– Fla. consumer attitudes change course, move higher After two months of decline, consumer sentiment among Floridians increased six-tenths of a point in April to 98.1 from a revised figure of 97.5 in March. CFPB fixes 'black hole' in mortgage disclosure rules The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it...
– Attend Florida Realtors Convention and Trade Expo for free? Never been to the convention? The first 300 newbies pay only $100 to register and they get that refunded once it’s over. But hurry: Slots are going quickly: Register now. Why do underwater owners keep paying their mortgage? NAR...
– Rising sea levels reshape Miami's housing market An Environmental Research Letters study finds that Miami-Dade single-family home values are rising more slowly near sea level than at higher elevations. Fla. housing market: Median prices continue to rise in March 2018 Florida Realtors’ March 2018 data: Statewide median prices...
– Average 30-year mortgage rate rises to 4.47% this week The rate rose from last week’s 4.42%, according to Freddie Mac, and slightly worsened affordability for homebuyers. NAR report: U.S. housing supply and affordability at odds Rising mortgage rates and home prices have made ownership less affordable, especially for...
– Investing? Fla. location matters most as appreciation slows As the recession ended, almost all Fla. cities were an investment opportunity. But now a handful of smaller cities see the most dramatic home price increases. Summit: Brokers must adapt to agents – and help agents adapt What were the...
– 'Nonprime' loans expand mortgage options Banks have money to lend yet fewer applications, so one lender is qualifying borrowers with FICO scores as low as 500 and manually underwriting each loan. Tax cuts aren't good news if you plan to get a mortgage Experts see two trends that...
– FEMA changes encourage private flood insurance Only Congress can make major NFIP changes, but FEMA lifted some restrictions: Owners who go private no longer pay two bills, and insurers can offer both policies. Many Hurricane Irma insurance claims still not settled As the next hurricane season looms, fewer...
– The future of the MLS? NAR releases report NAR says the real estate market is “vibrant, healthy and vigorously competitive,” and that government intervention isn’t needed to keep it that way. Mortgage rates move slightly higher The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.42% this week, up from last...
– Multigenerational households hit new high What initially seemed to be a result of the recession may be a new housing trend: Households with two or more adult generations hit an all-time high in 2016. Florida Realtors honors Fair Housing Act's 50th anniversary Fair housing became law when Pres....
– More renters give up on buying a home 20% of current renters have no interest in buying a home – an increase from 17% last August and 13% in 2016, according to Freddie Mac research. NAR updates its brand and Realtor mark The iconic Realtor “R” is the...
