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The Real Deal is the premier real-estate news outlet in the US, reaching millions of professionals daily through digital, print, social media and events. Readers turn to us for breaking news, market intelligence, custom research, proprietary rankings, deal analysis, profiles, trends and much more. We have received more than 50 awards for editorial excellence over the past 5 years, including the General Excellence award from the Society of Business Writers and Editors.

12/09/2025

Sixty-three percent of tenants renewed leases in 2025, up from 62.2% in 2024, according to RentCafe’s year-end report. But the national multifamily occupancy rate dipped to 93.3%, down from 93.6%, after more than 500,000 new apartments hit the market. Apartment availability grew 2.83% year-over-year, yet demand held steady: nine renters competed for every vacant unit, unchanged from last year.

The Northeast emerged as the most competitive region, followed by the Midwest and Florida.

Find more data like this in the comments below.

Restaurateur Nick Kokonas — co-owner of Alinea and founder of Tock — has sold his architecturally quirky Old Town home f...
12/09/2025

Restaurateur Nick Kokonas — co-owner of Alinea and founder of Tock — has sold his architecturally quirky Old Town home for $4.65 million, closing nearly $2M below the original $6.84M asking price set last year.

Kokonas and his wife, Dagmara Kokonas, first tried to market the home at 223 West Eugenie Street on their own using his self-styled “inverted commission” model — tying the buyer’s agent commission to the final sale price, with higher commissions for higher offers. The property lingered for five months without a deal.

He then hired Compass’ Jeff Lowe, who twice cut the ask, bringing it under $5.9M before eventually securing the discounted sale.

The residence combines two 19th-century homes joined by a modern glass bridge, plus two rear buildings — one dating to just after the Great Chicago Fire.

See the full story below.

The National Association of Realtors spent aggressively on salaries, lobbying and PR last year even as the organization ...
12/09/2025

The National Association of Realtors spent aggressively on salaries, lobbying and PR last year even as the organization reeled from its landmark antitrust settlement and shrinking membership rolls.

NAR’s newly released 2024 Form 990 shows the trade group generated more than $360 million in revenue, roughly flat year-over-year, and reported over $1 billion in assets, according to Inman. Its biggest outlay was compensation: the organization spent $73 million on salaries and benefits.

CEO Nikita Wright received $2.5 million in salary, plus $57,000 in other compensation and a $250,000 bonus. Her predecessor, Bob Goldberg, earned $3 million in his final year. Even NAR’s 2024 president, Kevin Sears, whose role is officially volunteer, was paid more than $350,000, a practice that has drawn scrutiny from nonprofit governance experts.

Read the full article in the comments below.

Sugar Land is widening its homeowner-aid program next year, offering significantly richer incentives to residents with t...
12/09/2025

Sugar Land is widening its homeowner-aid program next year, offering significantly richer incentives to residents with the city’s lowest-valued homes.

Beginning in January, the Great Homes Update Program will cover 50 percent of exterior renovation costs for homes in the bottom 3 percent of single-family property values — roughly 1,000 houses citywide, according to community development coordinator Ana Rodriguez. Since 2023, the program has reimbursed just 10 to 25 percent of project costs, with awards capped at $10,000.

The city is also broadening eligibility to heir-occupied properties, which often lack formal title documentation and were previously excluded.

A once-touted office-to-residential conversion in downtown Dallas is back on the market — this time as a distressed rede...
12/09/2025

A once-touted office-to-residential conversion in downtown Dallas is back on the market — this time as a distressed redevelopment opportunity.

Avison Young is marketing 211 North Ervay, the blue-paneled, 18-story, 185,000-square-foot tower long derided as an eyesore and most famously mocked by former Dallas Mayor Laura Miller. The firm is pitching the property as a flexible redevelopment play, with zoning that allows multifamily, hospitality or office uses. The building is nearly vacant and hitting the market without a formal asking price.

The current owner is Thistle Creek Capital, which seized the property in early 2024 with an $8 million credit bid — roughly $43 per square foot — after foreclosing on troubled syndicator Kenny Wolfe. Wolfe had acquired the tower less than a year earlier with plans to convert it into 238 apartments, stacking a $13 million loan from Thistle Creek on top of $9 million in equity.

Read the full article in the comments below.

