TAMPA, Fla. – A year after one Florida beach nabbed the top spot in the annual Dr. Beach Top 10 beaches in the U.S. list, two other Sunshine State strips of sand found their way onto the annual ranking. Caladesi Island State Park near Clearwater came in at No. 4 while Delnor-Wiggins Pass State […]
WASHINGTON – Three Florida metro areas saw a more than 10% increase in home prices between the first quarter of 2023 and the first quarter of 2024, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (FHFA HPI), which tracks all U.S. mortgages under government-sponsored enterprises, notably Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. West […]
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Question: My neighbor has a large mango tree in her yard along the fence that separates our property. I keep the branches of the tree that come over the fence on my side pruned, and she has agreed to do this. However, the wind blows the leaves from the tree […]
News & Media NEW YORK – Assumable mortgages are one way that home buyers can obtain a lower interest rate than the current rate of nearly 7%. Startups like Roam list homes with assumable low-rate loans and helps home buyers go through the process. Realtor.com also started tagging assumable mortgage properties on its website […]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Retailers hope Floridians will heed multiple forecasts that the upcoming hurricane season will be more active than normal. With the start of a 14-day sales tax “holiday” on storm-related items a little more than a week away, Florida Retail Federation President Scott Shalley said Wednesday it is important that residents are […]
NEW YORK – Almost one-half of all mortgaged residential property owners were considered equity rich at the end of 2023, according to the U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report from the property and real estate data company ATTOM. That means they had built up at least 50% equity in their homes, putting them in […]
CHICAGO – There’s an often-overlooked truism in the technology space that “new” doesn’t always mean new. Often, it means new to you. Take augmented reality (AR), for example. We’ve actually been using AR for fun for some time now — Instagram, TikTok, the Snapchat dog filter and Pokémon GO are just a few examples. […]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – With insurers, utilities and emergency-management officials bracing for the coming months, experts continue to predict a highly active hurricane season for Florida and other areas of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Echoing earlier predictions about the season that will start June 1, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Thursday pointed […]
ANN ARBOR – Sentiment fell back about 10% in May, a departure from three consecutive months of very little change in consumer views, according to the University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. Although consumers’ views about their personal finances were little changed this month, their outlook for short-run business conditions declined notably in May, […]
NEW YORK – David Dworkin doesn’t sugarcoat the housing situation currently facing too many American households. “Housing affordability is the worst it’s been in generations,” said Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC), a Washington D.C.-based affordable housing advocacy group. He points to the chronic, ongoing lack of new affordable housing […]
MIAMI – Choosing the right roofing material is crucial for homeowners who value both aesthetics and functionality. Roofing materials not only need to complement the architectural style of a home but also withstand the elements to keep your home protected year-round. This review will explore various roofing materials, focusing on their durability, cost-effectiveness, and […]
WASHINGTON – New home purchases dropped in April as buyers continued to be deterred by high mortgage rates and prices and a short supply. Sales of new single-family houses were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 634,000, according to estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban […]