusive listings to rival brokerages and MLSs—but with strict conditions. Listings must remain unaltered, the original agent must be prominently credited, and the data can't be monetized (no selling leads or information).

The move marks a shift for Compass, long known for its private listing network. It comes amid legal tensions: Compass has refused to follow NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy and recently sued Zillow over alleged antitrust violations related to MLS listing rules.

Compass said its exclusive inventory has been accessible to agents from competing brokerages since May via its Private Exclusive Book. Agents can view the listings virtually or through one-on-one appointments with a Compass broker.

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3. Catch up quick

⛔️ HUD halts foreclosures in Texas flood zone. (HUD)

🏠 Americans have beef with Airbnbs. (AnytimeEstimate)

🥈 Texas ranked the 2nd best for business. (CNBC)

🤏 Elon Musk narrowly wins fight against neighbors over Austin-area home. (KUT)

⚠️ Home building is slowing in D-FW. (Homes.com)

4. Realtor.com acquires home search app Zenlist

Realtor.com has acquired Zenlist, a collaborative home search platform known for its productivity tools for agents and clients.

The portal stated that this acquisition advances its strategy to deliver solutions that provide agents and industry partners with greater insight and value—while creating a more connected, transparent and consumer-friendly real estate marketplace.

“As shifting dynamics reshape the real estate industry, Realtor.com is investing in technology and tools that help our industry partners and real estate professionals stay resilient, relevant and ready for what’s next. The acquisition of Zenlist marks a step forward in that effort. With Zenlist, we aim to deliver a more modern, transparent and cooperative consumer buying and selling experience—at a time when trust, openness and innovation matter more than ever.”

Anna Marie Castiglioni, Head of Realtor.com Next

5. Family money tops down payment sources for young buyers

Nearly one-quarter (23.8%) of young Americans who recently bought a home used family money to help with their down payment, according to a new Redfin survey.

Redfin defines “family money” as either a cash gift from relatives or an inheritance.

Here are other key takeaways from the survey:

  • About one in five (20.7%) young Americans—Gen Zers and millennials—used a cash gift from family for their down payment, while roughly 11% relied on an inheritance.

  • About 18% said they lived with family or friends to save money.

  • More than half (56.5%) saved directly from their paychecks.

  • 21% used a family cash gift.

  • More than one in 10 (12.7%) used cryptocurrency, while 20.4% sold stock investments.

  • 12.3% withdrew funds early from retirement accounts, while 10.5% reduced their contributions.

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