Florida Realtors® News
- Top Fed official: Bond portfolio could shrink soon August 15, 2017The Fed will "likely announce next month" the sale of some bonds acquired during the recession – a move that would probably push mortgage rates a tad higher.
- Gov't shutdown could delay real estate closings August 15, 2017Congress has work to do in Sept. to keep RE on track. In addition to flood insurance expiring, the U.S. will run out of money on Sept. 29. If the gov't did shut down, it would bog down RE tasks that require fed intervention, such as some FHA functions.
- Florida Realtors kicks off 'Amendment 2 is for Everybody' campaign August 15, 2017If approved by Fla. voters in 2018, Amendment 2 would make the state's current 10% cap on annual non-homestead property tax increases permanent.
- Sustainability's return on investment? It's complicated August 15, 2017Most commercial owners, investors and developers recognize the importance of better energy efficiency, but "going green" does more than improve the bottom line.
- Digital marketing now key part of real estate business August 15, 2017NAR survey: Social media sites are a vital part of real estate today, with 74% of Realtors in a recent survey saying "awareness" is their primary goal.
- Merger could create huge single-family-home landlord August 14, 2017Two institutional investors – businesses that buy multiple single-family homes to rent out – could merge in a $4.3B deal that controls 82,000 U.S. homes.
- What to mention first in a listing? Quartz countertops August 14, 2017Demand for easy-care but expensive quartz continues to skyrocket, and consumers seem to be less enamored with granite and marble. Nickel faucets are also becoming more popular, but tubs with jets appear to be on their way out.
- Facebook unveils ad product for real estate August 14, 2017Shopped for something online only to see ads for it everywhere? Facebook's tool does the same thing, re-targeting users who visited an agent or broker's website.
- Builders: The 55+ housing market is going strong August 14, 2017With 10,000 boomers retiring each day, builders remain confident. NAHB's 2Q 55+ index not only rose 11 points, it's been in positive territory for over four years.
- Email closing scam dupes D.C. buyers out of $1.3M August 14, 2017The wire fraud scam – criminals hack an email address and, at the last minute, tell buyers to wire closing money to a fake account – is still going strong.