– June home starts surge – highest pace in 28 years A 9.8% jump in home starts beat analysts’ expectations. However, builders appear to be betting on renters. Multifamily starts rose 28.6%; single-family fell 0.9%. FHA loans to boost affordable housing development Smaller investors could find it easier to...
– Fla. foreclosure starts lower than they were in 2006 RealtyTrac: Crisis over? Banks continued to repossess Fla. homes in the first half of 2015, but the number of first-time foreclosure notices hit a 10-year low. Builder confidence at highest level since Nov. 2005 “The fact that builder confidence...
– Obama commends HUD’s new fair housing rules HUD’s latest rules push communities to study historic patterns of segregation and plot a path to change – an initiative the president praised in a recent speech. ‘Lack of inventory’ a top real estate challenge Overall, NAR’s monthly attitude survey finds...
– Survey: First-timers and Hispanics ready to buy A TD Bank study found an uptick in demand, and a significant percentage said they hoped to start the buying process within the next two years. CoreLogic: 3 Fla. cities still in foreclosure crisis In the Miami, Orlando and Tampa metro...
– Land trusts help buyers squeezed by housing costs Community land trusts allow homeowners to buy a home cheaply because the trust retains ownership of the land. When it’s time to sell, they share any profits.
– NAR survey: Like-kind exchanges promote growth Like-kind (1031) exchanges, which allow multiple properties to be bought and sold with low tax consequences, are good for the economy and good for investors. Institutional investors hold out for larger gains Large corporations bought thousands of homes in the downturn, but...
– RealtyTrac: Rental returns down in 59% of U.S. counties Counties in Jacksonville had year-over-year increase in potential rental returns; analysis found buying a home is more affordable than renting in 66% of U.S. counties. What might 6.5 million homeowners be missing? A financial services study finds that at...
– Bill protects second homes from flood ins. increases It’s a long shot in Congress, but two Fla. lawmakers will back a House bill that, if passed, would extend current flood ins. rate-increase protections to second homes. HUD issues final rule for communities’ funding Cities that want HUD affordable...
– Credit-risky buyers now have more options In healthy rebounds, a few lenders will lower credit standards to attract more business, and some now consider buyers who recently went through a foreclosure. USDA mortgage program fees to increase Oct. 1 The USDA’s Rural Housing Service will raise the cost...
– Miami condos seek Chinese buyers South Florida condo developers say South American demand has slipped, so they’re taking their product to China where demand is increasing.
