News & Media WASHINGTON — Affordability and the so-called “lock-in effect” are expected to keep housing activity subdued in 2025, with existing home sales forecast to move only slightly upward from recent multi-decade lows, according to the December 2024 commentary from the Fannie Mae Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group. The broader economy is […]
News & Media NEW YORK — Consumers are driven by reviews, but the repeated request for a review can be overwhelming. While most real estate professionals often do not expect reviews for doing their job, they can be helpful because they reflect the value and services provided to clients. Five-star reviews require exceptional effort. […]
WASHINGTON — Builder sentiment held steady to end the year as high home prices and mortgage rates offset renewed hope about a better regulatory business climate in 2025. Along those lines, builders expressed increased optimism for higher sales expectations in the next months. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was […]
SARASOTA, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Greg Steube’s push for a presidential signature is successful. Steube announced Friday that his Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act was signed into law by President Joe Biden. “This is a victory for every American who has faced the devastating toll of a natural disaster,” Steube stated in a news release. “From Florida to California, disasters don’t discriminate by state or […]
News & Media By Shannon Allen Dear Shannon: I’m our board’s Professional Standards Administrator. I know the Code of Ethics has been around for over 100 years, the Code of Ethics and Arbitration Manual (Manual) changes along with the industry and, if there are changes, they take effect at the beginning of each year. […]
NEW YORK — Most real estate agents know ChatGPT for its content creation abilities: writing listing descriptions, creating ideas for social media posts, or drafting blog articles. But what if you could take ChatGPT one step further and let it handle some of your more tedious, behind-the-scenes tasks that take up precious hours of your […]
NEW YORK — Homeowners know there’s no shortage of ways to tweak a property. Some homeowners may lament that the work associated with homeownership is never done, but owning a house also provides endless opportunities to upgrade the spaces people call home. Landscape lighting has become increasingly popular in recent years. That popularity is […]
LOS ANGELES — Home shoppers hoping for more attractive mortgage rates next year may be disappointed. That’s the takeaway from several economists’ 2025 housing forecasts, most released over the past couple of weeks. Most of the eight forecasts call for the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to remain above 6% next year, with […]
News & Media TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida gained a net total of 126,000 residents from other states in 2023, marking the first major decline in net migration in a decade, the Florida Chamber Foundation reported in its latest migration report. The report attributes the shift to two key factors: rising housing costs and the […]
CHICAGO — Brokers and agents continue to adapt to the practice changes implemented as part of the National Association of Realtors®’s (NAR) settlement of litigation, which was granted final approval in late November. Florida agent Vanessa Franz Barnes, ABR, CIPS, recalled navigating the buyer-broker agreement with clients she’s worked with for more than 15 […]
WASHINGTON — Americans hoping for lower borrowing costs for homes, credit cards and cars may be disappointed after this week’s Federal Reserve meeting. The Fed’s policymakers are likely to signal fewer interest rate cuts next year than were previously expected. The officials are set to reduce their benchmark rate, which affects many consumer and […]
NEW YORK — You’ve likely been planning your upcoming trip for a while, whether you’re preparing to connect with loved ones over the holidays or getting ready for an extended vacation far from anyone you know. To give you peace of mind while you’re away, you’ll also need to make sure the home you’re […]