by Stacey Soleil | May 14, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
If you’re a real estate pro who leads with heart, hustle and actual human connection, Stacey Soleil shares the things you should handle yourself.
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Artificial intelligence tools are everywhere right now. They’re fast, flashy and honestly kind of addictive once you get the hang of prompting. I use them too, and they’ve saved me hours on certain tasks. But there are still lines that shouldn’t be crossed, especially in an industry built on trust, nuance and reputation.
If you’ve ever felt the temptation to fully hand over your voice, your values or your relationships to AI, this is your reminder to pause. Here are 10 things you absolutely should not outsource to AI.
1. Don’t let AI write your apology
When a client feels let down, a teammate misreads your tone or a deal turns emotional, do not outsource your apology to an app. AI can mimic empathy, but it doesn’t feel anything. At best, you’ll sound generic. At worst, you’ll sound cold or performative.
Try this instead: Write what you genuinely feel. Be honest. Once you’ve gotten it out, add it to your AI of choice for help with tone or formatting. Authenticity always comes first.
2. Don’t let AI define your voice
Your voice is not a prompt. It’s how you show up on hard days, how you celebrate a win and how your clients describe you behind your back. AI can mirror a style, but it cannot capture the real-life moments that shaped who you are as a professional.
Try this instead: Give your AI examples of your past content or listing descriptions so it can reflect your existing tone. Do not expect it to invent one for you from scratch.
3. Don’t let AI make ethical decisions
Whether it’s disclosure language, how you present multiple offers or how you speak about competitors, AI does not carry the consequences of your choices. It doesn’t understand legal nuance or your code of ethics. And it definitely doesn’t know your market-specific obligations.
Try this instead: Use AI to help pressure-test your logic or present multiple ways to communicate something, but let your own integrity make the final call.
4. Don’t let AI handle your work conflicts
Tensions in real estate can be subtle or explosive. Maybe a co-broker threw you under the bus in front of a client. Maybe your team had a breakdown in communication and feelings got bruised. You can try prompting an AI to help you write a response, but it won’t understand the undercurrents, the politics or the trust that was broken.
Try this instead: Write it raw. Say everything you want to say without editing yourself. Once you’ve processed, add it to your AI tool to clean up tone or tighten the message. Your humanity is the part that matters.
5. Don’t let AI replace your expertise
AI can explain a financing term, but it has never negotiated an appraisal gap while standing in a driveway with panicked buyers. It can describe what a CMA is, but it doesn’t know what it’s like to deliver bad news to a client whose dream home is out of reach. That experience is yours. Own it.
Try this instead: Use AI to simplify, summarize or outline. Let it support your work, but never allow it to speak for your expertise.
6. Don’t let AI decide what’s ‘good enough’
Just because a listing description or market update reads well doesn’t mean it reflects your standards. AI aims for plausible, not personal. If you’re tempted to click copy and paste without checking how it aligns with your brand, your results may feel hollow.
Try this instead: Use AI to generate drafts. But always review with fresh eyes and a strong sense of what feels right for you, your clients and your brand voice.
7. Don’t let AI write anything you won’t fact-check
I’ve seen AI tools confidently generate fake stats, outdated guidelines and completely made-up program details. That becomes your liability the moment you hit “publish.” In a business where trust is your currency, misinformation is a price you can’t afford to pay.
Try this instead: Let AI help organize your content or summarize key points. Always double-check the numbers, names and regulations with real sources.
8. Don’t let AI talk about what you don’t actually understand
If you’ve never closed a short sale or executed a 1031 exchange, don’t let AI create content that implies you have. Your audience can feel the disconnect. It’s not a good look to present borrowed knowledge as personal expertise.
Try this instead: Share what you know deeply or partner with a trusted expert, conduct an interview, and let your AI tool help you structure the final output. That’s how you add value without losing credibility.
9. Don’t let AI fill the silence just to ‘stay consistent’
There’s pressure in this industry to post constantly. But if you’re showing up online with hollow content just to stay visible, your message starts to blur. AI can churn out content daily, but more doesn’t always mean better.
