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YouTube personality and Ferris Realty Broker-Owner Kyler Ferris is back with eXp Realty, and he’s not just returning, he’s working on elevating the traditional real estate team model, the firm announced Tuesday. Ferris brings with him his 45-agent team headquartered in Conroe, Texas.

Ferris has launched what the firm calls the “first-of-its-kind video-powered mega team” in Houston, in partnership with eXp agent and YouTube creator Joe Rodriguez.

Together, Ferris and Rodriguez are rolling out a new blueprint for agent growth, and that’s one that’s focused on long-form, hyper-local YouTube content as the primary driver of business. Rather than rely on cold calls, paid ads or traditional marketing techniques, agents on this team will focus on creating high-quality video content that generates organic leads at scale.

And it’s already working.

In 2024, Ferris Realty closed $164 million in sales volume. According to eXp, nearly half of those deals — 175 out of 368 transactions — were generated from Ferris’ YouTube channel Living in Houston Texas, which has racked up more than 4.5 million views and nearly 47,000 subscribers. The channel focuses on educating all viewers, especially prospective homebuyers, who are looking to learn more about Houston and its surrounding areas.

Rodriguez brings even more digital firepower with his channel The Original Living in Houston Team, which has almost 60,000 subscribers and close to 7 million views. His team vlogs also target buyers relocating to the area.

The mega team model flips the script on traditional prospecting. Agents are trained and supported to become video creators, who can produce educational content that connects with potential clients on YouTube — from top recommendations for neighborhoods to general facts about Houston that could push a viewer to purchase or stay put. And it all lives online 24/7.

The team leverages Ferris’ backend operations and systems with Rodriguez’s inbound lead pipeline, forming what they describe as an “unmatched YouTube ecosystem.” The team aims to generate over 5,000 organic leads a year.

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New residential construction showed mixed signals in May, offering glimmers of progress in completions but largely falling short on starts and permits.

According to new data released Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the broader picture shows stagnation rather than recovery.

Privately owned housing starts dropped 9.8 percent from April to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1,256,000. That figure is also 4.6 percent below the May 2024 rate of 1,316,000, marking the weakest pace since 2020.

Odeta Kushi | First American Deputy Chief Economist

“Housing starts plummeted 10 percent in May to their lowest level since 2020, falling short of consensus expectations,” First American Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi said in a statement. “The month-over-month pull back was primarily due to a decline in the volatile multi-family groundbreaking, while a decline in single-family building permits points to a weaker trend moving forward.”

Single-family starts edged up just 0.4 percent to 924,000 units, while multifamily construction took a deeper hit, falling to 316,000 units — down from 371,000 in April.

According to Kushi, the data comes amid growing pessimism among homebuilders, as is reflected in the latest National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Housing Market Index (HMI).

“The steep drop is not entirely surprising considering that builder sentiment in June reached one of its lowest levels in 13 years, the only exceptions being April 2020 and December 2022,” Kushi explained. “This growing builder pessimism was widespread across all HMI components. Optimism about single-family sales for the next six months dropped by two points, and current sales conditions also fell by two points, marking the lowest level since June 2012. Prospective buyer traffic decreased from 23 to 21.”

While completions provided a modest bright spot, increasing 5.4 percent from April to a rate of 1,526,000, they were still 2.2 percent below levels from the previous year. Single-family completions rose to 1,027,000, an 8.1 percent gain month over month, but multifamily completions dipped again, reaching 487,000 units in May from 503,000 units in April.

On the forward-looking side, building permits — an indicator of future construction — painted a dimmer picture. Privately-owned permits fell 2 percent from April to a rate of 1,393,000. This figure is also down 1 percent from May 2024. Single-family permits dropped 2.7 percent, while multifamily permits were relatively flat at 444,000.

According to Kushi, this data stands in stark contrast to what was seen in new-home sales early this spring.

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Opendoor has agreed to pay $39 million to settle a federal securities class-action lawsuit that accused the iBuyer of misleading investors about its homebuying algorithm, a Friday court filing in the United States District Court of Arizona reveals.

The lawsuit, first filed in 2022, claimed Opendoor misrepresented the accuracy and effectiveness of its iBuying platform.

“Defendants are entering into the settlement to eliminate the burden, expense, uncertainty, distraction, and risk of further litigation,” the legal filing read. “Defendants have determined that it is desirable and beneficial to them that the action be settled in the matter and upon the terms and conditions set forth.”

The case centers around documents issued in connection with its 2020 merger agreement with Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) led by venture investor Chamath Palihapitiya, and the February 2021 offering.

Opendoor marketed its platform as a “tech disruptor,” claiming its AI-powered tools could outperform traditional real estate methods by accurately pricing homes for sellers and generating profits through resale. However, the complaint alleges the pricing process relied more heavily on human input than Opendoor had disclosed, and that the company failed to adjust to shifting market conditions.

Concerns intensified in September 2022, when a Bloomberg report revealed that Opendoor lost 42 percent of its home resales the prior month. The report cited an analysis suggesting the company’s algorithm was not keeping pace with a fast-changing housing market.

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The first home late American architect Frank Lloyd Wright ever built in Indiana and one of just two he designed in South Bend has just hit the market for $1.175 million.

The K.C. DeRhodes House residence, built in 1906, is hailed as “the only true Prairie residence in the state” and represents Wright’s early architectural vision. That vision included Wright’s signature horizontal lines, overhanging eaves and a symmetrical layout, according to the property’s listing description.

Listing agents Steve Bizzaro and Gabrielle Iams of Howard Hanna SB Real Estate are representing the property.

Although named for local industrialist K.C. DeRhodes, it was his wife Laura DeRhodes, who championed the project in the beginning of Wright’s career.

“It was at the beginning of his career,” Bizzaro told Realtor.com. “At the time, his office was in Chicago, so he would ride the train down here during the construction. It wasn’t just a design. It was hands-on for Mr. Wright.”

Inside, the 3,000-square-foot home contains five bedrooms and 3.5 bedrooms, including a primary suite with art glass windows wrapped around the room. A welcoming reception hall, living room, formal dining room and updated kitchen grace the main hall.

Notably, the home features 65 original art glass window, Wright-designed built-ins and lighting and meticulously restored woodwork. Much of that restoration is thanks to previous stewards Suzanne and Tom Miller, who purchased the home in 1978.

According to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, they used blueprints found in the attic, historical photos and physical evidence discovered during the restoration to renovate the home to Wright’s original vision. In 2021, those efforts earned the Millers the Wright Spirit Award from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy — an award that recognizes individuals who preserve Wright’s legacy.

“They did all the work in re-creating and putting the house back into its original condition,” Bizzaro told Realtor.com. “The woodwork had been painted [over], so they painstakingly stripped the paint.”

The current owners, who purchased the home in 2022, invested $400,000 in updates, including renovated bathrooms, a new kitchen and an electric vehicle charger.

To preserve its legacy, prospective buyers must review and acknowledge the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy Preservation & Conservation Easement, Furniture Preservation Lease, and License to Encroach, before any showings.

“This is more than just a home — it’s a living piece of art, history, and design legacy,” Bizzaro said.

Email Richelle Hammiel