South Florida Real Estate

March New-Home Sales Jump 9.6%

Sales surpassed economists’ expectations. Builders say decreasing mortgage rates and the existing-home market’s lack of inventory probably pushed sales higher. WASHINGTON, April 25 – Lower mortgage rates and limited existing inventory helped push March sales of newly built, single-family homes up 9.6% to a 683,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate, according to data by the U.S. … Read more

Case-Shiller: Feb. Home Prices ‘Moderated’

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Of the 20 cities included in the indices, 8 had price declines – but Fla. led the U.S. in price increases with No. 1 Miami (up 10.8% year-to-year) and No. 2 Tampa (7.7%). NEW YORK – S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) February results on U.S. housing prices reported a 2.0% annual gain, down from … Read more

S. Fla. Housing Starts Drop as Land Grows Scarce

The area has a housing affordability problem in part because a limited amount of land for development continues to sell for higher amounts of money. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – South Florida is seeing a stark drop in the number of new housing projects expected to be developed, as the region deals with an affordability crisis … Read more

FEMA Will Tweak Flood Ins. Risk Rating 2.0

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Homeland Security says that Risk Rating 2.0 – a flood insurance system that prices policies by house rather than flood zone – needs more tweaking than expected. WASHINGTON – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas revealed at a congressional hearing last week that a new federal system for setting flood insurance premiums needs more … Read more

Investors Lost Money on 1 Out of 7 Sales in March

SEATTLE – Roughly one of every seven (13.5%) U.S. homes sold by an investor in March sold for less than the investor bought it for, according to a new report from Redfin. That’s comparable with February’s 14.5% rate – the highest since 2016. It’s also nearly triple the share of a year earlier and compares … Read more

4 Misconceptions About Flood Insurance

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Many homeowners still think standard property insurance covers flooding – it doesn’t – but some companies do offer credits or money for flood mitigation efforts. STATEPOINT, Wash. – Many people look forward to spring when the weather warms up and flowers start to bloom, but it also marks the start of the peak time of … Read more

Fla. Housing in March: Inventory, Median Prices Rise

Florida Realtors: Single-family sales fell 15% year-to-year, median price up 2.1% to $405K, inventory at a 2.7-months’ supply. 1Q 2023 housing data saw similar trend. ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida’s housing market in March and the first quarter (1Q) of 2023 had more for-sale inventory (active listings) and higher median sales prices compared to a year … Read more

How Bad Is the Housing Shortage?

It depends who you ask – and estimates vary widely. Five reliable sources, including realtor.com, say the housing shortfall ranges from 1.7M to 7.3M homes. NEW YORK – There are widely different estimates of the magnitude of the U.S. housing shortage. The National Low Income Housing Coalition says the United States has a shortage of … Read more

SE Georgia Realtors Given Fake-Seller Warning

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The Golden Isles Realtors Association told agents working just north of Fla. to double-check seller’s identities, noting that fake IDs have already been reported. BRUNSWICK, Ga. – Realtors in the Golden Isles may be asking sellers a few extra questions about their identities these days, but rest assured, those questions are to protect property owners … Read more

NAR: March Existing-Home Sales Drop 2.4%

U.S. sales are “highly sensitive to changes in mortgage rates” says NAR Economist Yun. March inventory rose a meager 1% and prices were down 0.9%. WASHINGTON – U.S. existing-home sales edged lower in March, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Month-over-month sales declined in three out of four major U.S. regions included in … Read more