TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida regulators have approved new rates for the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp., with premiums for the most-common type of homeowners policy increasing by a statewide average of 6.6%. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation trimmed proposed rate increases that Citizens submitted last year. Also, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that […]
NEW YORK – Artificial intelligence is fast becoming a go-to technology for real estate agents coast-to-coast, helping to boost productivity. But AI has a darker side. Cybercriminals and scammers are using AI to create more sophisticated, harder-to-detect scams. Trust and accuracy are required in real estate, making AI-generated fraud particularly dangerous. Today, criminals can […]
WASHINGTON — The odds of further interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve dwindled last week as unemployment fell and more officials say they want to see how new policies from the White House affect the economy. While Fed officials penciled in two rate cuts this year at their December meeting, economists […]
WASHINGTON – Property owners are getting richer as home prices prove resilient against lower home sales. Nearly 90% of metro areas registered home price increases in the final quarter of 2024, according to the latest housing data from the National Association of REALTORS®. Fourteen percent of the 226 metros NAR tracks posted double-digit price […]
WASHINGTON – The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI) increased 0.3 points in January to 73.4, bouncing back slightly after falling last month for the first time since July. Improvements in consumer optimism toward both homebuying and home-selling conditions, along with even greater expectations that home prices will rise over the next 12 […]
WASHINGTON – The effects of climate change could deal a blow to the U.S. housing market, shaving off nearly $1.5 trillion in property values over the next 30 years. That’s according to a new report this week by the First Street Foundation, a nonprofit focused on the connections between climate change and financial risks. […]
News & Media CHICAGO – The National Association of Realtors® announced the evolution of its Innovation, Opportunity & Investment (iOi) initiative, shifting from an annual summit into a continuous engagement platform designed to empower real estate professionals with cutting-edge tools, insights and networking opportunities. Instead of a once-a-year event, iOi is now a year-round […]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Who knew? A lot of Floridians, it turns out, would like some free government money to harden their homes. Since the state’s My Safe Florida Home grant program was revived in 2022, about 29,000 homeowners have received up to $10,000 each to strengthen or replace their roofs or to install impact-resistant […]
News & Media NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A new survey by Ramsey Solutions reveals that financial challenges are causing Americans to delay major life decisions, such as purchasing a home or starting a family. According to The State of Personal Finance report for the fourth quarter of 2024, high mortgage rates are keeping millennials and […]
News & Media MIAMI —The real estate data research firm ATTOM reported that for 2024’s fourth quarter, South Florida had the seventh highest percentage (60.7%) of equity-rich, mortgaged residential properties across 100 U.S. metro areas with populations of approximately 500,000 people. These homes were worth at least 50% more than the property’s outstanding mortgages. […]
NEW YORK — It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of waiting for the perfect moment to make your move — especially in today’s market. Maybe you’re holding out and hoping mortgage rates will drop, or that home prices will fall. But here’s what you need to realize: trying to time the […]
NEW YORK – By now, you may be familiar with biophilic design — it’s the idea of integrating nature into design to enhance our connection to the environment. Sustainability, wellness and harmony are usually part of the deal. Some architects and home designers are using one particular biophilic element to striking effect: trees. We’ve […]