News & Media WASHINGTON – Mortgage rates are now expected to end 2025 and 2026 at 6.3% and 6.2%, respectively, downward revisions of three-tenths for each, according to the March 2025 commentary from the Fannie Mae Economic and Strategic Research (ESR) Group. The lower mortgage rate outlook resulted in a small upward revision to […]
ORLANDO, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a plan for property tax relief for Florida residents during a press conference Monday morning at Florida Realtors®’ Orlando headquarters. The governor wants the Legislature to direct upwards of $5 billion towards “immediate property tax relief” for Florida homeowners – which, if approved, would save about $1,000 […]
DENVER — As Americans struggle under backbreaking rental prices, builders are turning to innovative ways to churn out more housing, from 3D printing to assembling homes in an indoor factory to using hemp – yes, the marijuana cousin – to make building blocks for walls. It’s a response to the country’s shortfall of millions […]
News & Media WASHINGTON — Nearly three in four first-time homebuyers (74%) feel optimistic about the current housing market, with nearly half (47%) saving for a down payment despite concerns about housing affordability, according to a new survey by TD Bank. The bank’s survey of first-time homebuyers found that a large majority believe their […]
News & Media By Amy Connolly WASHINGTON — Since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act in 1968, Americans have had legal protections against housing discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin — safeguards later expanded to include sex, disability and familial status. With these protections in place, the U.S. […]
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — More than $100 million in state grant funding has been left unclaimed by My Safe Florida Home program applicants, and grant hopefuls are urged to immediately take steps to claim $10,000 for home-hardening projects. The money is being reallocated from homeowners who completed their inspections and paperwork but did not follow through by completing their projects and […]
News & Media TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Artificial intelligence (AI) can be a game changer for real estate agents, especially generative AI tools that are more responsive customer management and transaction tools that can reduce agents’ time spent on manual tasks. AI tools, for example, can create property listings that tell a story and get […]
News & Media By Heather Rhodes ORLANDO, Fla. – Whether you’re counting inspection deadlines or need to know what happens if a loan approval period ends on a Saturday, we turn to the contract’s time provision. Knowing how time is calculated and counting it accurately is imperative to the success of any transaction. Let’s […]
MIAMI – When buying or selling real estate in Florida, a lot of details need to be ironed out before closing. One of the most important steps in the process is obtaining an estoppel certificate. But what exactly is it, and why is it crucial to get it before closing? In this blog post, […]
NEW YORK – Creating a unique business name is one of the most exciting parts of starting a new business. This name is a key feature of your brand, and it’s smart to protect it with a registered trademark. A trademark could be a word, phrase, tagline or logo associated with your product or […]
ORLANDO, Fla. – Way back in the 1990s (1992 to be exact) the Florida Bar issued an Advisory Opinion. The question at hand was, “Whether it constitutes the unlicensed practice of law for a Florida real estate licensee and/or other nonlawyer to draft a residential lease up to one year in duration for another […]
NAR’s new policy lets MLSs set a delay period before sellers and agents market properties publicly through IDX or syndication.
