Gov. Ron DeSantis signed bills passed during the recent special session, including up to $10K for owners to harden homes and more aid for Hurricane Idalia victims.

Gas, cars and airfare cost less last month. Prices rose 3.2% year-to-year in Oct. – still higher than the Fed’s 2% goal – for the smallest increase since June.

A long-time staple of upscale homes, the traditional black-and-white checkered floor isn’t going away, but it’s diversifying its color palate.

A Tampa court sentenced a man to 17 years for faking a charity that faked a Fla. mansion purchase – and then threatening to kill the real owners to keep them quiet.

Sales at Home Depot were lower but beat expectations. While remodeling boomed during the pandemic, many owners are still making smaller upgrades.

Two Fla. metros were in that ballpark: Miami (35.4%) and Orlando (34.3%). But in Tampa, 43.1% of closed sales had a concession, up from 19.7% a year earlier.

The number of homeless veterans fell 11% since 2020 and 55% over the past 13 years – far more than general homelessness. But U.S. vets still need more help.

A super-sized team ups the chances that someone can handle any buyer that comes your way, but a niche-focused team can dominate a specific market area.

Gov. DeSantis announced the SecureFlorida Portal – a site where foreign principals who must register ownership under a new law can do so before the Dec. 31 deadline.

RE investors are building more $50M-plus condos in S. Fla. as demand grows from an uptick of rich Americans who are relocating to be close to other rich Americans.

Going to a strip mall for a specific item is a quick in-out activity, akin to getting milk from 7-11. And after the pandemic, that’s what many Americans want.

In the face of high interest rates and rising home prices, the typical buyer’s income rose 22% to $107K. 1 out of 3 (32%) was a first-time buyer, and 89% used an RE agent.

11% of metros saw double-digit price increases in 3Q, even though buyers faced a one-year mortgage payment increase of 19.2%. In 2Q, prices rose in only 58% of metros.

The National Association of Home Builders’ 3Q affordability study found that just 37.4% of Americans can afford a median-priced home in their metro area.

An estimated 10% of pandemic-relief fund recipients committed fraud – a $280B loss. In one case, a Fla. man, now in prison for 5 years, bought a private island.

Don’t ignore social media and newer forms of marketing, but getting out into the community and holding open houses can be more effective tools for lead generation.

More people are adding property investments to their retirement portfolios. If added cautiously, it can be a viable hedge against the volatility of stocks and bonds.

While some private insurers were approved to take policies from the state’s “insurer of last resort,” they may later pull that offer for internal business reasons.

Florida Realtors VP Juana Watkins urged patience in a Thur. webinar, which is now available online. The decision might have an impact but the process will take years.

About 12K Realtors will gather in Anaheim, Calif., next week, with some sessions offered virtually. Its “Own the Moment” theme will feature Mindy Kaling.