Activists pressure CoStar over Homes.com as Trump targets housing costs
(The Center Square) – A fight between hedge funds and CoStar Group over the company’s Homes.com investment could affect competition in the housing market as the Trump administration pushes policies aimed at lowering housing costs. President Donald Trump has made housing affordability a major focus of his economic agenda. In his 2026 State of the Union address, Trump highlighted declining mortgage costs. His administration also banned large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes and directed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities to lower borrowing costs. At the same time, hedge funds Third Point and D.E. Shaw have pressured CoStar Group to abandon its investment in Homes.com. CoStar purchased Homes.com in 2021 for $156 million and relaunched the platform in 2022 to compete with Zillow in the residential real estate listings market. The companie