– Realtor Code of Ethics celebrates 100th anniversary NAR president: The Code “demands high standards of professional conduct and training andhellip; (it’s) the golden thread that binds the Realtor community together.”
– U.S. Treasury to host short sale seminar/webinar Free two-hour event for agents and brokers takes place in S. Fla. on Nov. 22, but webinar access will allow Realtors throughout Fla. to participate. Low-income families could face housing crunch A non-partisan workforce housing group in Washington says a sequestration...
– Fla.’s housing market continues upswing in 3Q 2013 Closed sales (17.3%), median price (18.6%) rose for single-family homes; condo sales up (11.3%), price (23.8%). National single-family median price up 12.5%. Americans prefer mixed-use, walkable communities NAR: 52% like single-family homes with large yards, but 78% say neighborhood trumps...
– HUD settles with BofA over lending discrimination HUD alleged that Bank of America refused two mortgage applications because a woman was pregnant, which violates the Fair Housing Act. Realtor receives $5K. Delinquent borrowers more optimistic about ownership Fannie Mae study: Many homeowners facing foreclosure still value owning over...
– SBA has no-fee loans for small businesses Small Business Administration: Loans under $150,000 now have no fees, and “often help finance new startups and entrepreneurs in underserved communities.” Survey shows lingering impact of tight credit NAR’s 2013 Home Buyers and Sellers Survey: Tight mortgage-lending standards blocking some from...
– More Americans quitting their jobs An increasing number of people feel they have the freedom to quit. That implies confidence but could also spark home sales to people willing to relocate. Recovery requires steady hand in Washington NAR’s pending sales stats dropped last month due in part to...
– HUD: HOA rules don’t trump access for disabled The Fair Housing Act also applies to homeowners associations. Nev. HOA fined $65K and told it must allow a family to park an ambulance in its driveway. CoreLogic: 51,000 completed foreclosures in Sept. U.S. homes facing foreclosure dropped 33% year-to-year,...
– Floridians’ confidence shaken by gov’t shutdown UF’s index declined slightly before fed shutdown, but Oct. numbers hit a level not seen since Dec. 2011. Fear of a national default seemed to drive the drop.
– SandP: Home prices rise 12.8% year-to-year Compared to July, the 10-City and 20-City Composites gained 1.3% in Aug. A look at all cities finds the highest overall yearly price increase in seven years. October consumer confidence takes a dip The federal shutdown hurt U.S. consumers’ outlook, and the...
– White paper: New mortgage rules are reasonable Proposed qualified mortgage rules “limit the risk of default without excluding large numbers of creditworthy borrowers,” says advocacy group that includes NAR. Hit pause button on law to protect Florida’s economy Editorial: Florida Realtors’ President Dean Asher tells Orlando Sentinel readers...