A waterfront mansion on the Venetian Islands just set Miami-Dade County’s top recorded rental of the year, closing at it...
12/09/2025

A waterfront mansion on the Venetian Islands just set Miami-Dade County’s top recorded rental of the year, closing at its full ask of $200,000 a month.

The 9,350-square-foot home at 25 East Rivo Alto Drive — purchased in 2022 for $31.5 million by Rivo Alto LLC, a Delaware entity — leased for more than $21 per square foot, according to the MLS. Serhant’s Mariana Niro listed the property, while Joanna Jimenez and Michelle Cardenas of Compass represented the tenant, whose identity remains undisclosed.

Built in 2014 on a 0.3-acre lot, the seven-bedroom estate features 100 feet of water frontage, a pool, hot tub, koi pond, chef’s kitchen, wine cellar, rooftop terrace, and Artefacto furnishings. Despite the Venetian Islands being public, the property is gated, catering to ultra-high-end renters seeking privacy.

Find the full details on the rental below.

12/09/2025

Building super Dominick Romeo may have lost his long-shot City Council bid — but the issue he campaigned on still looms large for thousands of property managers: New York City’s later trash set-out rules.

The Adams administration’s policy, which now requires garbage to hit the curb at 6 p.m. in bins or 8 p.m. in bags (instead of the old 4 p.m.), was pitched as a way to starve rats and keep sidewalks clear during the afternoon rush. But some buildings, especially financially stressed affordable developments, say the shift has forced them into paying evening overtime for supers hauling trash after hours.

The Department of Sanitation says that’s simply not true.

Read the full story in the comments below.

Chicago’s housing market is poised for another year of price gains — and at nearly double the national pace.A new Realto...
12/09/2025

Chicago’s housing market is poised for another year of price gains — and at nearly double the national pace.

A new Realtor.com forecast projects Chicago-area home prices will rise 4.4% in 2026, driven by an entrenched shortage of new construction. The metro ranks near the bottom of major U.S. cities for building activity, said Geoff Smith, executive director of DePaul University’s Institute for Housing Studies, leaving the region with little fresh supply to meet demand.

But while prices head up, sales volume is expected to fall 2.3%, a reflection of tight listings and competitive bidding.

Read the full breakdown in the comments below.

12/08/2025

Luxury real estate YouTuber Erik Conover has pleaded guilty after a wild sequence that started with a speeding stop and ended with two police chases, an officer thrown from his hood, viral courtroom rants and a bipolar diagnosis on the record.

Conover now faces up to 10 years behind bars.

🗞️ Catch up on every twist in the case here: https://bit.ly/44LjhMO

Wavi Island, a 27-acre private island in Fiji previously listed for $20 million, will be auctioned on Dec. 19 in a no-re...
12/08/2025

Wavi Island, a 27-acre private island in Fiji previously listed for $20 million, will be auctioned on Dec. 19 in a no-reserve sale, according to Mansion Global. The seller, Wavi Island Corporation, has partially developed the land over the years and operated it as a high-end short-term rental resort.

The offering is unusually expansive: the buyer gets a 3,000-square-foot luxury villa, a manager’s house, guest amenities including a pool and bar, tennis court, daybed pavilion, a private marina, and a roster of 19 additional oceanfront lots — each between a half-acre and an acre — eligible for further development. Listing agents say the sites could support lodging, wellness retreats, or hospitality concepts, though the next owner could also keep the island private.

Read the full article in the comments below.

The waterfront property in Sea Ranch Lakes, listed for $9.8 million, comes two years after the midfielder and his wife, ...
12/08/2025

The waterfront property in Sea Ranch Lakes, listed for $9.8 million, comes two years after the midfielder and his wife, Elena Galera, paid about $8.7 million for the newly built house, according to ESPN and listing details. The 2023 deal set a record for the gated community, a quiet pocket roughly five miles from Inter Miami’s Fort Lauderdale stadium.

Busquets, one of the most decorated defensive midfielders of the last two decades, is retiring from MLS at the end of the 2025 season. He’s publicly said he plans to step away from the sport before pursuing a coaching career, noting he wants time with family after “hardly any weekends” over a lifetime of competition.

The 7,100-square-foot home at 7 Seneca Road sits on a third of an acre with about 100 feet of frontage on Lake Seneca. Built in 2023, the seven-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bath property includes a three-car garage and contemporary indoor-outdoor spaces.

Find the full details of the listing below.

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