By Marla Martin Thirteen Realtors from across the state will enhance their leadership skills and learn more about Florida Realtors through a number of activities and sessions. ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Realtors recently selected 13 Realtor members to participate in its 18th annual Leadership Academy. The Leadership Academy was established in 2008 to identify emerging Realtor leaders ready to get involved, make a difference and enhance their leadership skills. The goal of the Academy is to empower its participants to develop the skills needed to lead a committee, a Realtor association or a community activity. 2024 Leadership Academy Chair Omar
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By Amy Connolly The state announced funding that will bring high-speed internet access to additional rural and small communities, which can open doors for homeowners, businesses and remote workers. BOWLING GREEN — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced nearly $223 million in state and federal funding to expand broadband internet access across Florida, mainly in small and rural communities. The awards through the Broadband Opportunity Program will support 54 projects in 33 Florida counties for broadband internet expansion that will provide internet to over 27,000 residential, educational, agricultural, business and community locations, the governor’s office said. Additional funding through the Multipurpose Facility
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New construction accounted for a large share of home sales in 2023 Q4 because homebuilding has increased and the number of homeowners selling has decreased, Redfin said. SEATTLE — Nationwide, 31.8% of U.S. single-family homes for sale in the fourth quarter of 2023 were new construction, according to a new report from the real estate brokerage Redfin. That’s comparable with 31.9% a year earlier, which is the highest level of any fourth quarter on record. Newly built homes are taking up a growing share of the for-sale housing pie for two primary reasons: Homebuilding has increased. Homebuilding has been on
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Communities in Lake/Sumter/Marion, Brevard, Volusia and Orange/Osceola topped lists for best-selling in the United States. ORLANDO – Four master-planned communities in Florida made the list of the top 50 in the United States for sale in 2023, according to the Bethesda, Maryland-based RCLCO Real Estate Consulting and Irvine, California-based John Burns Real Estate Consulting. The Villages, which is the region’s retirement mega-community that includes portions of Lake, Sumter and Marion counties, topped both lists. Viera in Brevard County ranked No. 20 on the John Burns list and No. 24 on the RCLCO list. Latitude Margaritaville in Daytona Beach came in
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By Timothy O Hara The Monroe County School District is launching an affordable housing project for teachers, a growing trend in Florida and across the nation to attract educators. KEY WEST, Fla. – The Monroe County School District is forging ahead with its plan to place roughly 150 units of affordable housing on Trumbo Road in Key West and is looking to the state Legislature to help fund the much-needed housing and approve a plan to move the district offices to another location in Key West. Superintendent Theresa Axford and School Board member Andy Griffiths joined a Monroe County delegation
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By Jeremy Knauff Build your personal brand, control your online image and connect with local media to ensure you are recognized as an authority in your market. NEW YORK — The real estate industry is in a state of flux, and it’s likely that won’t change anytime soon. Though interest rates have subsided some, an inventory shortage and high prices still make for a competitive market. As a result, brokers need to do everything they can to create a competitive advantage, and one of the most effective ways to do that is through public image and influence. When used properly,
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By Curt Anderson The National Hurricane Center will start using a new, experimental tool to better convey inland wind and hazards as storms become more severe. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The “cone of uncertainty” produced by the National Hurricane Center to forecast the location and ferocity of a tropical storm is getting an update this year to include predictions for inland areas, where wind and flooding are sometimes more treacherous than damage to the coasts. The Miami-based hurricane center said Thursday on the X social media platform that the new, experimental forecast tool will be ready around Aug. 15, just
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By Hailey Rose McLaughlin “More than three-quarters of millennial home buyers would consider an interest rate higher than the national average of about 7%,” the study found. NEW YORK – Most millennials are prepared to take drastic measures to buy a home, with 65% saying they would pay up to a 10% mortgage rate and 23% admitting they would buy at 15% or more, according to a new study from Clever Real Estate. A combination of high-interest rates, inflation, and stagnant wages are financially squeezing millennials, but it has not diminished their enthusiasm for homeownership. Clever’s survey of millennial homebuyers
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By Christopher Rugaber The Federal Reserve chair said the Fed misjudged the duration of the 2021-2022 inflation surge, and the central bank moved too slowly to raise its key rate. Rate cuts could begin in May. WASHINGTON — Chair Jerome Powell said in an interview broadcast Sunday night that the Federal Reserve remains on track to cut interest rates three times this year, a move that’s expected to begin as early as May. Powell, in an interview recorded Thursday for the CBS news program “60 Minutes,” also said the nation’s job market and economy are strong, with no sign of
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Assumable mortgages are growing in popularity but come with challenges, the Wall Street Journal reported. NEW YORK — Buyers can get a 3% mortgage if they assume a mortgage from a seller with a loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but the process for assuming these lower-rate mortgages can be lengthy. The VA indicates that mortgage companies can take more than 45 days to issue a decision on a mortgage assumption. Some of the applications also can be rejected after waiting for the process to conclude. Mortgage companies also earn less
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