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.

161 businesses in 25 Fla. counties hurt by Hurricane Idalia have received Fla. bridge loans as they await insurance or other help. Deadline to apply: Oct. 25.

23.5% of LGBTQ+ renters can’t rely on family/friends for financial help compared to 14% of other buyers. They also have more student loan debt, 18.4% vs. 11.4%.

A 1.2-point drop to 66.3 was “not unexpected,” since Hurricane Idalia hit in Sept., say UF researchers – and “current finances” fell more than future expectations.

More than two years ago, RE brokerage Rex filed a case against Zillow, alleging its dual system for listing types was an antitrust violation. But a judge disagreed.

An AI-based, NextGen cloud platform, Titan Flood, plans to offer private flood insurance policies with the ability to provide quotes “in seconds.”

The government continues routine operations, but a shutdown threat could occur again as Nov. 17 looms – but storm victims were also handed a lifeline.

Impacted homes with more than 50% damage (home value only) must rebuild, and in some areas, one owner may just make repairs while a next-door neighbor must rebuild.

Property appraisal tax rules vary by county, but they’re similar. A Q&A with the Citrus County property appraiser offers insight about a sometimes confusing concept.

Few agents know every nuance of running a business. Loyalty builds by offering help, such as education sessions on social media marketing or new-tool training.

Four universities in Arizona and Texas will share funds to help assure “affordable, fair, and safe housing and homeownership opportunities” for Hispanic Americans.

Following a “Call for Action” issued by NAR Fri. night and shared by Florida Realtors Sat., Congress and the president extended government funding to Nov. 17.

HUD joined seven other agencies, saying that “Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits antisemitism, Islamophobia and related forms of discrimination.”

A diverse group of RE professionals – Asian, Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and women – say they will jointly oppose the “vocal minority” who fight against diversity.

But a new report suggests growth along Fla.’s coast undermines those hard-won building-code gains and fuels the rising cost of windstorm insurance.

Buyers may be able to make rising mortgage rates less onerous by using one or more of these nine tips suggested by RE agents and lenders.

While inflation rose 3.5% year-to-year in Aug. – still above the Fed’s 2% goal – it was only up 0.1% month-to-month after backing out higher gas prices.

While inflation rose 3.5% year-to-year in Aug. – still above the Fed’s 2% goal – it was only up 0.1% month-to-month after backing out higher gas prices.

Without more funding in a new federal budget, FEMA will ration aid efforts. It still appears likely new flood policies and other RE must-haves expire at midnight Sat.

Last week, a 30-year, fixed-rate loan averaged 7.19%; a year ago, it was 6.70%. The last time rates were this high was in 2000 when home values weren’t going up.