– Fla. firm hopes to be go-to site for commercial valuations Residential buyers can go online for quick home-worth valuations, and a Fla. company hopes its new algorithm can do the same thing for commercial properties. Fla. Supreme Court sides with county in property dispute After Hardee County allowed...
– 30-year mortgage rate falls below 4% Long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week to their lowest levels of the year this week: 3.95%. For all of 2016, FRMs averaged 3.65%. Antitrust issues can affect business decisions and free speech Two brokers causally discuss how they pay their agents...
– Trump administration proposes 2018 HUD budget The spending plan lowers HUD’s budget by 22.9%, preserves support for 4.5M HUD-assisted households, nixes community block grants and cuts rental assistance. NAR: Existing-home sales slip 2.3% in April Total existing-home sales dipped 2.3% month-to-month; up 1.6% year-to-year. Median number of days...
– Can condo board borrow money without membership OK? Condo QandA: Also, a board of directors is supposed to have five members, but it’s down to four and no one wants to serve. Must they fill that vacancy? County tax auctions legal but not fair to small investors Some...
– NAR: International sales to shape future real estate demand Changing demographics from immigration and a growing interest from foreigners will bolster home sales activity and prices, according to NAR convention speakers. Analysis: Rampant refis ignited housing crisis An Urban Institute report suggests that rising prices and easy mortgages...
– 1 in 5 top RPAC donors from Fla. – Bill Watson leads list NAR announced 2016 inductees into the RPAC Hall of Fame, and Fla. had the most honorees committing at least $25K. Watson, at $150K, set a new PAC record. Appraiser challenge: Regulations, retention, recruitment At least...
– NAR's Upstream project simplifies its goals As originally designed, brokers would have uploaded listing data one time only into Upstream, but the goal pivoted; brokers will now have other entry options. Electric-car maker Tesla now in the solar roof business Tesla says its roof shingles with solar collectors...
– Housing starts down – but not single-family construction New home construction dropped 2.6% in April following a decline in March, but the drop comes from a cutback in multifamily units. Single-family homes rose 0.4%. Another new scam: The 'You have a virus' pop-up box Scammers convince someone they...
– Ransom virus infecting PCs worldwide Updated your virus protection lately? Do it now. A globally spreading program locks computers and demands payment if you ever want to see your data again. NAR: Metro home-price growth heats up 6.9% in 1Q 2017 1Q Fla. home sales up 5.1% year-to-year...
– Survey: Buyers/sellers shake off last month's doldrums Fannie Mae’s monthly survey on consumers’ attitudes about the current real estate market increased 2.2 points in April after dipping in March. More owners remodeling to 'age in place' NAHB survey: Builders report an uptick in remodeling projects that allow homeowners...
