WASHINGTON – With mortgage rates declining by more than one-half of a percentage point from early August through mid-September, per Freddie Mac, builder sentiment edged higher this month even as builders continue to grapple with rising costs. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 41 in September, up two points […]
MIAMI – Delays in the federal probe into what caused the deadly Champlain Towers South condo collapse in 2021 mean a draft report on the findings is now expected in 2026, a year later than previously estimated. In a Sept. 12 update, an investigative team with the National Institute of Standards and Technology said […]
NEW YORK – The Federal Reserve has cut its benchmark interest rate from its 23-year high, with consequences for debt, savings, auto loans, mortgages and other forms of borrowing by consumers and businesses. On Wednesday, the Fed announced that it reduced its key rate by an unusually large half-percentage point, to between 4.75 and […]
NEW YORK – In commercial property, the once hot investment, life sciences property, may now become office space, rather than pharmaceutical or biotech property. With a glut of lab space on the market, developers are looking to fill these empty spaces with offices, and sometimes at a discount. Many of these spaces have climate-controlled […]
News & Media TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Estimated insured losses from Hurricane Debby continue to slowly increase and totaled $124.8 million as of Friday, according to data posted on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation website. The estimate was up from $121.5 million a week earlier. Debby made landfall Aug. 5 as a Category 1 […]
ARCADIA, Fla. – The School District of DeSoto County looks to be on track to fill teacher vacancies this school year. But with nearly 20 elementary school spots open since the beginning of the 2023-24 school year and dwindling housing inventory, progress of reaching 100% capacity has halted. But officials have proposed an idea […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Question: We live in a small condominium. Our board just told us that we need to pay extra each month for the next few years to cover the cost of renovations, including the little gym near the lobby. They did not ask us if we were OK with this or […]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In a case closely watched by Florida businesses and environmental groups, the Biden administration Monday argued that a dispute about permitting authority for projects that affect wetlands should go back to a federal district judge. Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies contended in a 66-page appeals-court brief […]
MIAMI – A nationwide analysis of community-level floodplain development found that over two-million acres of floodplain were developed over the past two decades across the United States, with roughly half of all new floodplain housing built in Florida. These findings from scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth […]
News & Media NEW YORK – Real estate professionals may feel like content creation and social media are a full-time job in addition to their full-time job, but experts say there are tools and strategies that can ease the burden. There are ways to ensure on-brand content is created and shared online while meeting […]
LOS ANGELES – Mortgage rates haven’t been this attractive in more than a year, good news for homeowners eager to refinance. Many homeowners have already jumped at the opportunity to lower their monthly payment, spurring a surge in mortgage refinancing applications. And that was before the average rate on a 30-year mortgage fell this […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward housing experts said they will create a public “scorecard” within the next few months that will help local government keep track of their efforts to tame the affordable housing crisis – and see how neighboring cities fare. Ralph Stone, Broward County’s director of the Housing Finance Division, said cities […]