In The News

By working with Real Estate in South Florida I have been able to discover a new trend that is redefining The America Dream: Renting a Home.

For the past few years and especially within the last 6 to 4 months we have seen an increase in rental prices as well as a rapid reduction of Rental Inventory in Weston, Pembroke Pines and Miramar that in my humble opinion may only be attributed to more people renting homes in the area.

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – June 28, 2010 – Panhandle Realtor Deborah Orr has lost four home sales since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill branded the Sunshine State with a tar-spattered scarlet letter. She’s got the e-mails and canceled contracts to prove it.

“I have been up since 2 a.m. studying the spill.

WASHINGTON (AP) – June 28, 2010 – The Internal Revenue Service says oil spill victims who receive BP payments for lost wages will have to pay up come tax time.

Under current law, BP payments for lost wages are taxable – just like the wages would have been, the IRS said in a tax guidance issued Friday. Payments for physical injuries or property loss, however, are generally tax free. Payments for emotional distress?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Gov. Charlie Crist traveled to South Florida June 24th to ceremonially sign this year’s massive condo bill, SB 1196.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – June 25, 2010 – After years of lax licensing requirements, all mortgage brokers in Florida – including those who may have just submitted an application – will have to reapply under more probing criteria later this year.

No new applications under the current mortgage broker rules will be accepted past July 8.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – June 23, 2010 – Florida Realtors Vice President of Public Policy John Sebree talked to a BP claims adjuster this week to gain clarity into the oil spill’s claims’ process.

According to Sebree, his contact was “very familiar with real estate agent claims,” and said “claims such as cancelled contracts on rental units are being approved for payment every day.”

However, the adjuster admitted that one type of claim is stalled a bit: lost commissions on sales.

Chicago, - (realtor.org) The commercial real estate market is experiencing its worst liquidity challenge in almost 20 years, and it is vital that Congress take action to prevent a deepening crisis, the National Association of Realtors® said in testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations today.

RISMEDIA, April 16, 2010—Strong evidence that the market has bottomed and that a more balanced housing market is emerging in many parts of the U.S. can be found in the latest HouseHunt Current Market Conditions survey data reported during the first quarter of 2010. Although uneven, the results show prices have stabilized after steep declines over the past two to four years and in some cases are actually appreciating despite the drag of foreclosures, short sales, job uncertainties and reluctant lenders.

NEW YORK (AP) – March 30, 2010 – Americans’ confidence in the economy rebounded in March after a February plunge, but shoppers remain cautious, according to a private research group’s monthly survey released Tuesday.

The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index rose to 52.5 in March, recovering about half of the nearly 11 points it lost in February. Analysts expected a reading of 50 for March. February’s 46.4 marked the lowest level since April 2009 and erased three consecutive months of improvement.

WASHINGTON (AP) – March 16, 2010 – Housing construction fell in February as winter blizzards held down activity in the U.S. Northeast and South. The decline highlighted the challenges facing builders as they struggle to emerge from the worst housing slump in decades.

The Commerce Department said Tuesday that construction of new homes and apartments fell 5.9 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 575,000 units, slightly higher than the 570,000 economists were expecting.