Try this instead: Let yourself be intentional. Share when you have something worth saying. AI can help you organize your thoughts once you have clarity, not before.
10. Don’t let AI tell you who you are
No app can define your value proposition, your purpose or your story. AI can echo back what you feed it, but it cannot discover who you are. That part comes from reflection, experience and the quiet confidence that builds when you’ve done the hard things well.
Try this instead: Explore your thoughts first. Reflect, journal, ask trusted colleagues what they notice about your impact. Once you have that clarity, AI can help you shape the message. The identity part? That’s yours to own.
Author Stacey Soleil is the SVP Community & Engagement at Inside Real Estate, Inman contributing writer and national speaker.
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by Carl Medford | May 14, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
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Driving past a corner, I saw the usual collection of open house signs. With arrows pointing everywhere, I did a casual glance to get an idea of where the homes might be located.
Looking closer, I was surprised to see one sign that had a different purpose. Instead of advertising an open house, in bold letters above the agent’s picture, it proclaimed, “List Your Home With Us and Get a Free Pizza.”
What?
I took a picture of the sign and looked up the agent when I got home to see how successful his cheesy “ad campaign” really was. As I suspected, no pizza parlor was depending on him as an income stream. Further, the fact that his sign advertised a pizza while the other signs on that corner were advertising actual listings was, in and of itself, a huge clue.
Truth is, these are tough times for many agents, and some will say and do almost anything to secure a listing. The adage, “List to last,” has never been more true since, in many markets, listings have been at a premium for a few years now.
Over my close to a quarter century in the business, I have encountered the following eight questionable tactics for landing the listing:
1. My signs are HUGE
I actually saw this on another agent’s listing flyer. This is one case where bigger is not better, unless your sign is on a 10-acre lot and is located so far from the road you need binoculars to read it.
In reality, the size of the sign is not a key issue, and, in fact, some cities and developments do not allow signs at all. Serious buyers, if they are looking in any given neighborhood, do not drive through the area looking for signs.
If they want to see if there are any homes for sale, they will pull out their phones and look on a real estate app. And if a seller sees a sign that is clearly bigger than the rest, that is not going to be a motivating factor in the choosing of an agent to list their home.
Let’s be honest: The size of the sign is not about the house; it’s about the agent trying to draw attention to themselves, which, in many cases, is why they boast glamor shots of the agent from about 30 years ago.
The number of riders is not important either, nor are the 12-foot-high banners, balloons and other gimmicks.
2. I have buyers looking for your house
Let’s get real: So do countless other Realtors out there.
While it may be true that you do have one specific person in you database looking for a home identical to the one you are visiting, over the years, the number of sales that have happened because I already had a buyer in the queue is virtually nil — unless the homeowner has reached out in direct response to a Golden Letter, in which case, they will not be interviewing other agents and the sign is usually a moot point.
As you can imagine, promising a seller you have buyers is fraught with potential problems. To begin, almost without exception, the best way to honor our fiduciary responsibility to a seller is to get them the best price and terms comes from putting their home on the open market. Yes, we may have a potential buyer, but that buyer should be required to compete with everyone else.
The key is not your ability to score both sides of the deal for you or your brokerage; it is looking out for the best interests of your client. Additionally, if you represent both sides, you are now in a dual agency relationship, which comes with increased potential liability and is actually outlawed in some states. This is a tactic that borders on dishonesty and, quite frankly, needs to stop.
One of the questions to ask in your listing presentations is, “Is there anything another agent may have promised you that we have not included in our presentation?” If they mention that another agent stated that they had a pool of buyers, use the following script:
“I’m so glad you mentioned that. One of our goals is to get you the highest possible price and terms AND protect your best interests. First of all, you need to know that this is a common tactic agents use to get you to sign a listing, and it is NOT in your best interest. While they may or may not actually have a buyer (the odds are very low they have a buyer for your exact home), you will usually get the best offers by going live on the market and letting everyone out there compete for your home, not just one buyer who is controlled by the listing agent. Additionally, if your listing agent brings you a buyer, that is dual agency and is actually outlawed in some states across the country. Your best representation happens when your agent represents you and another agent represents the buyer.”
