For Buyers
Who Owns the Mineral Rights under your Home?
October 16, 2013 When Robert and Julie Davidson paid $255,385 in 2011 for their house at the Valencia Golf and Country Club in Naples, Florida, they didn’t know that they had, in essence, bought only from the ground up, and that their homebuilder, D.R. Horton, had kept everything underneath, says Reuters. In golf clubs, gated…
Read MoreFla.’s housing market continues upswing in 3Q 2013
ORLANDO, Fla. – Nov. 6, 2013 – Florida’s housing market continued to improve in third quarter 2013 with more closed sales, higher median prices, more pending sales and a stabilizing supply of homes for sale compared to the same quarter in 2012, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. “Data from the…
Read MoreClosed Home Sales Up 22% in Third Quarter of 2013
Closed Home Sales Up 22 Percent in Third Quarter 2013 Naples, Fla. (October 18, 2013) – The Naples area real estate market is outperforming last year’s third quarter activity as shown by three key real estate market indicators: sales, median closed price and inventory.The key indicators signal that the uptrend in the real estate market…
Read MoreFAQs for Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Oct. 7, 2013 – Homeowners hit with substantial increases in their flood insurance as a result of recent changes in the federal program should do their homework, experts say, because there may be ways to lower their bills. “A lot of people don’t know the flood map is not set in stone,”…
Read MoreHyperlocal Hijinks: Signs Your Local Market is Defying the National Headlines
I received a reader email the other day that went something like this: “Who decides whether the market is good or bad? Who sets the prices on homes?” People like you do, my answer goes. Buyers and sellers, by virtue of their buying and selling activity, decide the mood of the market. And the price…
Read MoreFloridians’ Confidence in Economy Unchanged in August
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Aug. 28, 2013 – Florida’s consumer confidence level was unchanged in August, matching July’s revised reading of 77, according to a University of Florida (UF) survey. Three of the five categories in the August survey declined, while two increased. Respondents’ perceptions of whether they are in better financial shape now than they…
Read MoreFlorida Leads Nation in Cash-Only Home Sales
MIAMI – Aug. 29, 2013 – Florida led the nation last month with what one expert called an “astounding” rate of all-cash home sales: 66 percent, a new report shows. Investor groups, international buyers, landlords and those in the market for vacation homes are fueling a cash-only market that has virtually shut out entry-level homebuyers,…
Read MoreNEW for 2013 Property Tax Reform
In November 2012, Florida voters approved amendments to the Florida Constitution granting the following: Amended 2 – Veteran’s Disabled Due to Combat Injury; Homestead Property Tax Discount – This amendment removes from Florida Statute 196.082, the requirement that the veteran must have been a Florida resident at the time of entering the military to qualify…
Read MoreIs Generation Y Ready for Homeownership?
NEW YORK – Aug. 15, 2013 – Millennials, also known as Generation Y, have come of age during one of the most turbulent economic times in American history. And these 20-somethings still want to buy homes, despite seeing home values plummet during their formative years. “The aspiration for homeownership is still there, but they…
Read MoreSouth Florida Home Prices Climbing Back
MIAMI – July 31, 2013 – Seven years after the South Florida real-estate bubble stretched as far as it could, buyers continue to pump more air into the deflated market. New numbers from the S&P/Case-Shiller real-estate index for South Florida show home values up 14 percent this year. That’s the best 12-month gain since July…
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