– U.S. Senate makes few moves on flood insurance overhaul March 23 is the deadline to reauthorize NFIP, and with few signs of consensus, it looks like Congress will punt again when it comes a flood insurance deal. Congress asked to crack down on mortgage trigger leads When you...
– Pending home sales drop 4.7% in Jan. A lack of homes for sale and an increase in average mortgage rates caused the number of homes under contract to drop to its lowest level in over three years. Fla. consumer sentiment drops a bit in Feb. UF economists revised...
– U.S. consumer confidence hits 18-year high Conference Board: Despite recent stock market volatility, consumers expressed greater optimism about short-term prospects for businesses and labor markets. Fla. property taxes about average in state comparison Fla. ranks 27th in a state-by-state comparison of property taxes by WalletHub with an effective...
– January new-home sales drop 7.8% The Commerce Department says Jan. sales came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 593,000 – the lowest since August and down from 643,000 in Dec. Many lenders loosening mortgage requirements Thanks to new laws and economic fears, mortgage lending ground to...
– Long-term mortgage rates climb again – to 4.40% The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit its highest point since April 2014 and moved marginally higher from last week’s average 4.38%. IRS: Some home equity loans are still tax deductible In a response to “many questions,” the...
– CoreLogic: Housing costs to rise 15% this year Higher home prices, mortgage rates and inflation will collectively make the typical inflation-adjusted mortgage payment go up 15%, economists predict. Fla.'s median prices, new listings up in Jan. Tight housing supply, rising median prices put pressure on potential buyers, Florida...
– Agreement on VOW listing displays expires in Nov. Ten years ago when the internet was young, NAR limited virtual-office website displays, but DOJ said that was wrong because it unfairly restrained competition. Are ultra-low mortgage rates gone forever? “I would say this has been a long time coming,”...
– 4 form changes go into effect today The form updates approved at Florida Realtors’ Mid-Winter meetings go live today and will be accessible via Form Simplicity and other forms vendors this morning. Florida Realtors' Tech Helpline – a business success The association’s in-house tech-support service debuted in 2001...
– U.S. home construction jumps 9.7% in January Commerce Dept.: Housing starts at a pace of 1.33M – the highest since Oct. 2016. Single-family starts up 3.7%, multifamily up 19.7% and building permits up 7.4%. Rent-to-own offers may be worth a second look If a seller receives no viable...
– Four form changes go into effect Feb. 20 The changes were approved at Florida Realtors’ Mid-Winter meetings and will be released in Form Simplicity and via Florida Realtors other licensed vendors. Study: First-time buyers tend to pay too much First-time buyers overpaid an average $2,200 (0.79 percent) for...
