...and the Good News is...

WASHINGTON (AP) – Sept. 1, 2010 – U.S.

By Kimberly Miller
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Florida has $656.8 million to help struggling homeowners, but distribution of the federal aid is likely on hold statewide until early 2011.

The money, awarded through the Obama administration's "Hardest Hit" program will pay the mortgage of unemployed or underemployed borrowers for up to 18 months as they seek new jobs or training.

Originally announced in February, Florida got another infusion of hardest hit money last week that will increase those helped from 12,000 to 20,000.

BY TOLUSE OLORUNNIPA
tolorunnipa@MiamiHerald.com

After an unprecedented surge during the boom years, the number of homes and condos on the market in South Florida has been plummeting for the past two years, posting 24 monthly declines that slashed the cache of for-sale properties nearly in half.

But for the past 10 weeks, the number of homes for sale -- crucial in the supply-demand seesaw that determines real estate prices -- has been inching upward, sparking questions about the state of the housing recovery and the effect of foreclosures on the marketplace.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Aug. 11, 2010 – Sales of existing single-family homes in Florida rose 21 percent in second quarter 2010 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®. A total of 51,564 existing homes sold statewide in 2Q 2010; during the same period the year before, a total of 42,604 existing homes sold. It marks the eighth consecutive quarter that Florida has seen higher existing year-to-year home sales, according to the state association.

MIAMI – Aug. 4, 2010 – South Florida’s housing sector asserted its independence from national trends in July as a key measure of the real estate market improved year-over-year, with the region’s international buyers and still-drooping prices propping up the local housing market.

In July, pending home sales in Miami-Dade County stood at 10,113, up 40.5 percent from July of 2009, according to figures released Tuesday by the Miami Realtors.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Aug. 4, 2010 – The tax credit expired, but it’s still a great time to buy a home thanks to low mortgage rates and motivated sellers. Here are five reasons why now is a great time to buy:

1. Low mortgage rates serve as an equity shock absorber. When buyers borrow at today’s record-low rates, they start building equity as soon as they close. That means they can absorb a few ups and downs as the still-recovering housing market gains traction.

2. Houses are in move-in condition.

New Association Becomes Largest Realtor Association in U.S. with 23,000 Members

Miami, FL – The Miami real estate market continues to strengthen as a result of increased sales and stabilizing home prices.  In the Miami MSA, there was a 33 percent increase in condominium sales in June 2010 compared to June 2009 and a 58 percent increase compared to two years ago, according to the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches and the Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service (SEFMLS).

RISMEDIA, July 28, 2010—Coming off an historic low in May, sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 23.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 330,000 units in June 2010, according to U.S. Commerce Department data.

The REALTOR® Associations of Greater Miami and the Beaches (RAMB) and the REALTOR® Association of Miami-Dade County (RAMDC) are proud to announce that they are currently pursuing a merger into one association. This merger would unite two of the largest and most influential REALTOR® associations in the United States and create a 21,500 + member association, the 3rd largest in the nation. (Check out the video announcement below).