3. I have a national network of agents
The premise behind this promise is the hope that the sellers do not understand how today’s buyers actually find prospective properties. Years ago, when buyers had to rely on agents to get a list of available homes, stating that you were networking with a national list of agents might have had some merit.
Today, however, agents no longer control buyers’ access to the listings since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) gave away the farm. This means that any potential buyer with access to Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com or any brokerage app has full access to every available home currently on the MLS.
With this in mind, there is absolutely no benefit to an agent bragging that they will network the listing to a national audience. In fact, as we discovered during the foreclosure crisis, when REO agents outside our MLS were marketing foreclosures in our area, buyers had direct access to properties that were not even showing up on our local MLS, meaning they had more access to homes than we did through our MLS.
4. I can sell your home off-market
This is probably true, especially if your brokerage is setting up an off-market directory where buyers represented by that brokerage have access to all of that brokerage’s listings before they go on the MLS. The question, however, is back to our fiduciary responsibility: “Is selling off-market to a limited network of agents truly in the best interest of the seller?” Data suggests otherwise.
In an earlier post, I referred to an agent from a company trying to set up an off-market network within their brokerage. She stated, “Our brokerage sends out a list of ‘market alerts’ so that we can see properties that have just been listed but have not yet come onto the market,” she said. “This gives us the opportunity to approach those sellers to see if they would entertain a preemptive offer. This is a huge advantage for us because it allows us to potentially make more deals with far less competition.”
Concerned, I continued, “Do the sellers understand that by not going on the open market and getting maximum exposure to all the potential buyers out there, their odds of getting better offers is significantly decreased?” Her response? “Maybe, but I’m more interested in the opportunity.”
This mindset, in my opinion, reveals a culture more concerned with agent opportunity than it is with its fiduciary responsibility to its clients to obtain the highest and best offers possible. I wish this were an isolated case, but my experience tells me otherwise.
There will always be situations where a seller wants to sell off-market: severely distressed homes, privacy or health issues and so on. In most of these cases, they end up selling at a wholesale price, not retail.
It is important to understand that these situations are the exception, not the norm. For those brokerages and agents who are trying to make this a part of the majority’s experience to enhance the company’s bottom line at the consumer’s expense, my personal belief is that it is an unethical approach to the business and a blatant breach of their fiduciary responsibility.
5. I am No. 1!
Stop, already. No one cares. A few years ago, our team sold the highest number of homes in our county for that year. Not one single person we talked to seemed to think that was a significant milestone. As you are reading this, you don’t care either.
A couple of years and a pandemic later, it is not even on anyone’s radar. What sellers do want, however, is an agent who will stop talking about themselves and their platitudes and focus on the seller’s needs and motivations instead.
The problem with many agents is that they want to confront the seller with logic and state how they alone are best prepared, have sold the most homes in the area and are therefore the logical choice to sell their home. That approach, unfortunately, does not work.
6. I can get you the best price
This statement has as much validity as the practice of consulting a Ouija Board to get lottery numbers. At best, an agent making this statement is misleading the seller, and at worst, they are blatantly lying. Labeled “Buying the Listing,” this practice has been around since the invention of the roof.
Experienced agents can head this off before it becomes an issue with the following script:
“We know that some agents might be tempted to give you an artificially high price to get you to sign with them — it’s called ‘buying a listing,’ and we believe it is a deceptive practice. Integrity is one of our core values, and we will not do anything to undermine our relationship by over-inflating a list price to get your hopes up or to get you to sign with us.
“We have run a comprehensive market analysis. We believe a fair market price for your home, should you choose to go on the market today, falls between $_____ and $_____. Because we know most sellers are not ready to hit the market immediately, we will come back the day before you are ready to go on the market and provide an updated market analysis to make sure you launch your home onto the market at the best possible price at that time.
“The truth is, buyers are the ones who actually determine prices, not sellers or their agents. When ready to go to the market, we will strategize together to set a price that provides the best opportunity for you to get the highest price and best terms. Is that OK with you?”
7. I will buy your home
While true on one level, the devil is in the details. Listing agents can state they have a program that will buy homes that do not sell for a couple of very important reasons.
