HUD Partners with NAREB Over Appraisal Bias

Scheduled to launch in Oct., the partnership will focus on appraisal discrimination through counselor training, roundtable discussions and appraisal-related training.
Read MoreFlorida Realtors: A ‘Best Co. to Work for in Fla.’

For the second year in a row, Florida Realtors has been named in Florida Trend magazine’s 100 “Best Companies To Work For In Florida” list featured in the Aug. issue.
Read MoreState Farm’s Hurricane Ian, Nicole Tab Nearly $600M

The insurer received 59K claims and is “encouraged by the recent insurance reforms.” Last month State Farm said it remained committed to the Fla. market.
Read MoreMortgage Rates Tick Higher: 30-year at 6.90%

Average rates for a 30-year, fixed-rate loan pushed closer to 7% again this week, up from last week’s 6.81%. A year ago, rates averaged 4.99%.
Read MoreGood Feedback Helps – Criticism Not So Much

How do you tell someone they need to improve? Effective feedback is as much art as science, but it’s an important skill to cultivate within a brokerage.
Read MoreDo-It-Yourself Projects that Add Value

A do-it-yourself home-improvement project reaps rewards at the time of sale, providing it’s done right. Many DIY projects require pros, but some can be handled in-house.
Read More17 Senators Ask FHFA for Rent Increase Restrictions

NAR calls rent caps “putting a Band-Aid on a bleeding artery.” The increase cap could impact about 1 in 4 U.S. units that have Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac-backed mortgages.
Read More184K Citizens Policies Going to Private Insurers

While Fla.-owned Citizens Property Ins. continues to grow, regulators this week approved moving 184K policies to private insurers, with Slide taking up to 100K.
Read MoreFlorida Realtors Launches NAR Officer Campaign

Christine Hanson, 2018 Florida Realtors president, is running unopposed for NAR 2025 First Vice President. Share the news on social media – here’s how.
Read MoreNAR’s 2023 International Sales Report: 23% in Fla.

International buyers face the same challenges as domestic buyers: Transactions were down 9.6% year-to-year, and the number of homes sold (84.6K) declined 14.2%.
Read MoreMore than a Quarter of U.S. Homeowners ‘House Poor’

House-poor families spend more than 30% of their monthly income on housing. Hialeah, Fla., is No. 1 in the nation, with 59.3% of households considered house poor.
Read MoreInternational Scam Sends Fla. ‘Investor’ to Prison

Robert Matthews will serve 65 months for scamming more than 60 foreign investors between 2012 and 2018, convincing each to invest at least $500K in his projects.
Read MoreUF: Floridians Grew a Bit Less Optimistic in July

Contrary to national numbers in July, Fla. sentiment fell 2.1 points as residents worried about the U.S. economy and planned to cut back on spending.
Read MoreGAO Looks at Flood Ins. 2.0, Suggests Improvements

The federal oversight group said Risk Rating 2.0 is an improvement, but it suggested a number of changes, including greater transparency on how rates are calculated.
Read MoreAds with Keyword Clicks: What’s a Fair Price?

Advertisers usually pay each time someone clicks on their ad, and some keywords – such as “real estate” or “homes for sale” – cost more and face greater competition.
Read MoreFHA to Update Foreclosure Rules, Allow Zoom Meetings

A proposed change would bring FHA’s foreclosure rules into the current century, where interviews can be conducted online rather than mandated, in-person meetings.
Read MoreFla.’s Growth Pushes Some Residents to Relocate

Census Bureau: Miami-Dade and Broward lost residents 2020-2022, even as the state grew 3%. Some residents moved to less populated Fla. metros; some left the country.
Read MoreWhen Should I Disclose Contemplated Interest?

A Realtor completed a professional apartment-building property appraisal on behalf of the seller, and the valuation was used to negotiate a final price with the buyer. But the seller later filed an ethics complaint because the Realtor managed the buyer’s properties. Is it an ethics violation?
Read MoreLegal Loyalty: Brokerages and Buyer Commission Agreements

Some transactions don’t include any formal agreement between the broker and a buyer, but many brokers prefer something in writing. Florida Realtors has forms that can help.
Read MoreFla.’s Real Estate Transfer Tax – What To Know

Florida charges a transfer fee – a documentary stamp tax – on most real estate transactions, but there are exceptions. What is it, when is it applied and how much is charged? Read on.
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