In this week’s Inman Tech Roundup, Lennar faces a class action over two data breaches that exposed customers’ Social Security numbers. CoStar Group closes its $800 million acquisition of homebuilding data giant Zonda. California Regional MLS launches a customizable new dashboard for agents. And a Connecticut Realtor warns of TikTok scammers stealing listing photos to fake rental ads.
Here’s what you need to know:
Homebuyer says Lennar failed to protect her data
A class action filed Aug. 17 in federal court in Miami accuses Lennar Corporation and Lennar Mortgage of failing to secure customer data across two 2026 breaches.
The suit says intrusions around March and between May and June exposed names, addresses, government IDs, driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, birth dates and financial account information for tens of thousands of borrowers and employees. Lennar disclosed the incidents around Aug. 11.
The plaintiff, a South Carolina homebuyer who got financing through Lennar Mortgage, says she’s already seen unauthorized account access, attempted fraudulent transactions in her name, and a spike in spam calls and texts.
The complaint brings two negligence-based claims. One alleges Lennar skipped basic safeguards like phishing training and Zero Trust architecture and held data longer than necessary. The other argues that the failure itself violates the FTC Act’s ban on unfair practices.
Filed under the Class Action Fairness Act, the suit seeks damages above $5 million and a court-ordered security overhaul, third-party audits and stricter data retention limits.
What it means for agents
For agents and brokers who route clients into preferred lender partnerships, this is a reminder that data-breach liability doesn’t stay contained to the mortgage arm that got hacked. Clients tend to remember who referred them.
It’s also a prompt to ask any in-house or affiliated lender what they’re actually doing about data retention and security training, before a client asks the agent first.
CoStar completes Zonda acquisition
CoStar Group has completed its $800 million cash acquisition of Zonda, the homebuilding industry’s leading B2B data platform, adding new construction analytics and two consumer marketplaces to its residential portfolio. The deal, announced in May, closed after regulatory approval.
Zonda serves more than 3,000 customers, including major homebuilders, developers, lenders and suppliers, and is built around a lot-level database tracking land acquisition, construction status and home sales.
The company generated roughly $170 million in revenue last year at a 23 percent adjusted EBITDA margin. It’s a profitable, subscription-heavy business that CoStar expects to boost its residential segment’s margins.
The acquisition also hands CoStar two new-construction marketplaces, NewHomeSource.com and Livabl, which let builders list directly to consumers rather than compete inside commission-driven models.
CoStar CEO Andy Florance called new construction “a massive market” that’s remained underserved by purpose-built data and marketplace tools. CoStar also pointed to plans for combining Zonda’s visualization tech with Matterport’s spatial tools.
What this means for agents
For agents working new-construction listings, CoStar now owns both the data builders rely on for pricing and pipeline decisions and two consumer-facing marketplaces where buyers shop new homes directly. That will potentially reshape where new-construction leads originate.
It’s also another sign of CoStar’s expanding footprint across residential real estate, following its moves into resale portals, and it’s worth watching how it affects listing visibility and referral dynamics down the line.
CRMLS gives its MLS dashboard a makeover
California Regional MLS has rolled out REcore Workspace, an upgraded version of its single sign-on dashboard that lets agents rearrange, resize and customize how they access tools across Matrix, Paragon and Flexmls.
The platform traces back to REcenterhub, which CRMLS launched in 2023 as an entry point across its systems before rebranding it REcore. Workspace pushes the tool past basic dashboard access, organizing information into what CRMLS describes as a more connected, modular layout that adapts as agents’ needs change.
“Agents need to keep track of a lot of moving parts in their day-to-day, so we’ve been pursuing a way to simplify things for our users for a while now,” said Art Carter, CEO of CRMLS. “REcore Workspace connects our users directly with what they need to succeed in a fast-moving industry.”
Katie Smithson, chief revenue officer at REcore Solutions, framed the update as an extension of the original goal.
“The original vision for REcore was to bring the tools and information MLS users rely on into one environment,” she said. “REcore Workspace takes that vision further by creating an experience centered not only on access, but on helping users stay focused, take action and move their work forward.”
What this means for agents
For CRMLS’s agents, Workspace means less time toggling between Matrix, Paragon and Flexmls logins and more of a single, personalized hub for daily tasks.
It’s also a signal other regional MLSs may follow, as dashboard consolidation becomes a competitive expectation rather than a nice-to-have.
A house for sale became a fake rental on TikTok
Two TikTok accounts recently advertised a Harwinton, Connecticut, home as a $1,400-a-month rental in July, even though the three-bedroom property was only ever for sale and was already under deposit at the time.
Geena Becker, the Hartford County agent who listed 43 Millbrook Lane for $599,000, said she learned about the scam when a prospective renter messaged her to ask about it. The renter had grown suspicious because the price was so far below market.
“This house would have been $4,500 to $5,000 a month if it was for rent,” Becker said. “That’s a red flag No. One: they undervalue.”
Becker said the posts used photos lifted directly from her listing. “They stole every photo off of my site, every single one,” she said. “They used it like it’s theirs.”
She reported both accounts to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, though she has yet to hear back.
Becker warned that rental scammers often ask for deposits or applications before showing a lease, and urged renters to call listing agents directly before sending money. The Harwinton property is set to close in early September for around $600,000.
What this means for agents
This is a reminder that any listing photos posted publicly can be lifted and repurposed for a scam with your name and property attached, whether or not you ever hear about it.
Becker’s approach of telling prospective buyers and renters to call and verify before anything else is a low-cost habit worth building into every listing description.
