By Cathy Womble Fair Housing Act rules differ from the ADA, and while biz owners must accept service animals (dog or miniature horse), they don’t always have to allow support animals. OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – With all the support animals turning up in public places in recent years, restaurant owners find themselves with a dilemma. There have been stories about peacocks, donkeys, turkeys and, most recently, an alligator being used as support animals. According to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), service animals are always allowed inside restaurants, but support animals are not. The dilemma for the business
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By Devon Jackson AI won’t simply make a task or job easier. Its impact – already being felt – will improve for current tasks but also take over other areas of the transaction process. SANTA FE, New Mexico – Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a game changer for the real estate industry. The more prominent AI becomes, the greater its potential to transform all aspects of the work lives of real estate professionals, the real estate industry and overall property investment. Here are just some of the ways AI has already affected real estate. Predictive maintenance and property management Problems will
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The U.S. added 336K jobs in Sept. – far above expectations for 162K. It says good things about the economy, but the Fed will see a big red flag in its inflation fight. WASHINGTON (AP) – The nation’s employers added 336,000 jobs in September, an unexpectedly robust gain and the largest monthly rise since January, evidence that many companies remain confident enough to keep hiring despite high interest rates and a hazy outlook for the economy. Last month’s job growth jumped from a 227,000 increase in August, which was revised sharply higher. July’s gain was also healthier than had been
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Jung Getty / Getty Images By Jim Saunders Plaintiffs opposing Fla.’s foreign-buyer law submitted a preliminary-injunction request to an appeals court this week after a U.S. district judge denied the request. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Attorneys for a group of plaintiffs this week urged a federal appeals court to block a new Florida law that restricts people from China from owning property in the state, saying the measure “mandates egregious national-origin discrimination.” A 57-page brief filed at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the law, approved this spring by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature, is unconstitutional and
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By Sarah Marx In 2023, 1 out of 134 mortgage applications contained fraud, though it’s 1 in 28 for two-to-four unit properties. But Fla. and New York remain top states for the crime. NEW YORK – The implementation of more careful loan screening procedures has contributed to lower levels of risk for mortgage fraud. Mortgage application fraud declined 3.1% year-over-year in Q2 of 2023 compared to the second quarter of 2022, according to CoreLogic Mortgage Fraud Report. However, they increased slightly (up 1.6%), from Q1 to Q2 2023. Overall, in the second quarter of 2023, 0.75% of all mortgage applications
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By Alex Veiga Skittish investors keep nudging mortgage rates higher. Last week, a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.31%; a year ago, it was 6.66%. LOS ANGELES (AP) – The cost of financing a home surged again this week as the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed to its highest level since December 2000, further dimming the affordability outlook for many would-be homebuyers. The average rate on the benchmark 30-year home loan rose to 7.49% from 7.31% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.66%. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners
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By Kerry Smith Top challenges for RE firms? Affordability, inventory and new technology. One-office firms had median sales volume of $5.3M – 30% expect higher profits this year. WASHINGTON – The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) released its study of real estate businesses this week. The 2023 Profile of Real Estate Firms found that housing affordability, sufficient inventory and new technology ranked among their biggest challenges as they plan for next two years. The report measures characteristics of firms nationwide. It analyzes how they operate currently and how they see the future through a survey sent to broker members. The
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By Kerry Smith Fla. had 2 (out of 10) finalists – now it has 2 (out of 5) winners: Fort Lauderdale’s Kasia Maslanka and Palm Coast’s Sandra Shank. WASHINGTON – The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) selected five Realtors for its 2023 “Good Neighbor Awards” and two are Floridians: Kasia Maslanka, a Realtor from Fort Lauderdale, and Sandra Shank, a Realtor from Palm Coast. In August, NAR named them as 2 of the top 10 finalists. This award honors NAR members who make an extraordinary difference in their communities through volunteer work. Now in its 24th year, the Good Neighbor
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By J. Kyle Foster Lawrence Yun and other economists spoke to Naples Realtors last week. Yun says mortgage rates could hit 8% later this year – but he expects around 6% by spring. NAPLES, Fla. – Homebuyers and Realtors® should brace for even higher mortgage rates in the next two months, Chief Economist for National Association of Realtors® (NAR) Dr. Lawrence Yun said Wednesday. “I am a little concerned that mortgage rates may go up to 8%, but in the short term,” Yun told attendees of Naples Area Board of Realtors’ 2023 Economic Summit in Naples. “By Thanksgiving time, I
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By Cassity K. Metzsch Buyers complain about too-few sellers selling – but some homeowners want to move and feel frustrated that an ultra-low mortgage rate has locked them in. BOSTON – One out of every 5 homeowners who moved within the last three years now regret their decision. Many Americans relocated either permanently or temporarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic. College dorms closed for students, communities were perceived as unsafe, or people found they could no longer afford their housing. At a time when stay-at-home orders were the norm, many realized their homes were not as comfortable when travel options
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