– Trends: More Americans heading south Census Bureau: For almost 100 years, relocating Americans tended to move toward the Pacific, but a shift finds them moving to Fla., Texas and the Carolinas. Which Fla. metros are best for rental investing? RealtyTrac report compares counties based on 2015-16 rental changes,...
– Economist: Millennials will soon start buying homes Rollins prof says demand will go up: Millennials make up 1/3 of buyers, incomes will rise and 44% of renters (many millennials) plan to buy within three years. Fla. real estate investment part of int’l event Florida Realtors recently joined international...
– Neighborhoods can’t do much about sober-living homes In most cases, a city cannot treat licensed or unlicensed group homes, including sober-living facilities, any differently than it treats single-family homes. Xplode conference aims to bridge technology gap Many buyers and sellers love new technology; many Realtors do not. But...
– NAR: Feb. pending home sales up 3.5% The index that gauges U.S. homes under contract rose to its highest level in seven months, and it would probably be higher if the market had more listings. Builders: 25% of new-home costs stem from regulations “The regulatory burden includes costs...
– Average rate on 30-year mortgage falls to 3.71% Freddie Mac: Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates declined this week after three straight weeks of increases – which could spur would-be homebuyers to enter the market. Mortgage giants to reduce loan balances About 50,000 struggling homeowners could be eligible to...
– Western U.S. homebuyers push up new-home sales Commerce Dept.: New-home sales rose 2% in Feb. to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 512,000; the increase is because of a 38.5% surge in sales in the West. First-time buyers may face a difficult spring The inventory of properties priced...
– Fla.’s housing market: Median prices rise in Feb. State’s single-family home median price of $200,000 up 11.1% year-to-year; condo median price up 5.6%. NAR: U.S. home sales down last month from year ago. Cities to watch: 2016’s fastest-growing places Two of the top 10 cities ranked by Forbes...
– Hispanic ownership rate up for first time in 6 years In another sign of a real estate recovery, the Hispanic homeownership rate increased from 44.5% in December 2014 to 46.7% in December 2015. Fed: Short-term interest rates unchanged Adjustable mortgage rates (ARMs) should be fairly stable until at...
– Citizens says private insurers plan to drop coverage The Fla.-owned insurer claims that private firms will move 24K policies back into Citizens because the Fla. Legislature ignored assignment-of-benefit abuses. Tech changes make Realtors’ jobs easier – and harder RealtyTrac added “nearby criminal offender risk” to a report any...
– Do buyers like the new mortgage disclosure rules? A survey of people who bought two homes – before and after the new TRID rules went into effect – found the process easier to understand but tougher to complete. FEMA criticized on flood policies FEMA, which oversees the national...