First, the price they will guarantee is below market value. There are many companies out there that will buy a home below market price; the key is how much lower that “guaranteed price” actually is. In reality, if the home had been put on the market initially at that “guaranteed price,” it would most likely receive multiple offers.
If a seller mentions that another agent made this promise, ask them if they received a guaranteed price in writing and if they are actually OK with that price. In most cases, by partnering with companies that buy at wholesale, you can make the same offer.
Second, sellers need to realize that the initial “guaranteed price” is a best-case scenario; once the wholesale company’s representative walks the property, they will often start discounting the price due to “condition issues.”
While this promise initially sounds great, upon close examination, it benefits the listing agent and the discount buyer they are working with, not the seller.
8. My marketing plan is the best!
In a 2020 article I wrote for Inman, I stated,
“Somewhere along the line, our society has transitioned from being service-based to commodity-based. With service no longer anticipated in most areas of our lives, we focus on securing commodities in its place.
“If we can reduce anything we want to a basic commodity, then regardless of what it is (an appliance, a phone or even a car), the natural progression focuses on getting it at the lowest possible price.
“In a commodity-based world, sellers now search for real estate agents who will sell their house for the lowest possible commission. I frequently hear during listing presentations, ‘You guys are all the same. You provide the same things as everyone else I’ve talked to — why should I choose you?’
“As a result, if a seller is already viewing you as a commodity, then any list of features you provide in a logical format that touts how great you are will more than likely fall on deaf ears, since every other agent walking through the front door essentially has the same list.”
Since most agents offer very similar programs, bragging about your marketing plan is fruitless. Instead, you should be focusing on building rapport with the potential seller: Most sellers want to work with someone they feel they can trust and who genuinely has their best interests at heart.
Desperate times breed desperate measures, and, as I have discovered over the years, there are agents out there who will fudge the edges of reality to get a listing. When you uncover one of the issues mentioned above, you can respond simply and with integrity by pointing out the flaw in the purported benefit.
Never attack or demean the other agent(s), but simply present the truth and then ask, “As you can see, I have your best interests at heart — is there anything else that would prevent you from listing your home with us today?”
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by Matt Carter | May 13, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
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The Appraisal Institute, a professional association of real estate appraisers, is in turmoil following allegations that a top executive sexually harassed employees and that the association has been knowingly reporting inaccurate exam scores to state agencies.
Alissa Akins, the Appraisal Institute’s former director of education and publications, sued the association on March 28, alleging she was fired from her job in December in retaliation for exposing problems with the administration of licensing exams used by state regulators.
One of the Appraisal Institute staffers Akins accused of retaliating against her — Vice President Craig Steinley — is named in a May 8 wrongful termination lawsuit filed by former Appraisal Institute CEO Cynthia Chance, who accused Steinley of groping her and making lewd comments about her.
The Appraisal Institute “categorically and whole-heartedly denies that it has at any time engaged in fraudulent or retaliatory conduct,” in its administration of licensing exams or in its dealings with Akins.
Steinley’s attorney told The New York Times that he “wholly denies any allegations of any unwanted touching or harassment. It simply did not occur.”
The New York Times‘ Debra Kamin — whose 2023 exposé of allegations of sexual harassment at the National Association of Realtors led to the resignation of NAR President Kenny Parcell — last week published details from interviews with 12 women “who said they have had uncomfortable interactions with Mr. Steinley.”
Kamin, who interviewed more than 20 appraisers and former Appraisal Institute staff members, obtained a confidential legal settlement in which the association paid $412,000 to settle a sexual harassment claim by former Chief Financial Officer Beata Swacha.
The Appraisal Institute has “fielded similar complaints from at least seven other women that have swirled within the group over the last decade,” Kamin reported.
After The New York Times story went live, more than 200 people signed a Change.org petition “urging the board of directors to take immediate action to remove Craig Steinley from his position.”
On Monday, Appraisal Institute President Paula Konikoff posted on LinkedIn that Steinley had “decided to step away from his public [Appraisal Institute] officer appearances, effective immediately.”
