Idalia caused flooding in communities along Fla.’s west coast before making landfill in rural Taylor County, but some say the insurance industry “dodged a bullet.” FORT MYERS, Fla. – Hurricane Idalia raked the west coast of Florida last week, flooding communities before making landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 in the Keaton Beach area of rural Taylor County, causing widespread … Read more
ATTOM: In second quarter 2023, 49% of U.S. mortgaged residential properties were considered equity-rich – the highest point in at least four years. CHARLOTTE, N.C. – ATTOM has released its second-quarter 2023 U.S. Home Equity and Underwater Report, which shows that 49% of mortgaged residential properties in the United States were considered equity-rich in the … Read more
The fed disaster declaration now covers Columbia, Gilchrist, Hernando, Jefferson, Madison, Pasco, Citrus, Dixie, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Suwannee and Taylor counties. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Six counties were added to a federal disaster declaration as President Joe Biden on Saturday visited the state and pledged support for rural North Florida communities hammered by Hurricane Idalia. “We’re … Read more
New laws impacting insurance lawsuits may be helping. State-run Citizens says it received 200 fewer monthly lawsuits Jan. to June than it did last year. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – State-operated Citizens Property Insurance Corp. was served with 4,711 lawsuits during the first sixth months of 2023, a decrease of about 200 lawsuits per month compared to … Read more
But these Realtors aren’t just “good” – they’re great. Fort Lauderdale’s Kasia Maslanka and Palm Coast’s Sandra Shank are 2023 NAR “Good Neighbor” finalists. WASHINGTON – The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) selected 10 Realtors as finalists for its annual “Good Neighbor Awards,” and two of them call Florida home: Kasia Maslanka, a Realtor from … Read more
After hitting a 20-year high last week of 7.23%, the average rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage moved lower again. A year ago, the FRM averaged 5.66%. LOS ANGELES – The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate slipped after climbing for five consecutive weeks to a more than 20-year high, a modest relief for would-be homebuyers … Read more
Pres. Biden declared seven Fla. counties disaster areas, but Gov. DeSantis thinks more will be added. A declaration opens up additional aid, including more fed funding. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Search-and-rescue efforts have narrowed to three counties hit hard by the Category 3 Hurricane Idalia, while Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the federal government to expand a … Read more
Two Fla. agencies will receive $425K each – one in C. Fla., one in the Palm Beaches – for fair housing testing and enforcement to eliminate discriminatory practices. WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is allocating $24,195,749.33 from its $56 million fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget to support 57 fair … Read more
Georgia Institute of Technology: A before/after study of new affordable housing found that it didn’t harm nearby home values – and in some cases, it raised them. ATLANTA – A new study from Georgia Tech’s School of Public Policy debunks a common belief about the impact of affordable housing on neighborhood property values. The researchers, … Read more
Survey: 12% of U.S. homeowners don’t have property insurance. About half of them have household incomes of $40K or less and say they can’t afford it. NEW YORK – Policyholders increasingly opt out of homeowners insurance as premiums become unaffordable. Bankrate found the average premium for $250,000 in dwelling coverage rose to $1,428 per year … Read more
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