A Recession Doesn’t Equal a Housing CrisisEverywhere you look, people are talking about a potential recession. And if you’re planning to buy or sell a house, this may leave you wondering if your plans are still a wise move. To help ease your mind, experts are saying that if we do officially enter a ...

Although you may have the best intentions for organizing and cleaning your garage, busy schedules can sometimes keep you from achieving this goal. If you find your garage space disappearing under clutter and you can no longer find your lawn chemicals, then it's time to organize it.The Big Clean-OutS...

Buying a house for the first time is exciting!But once you have the keys, don't let your excitement and inexperience take over. Avoid these five mistakes that often surprise first-year homeowners.Not budgeting for additional expensesAlthough you can't envision every possible scenario, there will be ...

The kitchen is the heart of a home.This is where meals are made, families eat together, and all the hustle and bustle of the holidays happens. So it may come as no surprise that the kitchen is one of the top places to update when selling your home.When you update your kitchen, you'll get more of you...

NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM FACTSA Look at What the National Flood Insurance Program DoesThis federal program, which is crucial to the Florida real estate industry, helps keep insurance affordable.The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) provides property owners, businesses, and renters...

Grandfathered Rental Rules for Condos and HOAs?For years, new condo rental restrictions applied only to current owners who voted for them, but new HOA restrictions were effective for everyone. That changed last July when HOA owners who rent out units received somewhat similar protections.NAPLES, Fla...

Fla. Has 4 of Top 10 Metros for Out-of-State BuyersStudy: 3 of the Fla. metros (Miami, Cape Coral, North Port) had more out-of-state than in-state searches on Redfin. With Tampa, most searches came from Orlando.SEATTLE – Redfin says one out of three visitors (31.2%) to its listing website searched f...

RE Trends: What’s Driving Fla. Buyer Demand?2022 Real Estate Trends: Millennials are prime homebuyers for years to come and interest rates will rise. This year’s wild cards? Inflation and unexpected virus variants.ORLANDO, Fla. – What trends should consumers, Realtors® and policymakers watch for whe...

1 in 4 Buyers Using Fed Money for Down PaymentPandemic-era stimulus funds went toward the down payment on a home for 24% of today’s buyers, second only to saving money from their paychecks.SEATTLE –  Almost one in four (24%) of first-time homebuyers took money received via government stimulus paymen...

Average Mortgage Rates Dip Below 3% Again This WeekThe fear of rapidly rising mortgage rates appears exaggerated, as this week’s 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.98% compared to last week’s 3.09%WASHINGTON (AP) – Average long-term mortgage rates in the U.S. fell this week, as the key 30-year ...

Homes Sell at Fast Pace for 8th Month in a Row in Oct.Realtor.com: Homes sold in the 50 biggest U.S. metros at an average of 39 days. Miami (No. 1), Jacksonville (3) and Orlando (4) were in the top 5 fastest-selling metros.SANTA CLARA, Calif. – New housing data shows 2021’s home sales broke a yearly...

Federal Reserve Economic Overview: Things Look Pretty GoodThe Fed considers economic risks in its stability report – what could upend a solid, growing economy? Overall, it finds less to worry about than it did a year ago. However, it’s keeping an eye on COVID-19 breakouts, and it sees some risk in r...

The Housing Market for First-Time Buyers? It’s BrutalSurvey: For first-timers, it’s not just finding a house and putting in a winning bid, though that provides enough stress to deter some buyers from the market. 80% of first-timers lost at least two days off work, 39% faced down payment problems and...

Most Lenders Will Now Consider On-Time Rent PaymentsMore mortgage applicants will find it easier to get approved now that Freddie Mac joined Fannie Mae in making on-time rent payments a lending consideration. But each system is a bit different. Freddie says it will provide incentives to multifamily ...

Long-Term Mortgage Rate Ticks Back Down to 3.09%Average mortgage rates moved higher over the previous two weeks, but this week’s 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage dropped from last week’s average 3.14%.SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) – The average long-term mortgage rate in the U.S. ticked back down this week fo...

Millennial Demand Should Keep Housing Strong for YearsAlmost 1 in 4 Americans (22%) is a millennial. As homebuyers, they made up more than 1 in 3 (37%) customers over the past year, according to Barron’s.NEW YORK – Millennials’ expanding wealth and growing families prompt more to become homeowners. ...

What International Buyers are Looking for in the Florida MarketA detailed look at where international clients originate and what they're buying in the Sunshine State. Plus: A profile of the Florida international buyer.ORLANDO, Fla. – Nov. 2, 2021 – Florida Realtors® has released its latest report on...

How Many Offers Did the Typical 2021 Buyer Make? TwoWhile stories about multiple offers and foregone inspections are pervasive, a study found that most buyers won by their second bid and 88% had a home inspection.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – While more frustrated buyers tried to make their offers seller-fri...

Fla.’s Housing Market: Median Prices, All-Cash Sales Up in Sept.Florida Realtors’ data: Median prices up 18.3% for single-family homes to $355,000 year-to-year; up 17.2% to $255,000 for condos. Single-family home sales down 1.3% year-over-year; condo sales up 4.9%. However, Sept. 2020 saw a huge sal...

New-Home Builders Doing Great Despite ChallengesThe Oct. builder sentiment index rose 4 points higher to 80. Any 50-plus score indicates optimism, so today’s hot market still overshadows supply-chain worries.WASHINGTON – Strong consumer demand helped push builder confidence higher in October despite...