Steinley informed the board that he was acting “out of consideration for and in the interest of not being a distraction to the important and ongoing work of the organization and will cooperate with any investigatory effort.”
Steinley’s attorney, Craig Capilla, told Kamin Monday that Steinley “has not resigned. This is still an ongoing issue. I don’t think final decisions have been made.”
The Appraisal Institute did not respond to Inman’s request for comment on the allegations against it, nor on Steinley’s current employment status. A statement by Konikoff on the allegations detailed by The New York Times features prominently on the association’s homepage.
Konikoff’s statement formally acknowledges “those who participated in the article and the seriousness of what they said.”
“Let me be clear: The Appraisal Institute is committed to a safe and respectful environment for all our employees and members, and nothing short of that is OK,” Konikoff wrote. “We have policies that prohibit — and are there to ensure — we promptly address any reports of discrimination, harassment or retaliation.”
The Appraisal Institute maintains that allegations it ignored Akins’ warnings about its examination processes or retaliated against her “are not true, and we will fight this lawsuit in court.”
In her March 28 complaint, Akins said that after being hired in February 2024, she discovered that due to inconsistent updates of minimum passing scores that vary by state, the Appraisal Institute had in some years mistakenly passed students who failed, and in other years failed students who passed.
A rescoring of a random sample of 300 Appraisal Institute exams found at least 17 percent had been scored incorrectly — raising the possibility that hundreds of people were wrongly certified as appraisers — or were told they’d flunked exams they’d actually passed, Kamin reported.
The Appraisal Institute “knowingly reporting inaccurate exam scores to state agencies” as far back as 2020, Akins’ suit alleged.
When Akins discovered the issue and put forward a plan to correct it, the Appraisal Institute “refused to take action or make any of the suggested improvements,” her lawsuit claims. So Akins “demanded that her signature be removed from the certificates evidencing successful completion of a course, including passing the course exam.”
Akins claims in her suit that she was told if she did not resign, Steinley “will make it hell for you as long as you stay” and that she was fired when she refused.
In seeking to dismiss Akins’ lawsuit in a May 2 filing, attorneys for the Appraisal Institute said her complaint “fails to state any claim upon which relief may be granted,” and that even if proven, her allegations “are inadequate to allege fraud.”
Tackling appraisal bias
Increasing diversity in the appraisal profession is one of the goals the Biden administration outlined in launching an initiative to combat appraisal bias in 2022.
The initiative was sparked in part by media reports of Black families receiving higher appraisal values after removing indications of their race, and evidence of a wealth gap created in part by a history of bias in home appraisals.
As the Appraisal Institute’s president in 2023, Steinley testified at a public hearing that bias in real estate appraisal “can be unintentional. To mitigate bias, appraisers should be aware of the potential for bias and base opinions on rigorous analysis and research. Best practice relies on multiple data sources and techniques to enhance credibility of the opinion of value.”
The Appraisal Institute has participated in an Appraiser Diversity Initiative with Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the National Urban League, and offers scholarships, workshops and other resources to those interested in becoming appraisers.
But under the leadership of Trump appointee Bill Pulte, Fannie and Freddie have been told to discontinue Equitable Housing Finance Plans that included initiatives to combat appraisal bias and promote greater diversity in the appraisal field.
Last year, The Appraisal Foundation, which is responsible for setting standards and qualifications for real estate appraisers, reached an agreement with the Department of Housing and Urban Development aimed at opening up the field to more Black people and people of color.
While HUD officials called the agreement “groundbreaking” and “historic,” The Appraisal Foundation emphasized that it had already undertaken more than a dozen steps outlined in the agreement.
In March, under the leadership of Trump appointee Scott Turner, HUD informed FHA lenders that they’ll no longer be required to follow procedures enacted last year to better protect borrowers against discriminatory appraisals.
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by Richelle Hammiel | May 13, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the Inman Community and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!
After the Los Angeles wildfires destroyed more than 16,000 structures, thousands of families were left without homes and with few clear paths forward.
