News & Media TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida in October, caused about $25 billion in insured losses, the largest amount of insured losses from any natural disaster in 2024, according to an analysis by Munich RE, an international insurance and reinsurance company. Overall losses from Milton totaled about $38 billion, as […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Homeowners insurance can be confusing for anyone, especially new buyers. How much will it cost? What does it cover? How much will the insurer pay if I make a claim? The National Association of Realtors®’ newest Consumer Guide provides essential details to help buyers make informed decisions. The guide explains how […]
News & Media NEW YORK — Home buyers not only need to save money for a down payment on a home and calculate the monthly cost of a mortgage, but also calculate property taxes, utilities, routine maintenance costs and property insurance premiums. A 2023 report from Zillow and Thumbtack found those additional home expenses […]
CHICAGO — Today’s young adults continue to face delays in homeownership compared to past generations at the same age. Not only is the homeownership rate lower for those under 35 today compared to past generations, but the first-time buyer share is lower, and the age of first-time buyers is older than seen historically. Let’s […]
News & Media SEATTLE — More house hunters are starting their home search as the new year kicks off, according to a new report from the real estate brokerage Redfin. Redfin’s Homebuyer Demand Index — a seasonally adjusted measure of tours and other buying services from Redfin agents — posted a small 2% increase […]
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — For first-time homebuyers, the Mid-Atlantic and Florida are the best places to kickstart their homeownership journey in 2025, according to the 2025 Realtor.com® Best Markets for First-Time Homebuyers report, The report ranked three Florida locations — Villas (Lee County), Altamonte Springs (Seminole County) and Lauderdale Lakes (Broward County) — as […]
News & Media By Matt Ott WASHINGTON — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate ticked up again this week, remaining at its highest level since July. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate loan rate rose to 6.93% from 6.91% last week, according to mortgage giant Freddie Mac. It was at 6.66% a year ago. It […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Do you have kids currently in college, or maybe one who is about to graduate high school? Or maybe you have customers with high school seniors in their households: if so, make sure they know about about the Student Scholarship Program offered through Florida Realtors® Education Foundation Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that […]
NEW YORK – Making sure your credit score is in good shape could be vital if you’ve got a significant loan application coming up in 2025. And even if you haven’t, it’s still worth checking it from time to time to make sure there’s nothing unexpected on there. John Webb, credit expert at Experian, […]
NEW YORK – Mortgage rates might ride up and down in January and finish lower than where they started, like a road trip that begins in the mountains and ends at the beach. January is dominated by a change in presidential administrations, which dials up the uncertainty. “When things are more uncertain, rates tend […]
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – December 2024 saw a 22.0% growth in homes actively for sale compared with the same time last year nationally, according to the December Monthly Housing Trends Report from Realtor.com. Miami (45.4%), San Diego (42.4%) and Denver (41.9%) led the way with the highest active listing growth year over year amongst […]
News & Media TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Amid efforts to shift customers into the private market, the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. started 2025 with more than 935,000 policies. Data posted on the Citizens website showed it had 935,576 policies as of Friday. That was down slightly from 936,203 policies a week earlier. Citizens was […]