The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, May 5, 2014   TODAY'S TOP STORIES A Fla. real estate license will cost less Starting July 1, many license renewals will cost 20% less, helping Realtors who renew in the third quarter. It's not a fee holiday - it's a permanent reduction. Read more. Do-not-call list could soon include text messages The same Fla. rules that apply to calling residents at home will be extended to text messages if Gov. Scott signs a bill passed by the Fla. Legislature. Read more. Website will allow small investments in commercial Crowd funding - when groups of people pledge small dollar amounts to a project on sites like Kickstarter - is being tested in Fla.'s property market. Read more.   U.S. commercial real estate shows moderate progr... 05/05/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, April 28, 2014   TODAY'S TOP STORIES NAR: Pending home sales increase in March It's the first upward bump in nine months and a sign that analysts may have been right: Severe winter weather caused the recent housing market slowdown. Read more. Why is listing inventory so low? Five reasons As prices rise, more homeowners decide to sell. However, up to half of all homes won't be put on the market even if owners would like to relocate. Read more. Fla. gets $70 million in grants to help homeless U.S. communities competed for money for projects that offer housing, job training, health care, mental health counseling, drug abuse treatment and childcare. Read more.   Court to clarify process for rescinding mortgages A lette... 04/28/2014

Atlantis, of Palm Beach County, FL Market Stats & Facts for March 2014   Stats and facts about Atlantis, Florida, are out for the month of March 2014.  The report is packed with information about the county and the local city mentioned above. In a nut shell the inventory of single family homes available for sale are at a 7.3 month selling point which is down nearly 40.4%from a year ago. That’s a good sign things are loosening up and people are buying. Click on this LINK, for more graphs and stats. Whether you are buying or selling in this hot market of the County of Palm Beach, FL, choosing the right company will save you money, time and many sleepless nights. I not only have 29 years experience as a Realtor, construction was a passion of mine as well. This alone is worth so much more ... 04/27/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, April 14, 2014  TODAY'S TOP STORIES Mortgage availability hits 3-year high Six months ago, pundits said it would be harder to qualify for a mortgage after Jan.'s qualified mortgage (QM) rule kicked in - but maybe they were wrong. Read more. Condo rules will dictate profit division from sale Real estate Q&A: If a developer buys the building, do owners split any profit equally if the units are the same size - or is it more complicated? Read more. Most force-placed insurance following new rules Change now impacts more than 90% of Fla. policies forced on homeowners by lenders. Fla. review found many practices hurt state's insurance consumers. Read more.   Senators push FEMA on flood insurance Three lawmakers wrote a le... 04/14/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, April 7, 2014     TODAY'S TOP STORIES Other states challenge Fla. residency tax claims What makes Fla. residency official? It's more than a home and driver's license, say other states, as they take wealthier residents to court and demand tax money. Read more. U.S. consumer bureau hearing more mortgage gripes CFPB says 37% of 163,700 consumer complaints received in 2013 related to mortgages, with most about loan modifications, collections or foreclosures. Read more. New buyer question: Is my data secure? Could a hacker tap into clients' financial data? Americans worry more now thanks to the recent Target data breach, and agents should have an answer prepared. Read more.   Condo fees still due after a foreclosure Rea... 04/07/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, March 31, 2014   TODAY'S TOP STORIES More banks lower FICO score requirements In a push to generate business, lenders are lowering credit score requirements to qualify more buyers. In Feb., Wells Fargo dropped its minimum from 640 to 600. Read more. Marketing tip: Real estate investment clubs Thanks in part to social media, real estate investment clubs are expanding. The once-a-month events attract investors, accountants, lawyers and Realtors. Read more. 4 big predictions for commercial real estate Shopping malls will fade a bit and boomers will boost demand for housing and health care; urban areas will boom, and green building will grow more mainstream. Read more.   Firm buys more Fla. rental homes to bundle as bo... 03/31/2014