Labor shortages, high material costs and permitting delays have stretched rebuilding timelines into years. In response, a wave of prefab and modular housing companies is stepping in with solutions to meet the urgency of the moment. Plant Prefab, Azure Printed Homes and Ark Container Homes are answering the call.
Their models range from compact, recycled container units to fully customized modular homes — all designed to get displaced families into safe, livable spaces as soon as possible. Unlike traditional construction, which can take a year or more, prefab and modular structures are built in controlled factory environments and then delivered to the homesite for final setup, which cuts down on timelines, costs and logistical hurdles.
Plant Prefab
A spec home in the Pacific Palisades designed by Ray Kappe and fabricated by Plant Prefab | Plant Prefab
With a 270,000-square-foot facility in Teton Ranch, California, Plant Prefab is built for scale and speed, boasting the ability to produce up to 2,000 homes per year. The company has deep experience in post-disaster housing and is now responding to the Los Angeles wildfires with new modular housing options that will meet the zoning, aesthetic and climate needs of both Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
Steve Glenn | Founder and CEO of Plant Prefab
“Our mission as a company is to make the process of constructing customized, high-quality, sustainable and climate-resilient single- and multifamily housing as timely and cost-efficient as possible,” Steve Glenn, founder and CEO of Plant Prefab, told Inman. “Victims of the wildfires want to get back to their homes and communities as fast as possible, so our services are important to them.”
Plant Prefab homes offer a wide range of customization options, allowing homeowners to tailor everything from layout and design to the level of fire resiliency. Homes come complete with floor plans and a curated selection of fixtures, finishes and appliances.
“The level of fire resiliency is up to our clients,” Glenn said. “But we understand how to make these homes extremely fire resilient.”
Plant Prefab modules also come with all mechanical, plumbing and electrical systems installed.
Glenn also noted that the cost of Plant Prefab homes is often significantly lower than traditional construction, depending on location and labor rates, and people are showing interest. So far, Plant Prefab has had nearly 300 requests for site reviews and estimates, and a number of project designs are already underway.
Azure Printed Homes
Azure Printed Homes | YouTube
Azure Printed Homes is taking a high-tech approach to housing recovery, using 3D printing technology, recycled plastic materials and fiberglass to build homes in a matter of days from its Los Angeles factory.
In response to the wildfires, the company launched a $4.2 million crowdfunding campaign to scale production and meet the rising demand for temporary housing, especially on fire-damaged properties.
Ross Maguire | Co-Founder and CEO of Azure Printed Homes
“The recent LA wildfires have left thousands of families without homes, and Azure is committed to being part of the solution,” Ross Maguire, co-founder and CEO of Azure Printed Homes, said in a statement. “This new funding campaign underscores our commitment to rapidly scale our capacity and to bring affordable, climate-resilient homes to all buyers, and most especially, to those who need them most.”
Azure’s units are watertight, highly insulated and engineered to withstand extreme weather conditions. They are also 70 percent faster to produce and up to 30 percent more cost-effective than traditional construction, according to Azure.
Most 3D structures can be built in just 24 hours. Final touches — plumbing, electrical and insulation — are completed in about two weeks. Units come equipped for utilities, including electricity, water, sewer, and HVAC or underfloor heating, depending on the unit size. Azure also plans to enhance its fire resistance with improved composite materials and exterior fire-rated panels, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Ark Container Homes
Ark Container Homes | Vimeo
Ark Container Homes is tackling post-fire housing needs by repurposing recycled shipping containers into ready-to-move-in homes. Manufactured in the company’s Harvey, Louisiana, facility, each unit is designed for durability, sustainability, recycling and efficiency, and can be built in less than two weeks.
Ark Container Homes focuses on offering the most structurally sound and low-maintenance product possible. That durability comes with a design philosophy: Less is more. Ark limits customizations, including omitting windows, to preserve the container’s integrity.
“With added windows and doors, containers become like RVs or campers, and you need to check and reseal the windows on a continual basis,” the company explains on its website. “If you don’t, they can crack, rain gets in, and you come back to find the structure destroyed.”
Units come in two sizes: a 20-foot model (160 square feet) for $39,000 and a 40-foot model (320 square feet) for $69,000. Both can be used as either temporary or permanent residences.
