30-year mortgage rate edges down to 4.02% Long-term U.S. mortgage rates barely moved this week after rising last week for the first time in five weeks. The benchmark 30-year rate remained above the key threshold of 4 percent. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on 30-year fixed-rate home loans ticked down to... Read more »
Legislature OKs bill that oversees condo boards Florida lawmakers passed a bill this week that imposes criminal penalties for some condo board violations. To become law, the bill, CS/CS/HB 1237, still needs Gov. Scott’s signature. If signed, it becomes effective on July 1, 2017. “This is very important for Miami-Dade because it’s something that condo... Read more »
Fannie expands student debt mortgage swap program Mortgage security company Fannie Mae announced new guidelines to swap student loan debt for mortgage debt. The option to refinance student loans by acquiring mortgage debt, typically an attractive preference because mortgage interest rates tend to be lower than student loan rates, is an expansion of a Fannie... Read more »
PACE program in Fla. sued for misinformation A company that finances home improvement projects in South Florida with no credit checks and no money down is the subject of a federal court lawsuit charging it fails to adequately disclose important limitations of the loans to its consumers. The defendants, Ygrene Energy Fund and Ygrene Energy... Read more »
Legislature passes estoppel certificate fee reform Florida Realtors scored a big legislative victory today following the passage of a bill that caps estoppel certificate fees, among other changes. The passage of HB 483/SB 398, which will head to Gov. Scott for his signature, completes a multi-year effort by Florida Realtors to reign in the unreasonable... Read more »
Meeting Well is Meeting Well™ is a planning tool offered by the American Cancer Society to help companies organize meetings and events with good health in mind. Meeting Well offers companies healthy food ideas and suggestions for physical activity that energize meeting participants and show how easy it can be to live a healthier lifestyle... Read more »
Feb. home prices rose at fastest pace in 3 years U.S. home prices rose steadily upward in February as more homebuyers chased fewer available properties, a trend that many analysts say may not be sustainable. The Standard & Poor’s CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index, released Tuesday, increased 5.8 percent in February, the most in... Read more »
U.S. home sales jump 4.4% – hit 10-year high U.S. existing-home sales took off in March to their highest pace in over 10 years, and severe supply shortages resulted in the typical home coming off the market significantly faster than in February and a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Only... Read more »
Fla. home sales up 9.3% year-to-year in March Florida’s housing market reported more closed sales, higher median prices and increased pending sales in March, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors. Sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 25,921 last month, up 9.3 percent compared to March 2016. “March’s strong sales likely were... Read more »
Top return on investment, smaller remodeling projects Appraisal Institute research finds that homeowners who want a remodeling project to return as much money as possible at closing should opt for smaller projects. A limited kitchen redo, for example, returns a higher percentage of the cost. “The latest research shows that home improvements with a relatively... Read more »