CHICAGO – The world of lending can be confusing and daunting. For many folks, so is buying a home. There are a lot of myths about the homebuying process — 83% of homeowners say they were surprised by at least some aspect of buying a home. A major piece of homeownership is getting a […]
WASHINGTON – Builder confidence improved for the third straight month, bolstered by increasing buyer traffic, anticipated rate cuts by the Federal Reserve and the ongoing lack of existing inventory. In February, builder optimism in the market for newly built single-family homes climbed four points to 48 – the highest level since August, according to […]
NEW YORK – In back-to-back months, Mr. Cooper and LoanDepot — two of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders — made headlines for experiencing cyberattacks that exposed the data of more than 30 million people combined. Mortgage lenders haven’t been the only recent targets. Title insurance companies Fidelity National Financial and First American Financial each […]
LOS ANGELES — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose this week to its highest level in 10 weeks, a setback for prospective homebuyers ahead of the spring homebuying season. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage rose to 6.77% from 6.64% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the […]
TAMPA, Fla. — A report from the National Hurricane Center estimates damage from Idalia to be around $3.6 billion, most of which occurred in the Big Bend region of Florida’s Gulf Coast. The damage total could exceed $4 billion, according to the data the NHC used from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Links […]
News & Media By Melissa Dittmann Tracey CHICAGO – Home shoppers are sensitive to mortgage rates, which was made clear last week with an increase in the average for the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. The rate rose to 6.77%, and mortgage applications for home purchases fell 3%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Every notch […]
News & Media SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco-based OpenAI’s new text-to-video generator, called Sora, isn’t the first of its kind. Google, Meta and the startup Runway ML are among the other companies to have demonstrated similar technology. Links to /news-media/news-articles/2024/02/ai-adoption-reshaping-real-estate Artificial intelligence use is on the rise in real estate but more than 50% […]
News & Media JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – According to Northeast Florida Association of Realtors data, the median price for a single-family home increased over $23,000 between January and December last year, with the median price ending the year at $384,750, down from its peak of $395,000 in July. Home sales data in Baker, Clay, Duval, […]
MIAMI – With the cost of homes out of reach for many families, developers in South Florida are now adding annexes to new construction, allowing relatives to live under the same roof. The extra space comes with a room or two and its own kitchen, much like those in-law quarters added to older homes. The built-in […]
News & Media TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida regulators last week approved a plan that could lead to condominium-association policies leaving the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The plan will allow insurer Condo Owners Reciprocal Exchange to assume up to 400 “commercial residential” policies from Citizens, according to an order signed by Insurance Commissioner Michael […]
This site is a natural progression from the e-newsletter I wrote for real estate agents from 2012 through 2019. Now I write for buyers, sellers, and owners of Florida real estate. Topics include purchase and sale details, working with real estate agents, filling in the blanks on a contract, negotiation strategies, closing costs, condominium […]
This site is a natural progression from the e-newsletter I wrote for real estate agents from 2012 through 2019. Now I write for buyers, sellers, and owners of Florida real estate. Topics include purchase and sale details, working with real estate agents, filling in the blanks on a contract, negotiation strategies, closing costs, condominium […]