By Kerry Smith Attitudes about current conditions were relatively unchanged, but attitudes about the future fell more based on fears over inflation and the cost of gas, food, etc. BOSTON – American consumers’ attitudes fell a bit more in June after a decline in May, the second month in a row for a decline. The

JUNE 8, 2022 Rent Increases: 8 of Top 10 Highest Are Fla. Metros By Paul Owers FAU: At 32.8%, Fort Myers tops U.S. metros in year-to-year rent increases. S. Fla. (up 31.07%), Sarasota (30.88%) and Tampa (26.9%) also made the top five. BOCA RATON, Fla. – Rents for homes and apartments have soared nationwide over

By Gary M. Singer A widow remarried but wants to leave the family home to her sons rather than her new husband. What’s the best way to do that? FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Question: I am a remarried widow and live with my husband. I bought our home before our marriage, and only my name is

By Gary M. Singer There are three types of ownership that pass property upon death, but only one usually requires probate – and it’s not “joint tenants with right of survivorship.” FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Question: When a spouse passes away and the spouses owned their home with right of survivorship, should the surviving spouse go

  There has been another series of mass shootings in America. This time at a grocery store in New York and an elementary school in Texas. That means there are more communities stunned with grief, much like ours was almost six years ago. Our Orlando community knows first-hand the burden and sorrow that comes with such

In a special session this week, the Florida Legislature passed a roster of bills to ease problems in the state’s insurance market, including SB 2D, which Florida Realtors heavily supported. Lawmakers also took steps to improve the safety of condo buildings. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida lawmakers met this week in Tallahassee for a special session

APRIL 27, 2022 Home Prices Continue to Rise 20-city price index: A 20.2% year-over-year gain in Feb; up from 18.9% in Jan. Tampa and Miami were in top 3 cities for highest rate of home-price growth. NEW YORK – The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city price index posted a 20.2% year-over-year gain in February, up from

The median worker earned about $50K, and the average home made about $52.6K last year, according to Zillow’s home value index. NEW YORK – Zillow Group’s home value index climbed 19.6% in 2021 to $321,634 – a $52,667 year-on-year gain. That’s more than the median U.S. full-time worker earned for the 12 months – about

What Do Real Estate Brokers Expect this Spring? By Kerry Smith A panel of brokers from across the country shared views on market changes and their expectations. For one, this spring season won’t be a usual one. MADISON, N.J. – A recent roundtable discussion with several Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHGRE) brokers across

MARCH 8, 2022 By Jennifer Warner Florida Realtors economist: Low interest rates made monthly mortgage payments cheaper, but home price appreciation may be washing out the impact. ORLANDO, Fla. – As we wrote in early 2021 when mortgage rates hovered around 3% for the first time in recorded history, low interest rates reduced the cost