– NAR: Pending home sales cool in Jan. The number of U.S. homes under contract rose 1.5% year-to-year but fell 2.5% month-to-month. Two reasons for a drop: Higher prices and not enough homes for sale. Florida Realtors announces new chief economist Dr. Brad O’Connor now takes up the reins...
– Study: How to mix retail with residential homes Mixed-use developments require more than cobbling living space together with retail, but there isn’t a list of rules developers can use. That may change. Fla. consumer sentiment a bit lower While current and short-term future outlooks held up well, Floridians’...
– Average rate on 30-year mortgage falls to 3.62% Global anxiety continued to benefit homebuyers this week as the average FRM fell to 3.62% from last week’s 3.65%. Fla.’s Canadian homebuyers becoming big sellers The exchange rate once favored Canadians who could afford a big Fla. home, but a...
– Fla. housing market enters ‘outer range of stable’ According to a Freddie Mac index that rates the stability of local and state housing markets, Fla. just eased its way back into the “normal” zone. SW Fla. housing market has slowed – and that’s good Experts at a Naples...
– Warning: Realtor email scam picking up speed A Land O’ Lakes Realtor says his buyers received a fraudulent wire transfer request a few days before closing under a popular simple-yet-effective email fraud scheme. FHA steals Fannie’s thunder on low downpayment loans Fannie Mae introduced a 3% downpayment mortgage...
– Florida has 231 programs that help low-income buyers Down Payment Resource says 113 agencies administer those 231 programs, and 94.4% currently have funds available to help prospective homebuyers. It took longer to close in January The average time in Jan. climbed to 50 total days – four days...
– Banks start to ease 20% downpayment for jumbo loans 20% downpayments for a jumbo loan became an industry standard after the bust, but now lenders are starting to approve ones with 10% down – and sometimes less. Builders eye outer lots for entry-level buyers The outskirts of town...
– KB Home to settle on statewide construction defects The builder must repair 1,688 Fla. homes – some up to 10 years old – that qualify under the terms of a settlement with the Fla. Attorney General’s office. Virtual reality: A new dimension in home buying Headsets allow potential...
– Lending disclosures delay 1 in 10 transactions However, the disclosures, which went into effect last Oct., have derailed only 1% of transactions, according to a Realtor survey released by NAR.
– Why are so many non-owners afraid to buy? Many renters want to become homeowners but overestimate downpayments and believe their credit score is too low. However, they’re wrong. How safe is Fla. home insurance without Citizens? Fla.-owned Citizens Ins. moved policies into private hands, but is coverage equal?...