Although Ark is new to the prefab housing scene, launching production in November 2024, the company has already delivered its first post-fire residence to Malibu last month, and Ark Container Homes co-founder Joshua Clark told the Los Angeles Business Journal that demand has been ramping up.
The news brings relief not just to wildfire survivors, but to the county as well. Ark Container Homes will donate a portion of its sales to LA community fire brigades.
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by Marian McPherson | May 13, 2025 | Industry, News Feed
On Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that he’d halted development on a Muslim mixed-use project in Plano due to several alleged violations. However, the developers said Abbott’s investigations are unfounded and rooted in Islamophobia.
Bigger. Better. Bolder. Inman Connect is heading to San Diego. Join thousands of real estate pros, connect with the Inman Community and gain insights from hundreds of leading minds shaping the industry. If you’re ready to grow your business and invest in yourself, this is where you need to be. Go BIG in San Diego!
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday announced that state officials have stopped the construction of Muslim development EPIC City — even as the creators of the 402-acre master planned project say construction has not started.
Gov. Greg Abbott
“Texas has halted any construction of EPIC City. There is no construction taking place,” Abbott posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on May 11. “The state of Texas has launched about a half dozen investigations into this project. That includes criminal investigations… This matter, and similar matters, are taken very seriously, and actions are being taken to address all concerns.”
Abbott started his crusade against EPIC City in February, with claims that East Plano Islamic Center (EPIC) and its development arm, Community Capital Partners Inc. (CCP), had violated several state and federal laws, including building without a permit and offering funeral services without a license.
The governor also claimed EPIC City, which includes plans for single- and multifamily homes, a mosque, a faith-based primary school, a community college and commercial lots for small businesses, violates the 1968 Fair Housing Act, which prohibits landlords, developers and other real estate entities from discriminating against prospective renters and buyers based on “race or color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Texas Senator John Cornyn have backed Abbott, with both men making claims that EPIC would force EPIC City residents to follow Sharia, which the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) defines as moral guidance based on the Quran and sayings from the Prophet Muhammad. Although Western culture is most familiar with the strictest interpretation of Sharia, the CFR said there are multiple interpretations of Sharia, from liberal to conservative.
Cornyn said he sent a letter to the Department of Justice, asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to launch an investigation into EPIC and EPIC City.
“Religious discrimination and Sharia Law have no place in the Lone Star State,” Cornyn said in a prepared statement on Monday. “Any violations of federal law must be swiftly prosecuted, and I know under the Trump administration, they will be.”
As Abbott, Paxton, and Cornyn advance their mission to squash EPIC City, EPIC and CCP leaders maintain they haven’t broken any laws, as the development is still in the planning stage. EPIC’s website includes several project renderings, information on how to purchase a plot, and a development timeline, which states that EPIC and CCP are expected to close on the land for EPIC City in June.
EPIC City renderings for housing, a mosque and resident common areas | Credit: EPIC City
Leaders also dismissed Abbott’s fair housing claims, as the community is open to homebuyers and renters of all faiths.
“The vision for EPIC City is simple,” CCP President Imran Chaudhary told FOX 4 Dallas-Ft. Worth on Monday. “We want to build an inclusive community, one in which people of every background, faith, and culture can live together in harmony.”
EPIC and CCP hired veteran attorney Dan Cogdell to represent them in the investigations, which include the Texas Rangers, the Texas Workforce Commission, the Texas State Securities Board, the Texas Funeral Service Commission and the Texas Attorney General. Cogdell rose to national prominence in 2024 while representing AG Ken Paxton in a securities fraud case.
“[EPIC has] done nothing illegal and we will cooperate fully with all investigations — regardless of how misguided and unnecessary they are,” he told FOX 4 on Monday.
Cogdell also admonished Abbott, Paxton and Cornyn for using Islamaphobia to sour public perception against EPIC and CCP, and said there wouldn’t be an uproar if EPIC and CCP were planning their development around a church or temple.
“[This is] racial profiling,” he said. “These folks are U.S. Citizens, law-abiding and Texans.”
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