Category Archives: Uncategorized

MIAMI – March 11, 2015 – The foreclosure rate for Florida homes dropped by nearly half in January compared to the same time last year, another sign that the state’s housing market has recovered from the disastrous shocks of the financial crisis. The percentage of Florida homes in foreclosure fell to 3.9 percent in January…

CHICAGO – March 11, 2015 – The millennial generation is inching their way into homeownership. These millennials, born from the early 1980s through the late 1990s, have largely delayed their entrance into homeownership, because they’re saddled by debt and experiencing high unemployment in the aftermath of the recession. But economists are growing optimistic that the…

NEW YORK– March 2, 2015 – Sixty-five percent of retirees say they’re living in the best homes of their lives, according to a new Merrill Lynch study conducted in partnership with Age Wave. But many retirees – free from work and family restrictions – will choose to move. The study, “Home in Retirement: More Freedom,…

WASHINGTON – Feb. 27, 2015 – Improved buyer demand at the beginning of 2015 pushed pending home sales in January to their highest level since August 2013, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). All major regions except for the Midwest saw gains. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on…

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 27, 2015 – Floridians’ consumer sentiment in February rose more than a point, to 94.7, compared to January. It’s the seventh straight month of an increase, according to the University of Florida (UF) survey. “Economic optimism among Floridians continues to advance as many of the fundamentals show improvement,” says Chris McCarty,…

WASHINGTON – Feb. 23, 2015 – A new government report shows many seniors are taking out reverse mortgages on their homes without fully understanding the ramifications, leading to foreclosures among borrowers and a tangle of problems for heirs after the borrower dies. “Consumer complaints tell us that the complex terms of reverse mortgages continue to…

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Feb. 12, 2015 – Question: I own a condo in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., that I live in every winter before going back to New York. I maintain my main house and my finances back home. What happens to my condo when I die? _ Ruth Answer: When you pass away with…

SEATTLE – Feb. 10, 2015 – Spring is traditionally considered the best season to list a home, but it doesn’t inch out the other seasons by much, according to a new analysis by the real estate brokerage Redfin. Redfin’s research team analyzed 7 million homes listed from 2010 through 2014 to gauge how important the…

By Toby Tobin Palm Coast, FL – January 21, 2015 – 2014 was a good year. By all measures, the Palm Coast and Flagler County housing market is rebounding steadily from the effects of the Great Recession. Here are the highlights of year-over-year improvements. Homes The number of single-family Flagler County homes reported sold via…

Palm Coast, FL – January 27, 2015 – As Millennials begin to enter the home buying market in larger numbers, homes will get a little smaller, laundry rooms will be essential, and home technology will become increasingly prevalent, said panelists during an International Builders’ Show press conference on home trends and Millennials’ home preferences held…

LAS VEGAS – Jan. 23, 2015 – The 55+ housing market fared quite well in 2014, and 2015 should be no different, according to industry experts at a press conference held today at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show (IBS) in Las Vegas. “The 55+ housing market has been one of…

ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 23, 2015 – Florida’s housing market wrapped up 2014 with more closed sales, more new listings and higher median prices compared to the year before, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. “In December and throughout 2014, we’ve seen positive signs that Florida’s housing sector is on a…

WASHINGTON – Jan. 19, 2015 – Credit unions are increasingly pressing into a category traditionally reserved for banks: mortgage lending. More homebuyers are turning to credit unions for mortgages, according to a new report by Sageworks, a financial information company. Credit unions have quadrupled their market share since 2006, according to data from Callahan. Sageworks…

LAS VEGAS – Jan. 21, 2015 – A strengthening labor market, low interest rates, improving mortgage availability and growing pent-up demand will help to significantly boost single-family housing production in the year ahead and move the housing recovery to higher ground, according to economists speaking at the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas today. Economic…