How to Choose a Real Estate Pro

​ SEBRING, Fla. – Finding a reliable, reputable real estate agent is essential when you are considering buying or selling a home. These professionals can guide you through complicated negotiations and contracts to secure you the best deal you can get. They’ll also be able to inform you of the precise steps you need to […]

Housing Professionals Urge Action

​ WASHINGTON – More than 900 business professionals from all areas of residential construction descended on the nation’s capital Wednesday to encourage Congress to alleviate the challenges to building affordable housing and boosting housing production. “Members of the housing community from across the nation have come to the nation’s capital for the National Association of […]

DeSantis Signs Affordable Housing Bill

​ TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that will help create more affordable housing in the Florida Keys. The bill, SB 1456, allows surplus Monroe County Tourist Development Council (TDC) funding to be used for affordable housing on a one-time basis and also includes language that would help facilitate the […]

Which Florida Cities Are Adding New Homes?

​ News & Media WASHINGTON – The Consumer Price Index clocks inflation between spring 2019 and spring 2024 at 22.9%. But Zillow home sale data demonstrates a particularly swift hike in home prices during this time, with the average home sale increasing by 49.4% in the same window. Housing costs are often the largest budget […]

Cooling Inflation Could Ease Mortgage Rates

​ WASHINGTON — Inflation in the United States eased in May for a second straight month, a hopeful sign that a pickup in prices that occurred early this year may have passed. The trend, if it holds, could move the Federal Reserve closer to cutting its benchmark interest rate from its 23-year peak. Consumer prices […]

Move Over Villages, There’s a New Top Location

​ TAMPA – As a widely popular destination for the over 55 set, it’s not shocking that The Villages of Florida was recently named as the fourth most popular place in the U.S. to retire by Realtor.com — but it might be a bit of a surprise to learn that another retirement community in the […]

Survey: Green Features Important to Buyers

​ WASHINGTON – With more home buyers prioritizing sustainability, real estate pros are seizing the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise by focusing on energy efficiency during showings. Green home features are taking a higher priority in more real estate listings as home shoppers increasingly turn their attention to energy efficiency, according to a new report […]

Florida’s Hurricane Season: Where Will They Hit?

​ MIAMI – The bottom line of every preseason hurricane forecast this spring has been sobering, even a little scary. Meteorologists and their computer models all agree that it’s going to be a super busy and perhaps record-breaking season — and that with so many expected storms, it’s very likely that somebody, somewhere is going […]

Unexpectedly Affordable Places for 2024

​ News & Media NEW YORK — Despite the challenges of soaring home prices and a competitive market, NationalBusinessCapital.com, a fintech lending platform for businesses, discovered 10 elite metropolitan areas where buying a home is surprisingly within reach. With remote work becoming the norm and retirement plans taking shape, the dream of homeownership in desirable […]

Fannie Mae: Homebuying Sentiment Hits New Low

​ News & Media WASHINGTON— The Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index® (HPSI) decreased 2.5 points in May to 69.4 as the component measuring consumer attitudes toward homebuying conditions fell markedly, reaching an all-time survey low. Only 14% of consumers indicated that it’s a good time to buy a home, down from 20% last month, […]

VA Temporarily Allows Buyer-Paid Broker Fees

​ WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced a temporary policy on Tuesday allowing buyers using VA-guaranteed home loans to compensate their buyer brokers directly. The VA said the new rule comes as the proposed $418 million settlement agreement to the Sitzer-Burnett verdict may have put veterans at a disadvantage in the […]

When Do You Plan Renovations After Buying?

​ EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The home-buying process can be tedious. Between mountains of paperwork, inspections, bidding wars, real estate laws and the actual moving process, a new homeowner could be left with a sincere desire to simply shut the world off for a while. But once you buy and move in, the process of making […]