Atlantis of Palm Beach County, FL Market Stats & Facts for February 2014 Stats and facts about Atlantis, Florida, are out for the month of February 2014.  The report is packed with information about the county and the local city mentioned above. In a nut shell the inventory of single family homes available for sale are at a 6.6 month selling point which is down nearly 43.3%from a year ago. That’s a good sign things are loosening up and people are buying. Click on this LINK, for more graphs and stats. Whether you are buying or selling in this hot market of the County of Palm Beach, FL, choosing the right company will save you money, time and many sleepless nights. I not only have 29 years experience as a Realtor, construction was a passion of mine as well. This alone is worth so much mo... 03/30/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, March 24, 2014    TODAY'S TOP STORIES Flood insurance relief becomes law Pres. Obama signed the bill Friday, negating the need for Florida Realtors flood insurance disclosure. But change will take time as insurers tinker with software. Read more. Realtors in Fla. expect prices to rise more than 5% Fla. is one of only four states predicting increases greater than 5-7%; Realtors in 17 states expect less than 3%, while the rest anticipate 3% to 5%. Read more. A new weapon for bidding wars In some metro areas, mortgage buyers level the competition with cash buyers by getting "pre-vetted" for a loan and avoiding some contingency clauses. Read more.   A whiff of 'welcome home' Real estate pros know that the smell of fres... 03/24/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, March 3, 2014 TODAY'S TOP STORIES Study: Hard times drive adult kids to return home Some 2.3M adults live with their parents in Calif., up 63% since the Great Recession began seven years ago; the trend is happening across the U.S. Read more. Fla. halts sale of conservation land Falling short of a $50M goal set by lawmakers, DEP now plans to raise money for future Florida Forever purchases by selling other non-conservation state land. Read more. Why Google+ matters for real estate agents Is Google+ the "most misunderstood social network ever introduced"? An expert says a user's friends impact search results, so agents can "influence more people." Read more.   U.S. construction spending up 0.1% in Jan. Strength in ho... 03/03/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor NewsMonday, February 24, 2014 TODAY'S TOP STORIES Mortgage companies regroup as refinancings fall As interest rates rise, the number of homeowners who refinance goes down - good news for buyers if lenders grow more aggressive in their hunt for new business. Read more. NAR: Commercial outlook positive but moderating Quarterly forecast finds continued improvement but at a moderate pace. "Companies appear hesitant to add new space," says NAR chief economist. Read more. Tactics for overcoming Facebook’s new algorithm In Dec. it became harder to market real estate on Facebook - but there are still ways to increase the odds that a listing will be shared. Read more.   Sinkhole fears drive some to secure homes when built It's not commo... 02/24/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, February 17, 2014   TODAY'S TOP STORIES Jumbo loans loom large in luxury housing The largest loans have interest rates on par with conventional loans and come with fewer rules under the recent qualified-mortgage laws. Read more. Getting content in Facebook's Paper A new reader app, called Paper, promises a different user experience. Agents should focus now on their content and decide whether it would be Paper-worthy. Read more. Floridians value water but not ready to conserve UF survey: Interest in water ranked third in a list of public issues behind the economy and healthcare - and ahead of taxes and public education. Read more.   Sometimes you don’t retire to live retirement dream It's tricky, but retirement savi... 02/17/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, February 10, 2014    TODAY'S TOP STORIES Canadians looking in Fla. told it’s time to buy In addition to Fla.'s rising home prices and limited inventory, Canadian Press is telling citizens to check monetary exchange rates - the loonie is down 10%. Read more. Millennials tiptoe into homeownership Young adults don't see housing as a solid investment the way earlier generations did. Their financially conservative decisions include worst-case scenarios. Read more. Investors bet on rent-to-own housing The twin phenomena of cheap housing and people's poor credit is encouraging some investors to jump into a niche real estate market: rent-to-own housing. Read more.   NAHB: Housing recovery threatened by flat wages "A signif... 02/10/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, February 3, 2014  TODAY'S TOP STORIES Tight inventory? U.S. still has lots of vacant homes 2.1% U.S. family homes were vacant in 2013's fourth quarter. In Fla., 2.4% were vacant, ranging from 4.1% in Orlando to 0.7% in Jacksonville. Read more. Subprime loans are out – ‘nonprime’ loans are in Nonprime loans that appeal to high-risk buyers are making a comeback, but lenders retain some stricter rules - like a 30 percent down payment, perhaps. Read more. U.S. construction spending rose 27.3% in 2013 It rose only 0.1% in Dec. compared to Nov., however. Still, private residential construction rose 2.6% for the month to its highest level since 2008. Read more.   What happens if a condo owner declares bankruptcy? Answer: ... 02/03/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, January 27, 2014   MLS: RX-3352810 Offered for $275k Palm Beach Gardens, FL   TODAY'S TOP STORIES Top gripe on closings: Not enough time for reviews The U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has collected consumer complaints about the closing process, and most say they want more time to review docs. Read more. 1,700 foreclosed Floridians to receive $2.5M National Mortgage Settlement checks go out next week, according to Florida's attorney general. Each ex-owner should receive $1,480. Read more. 2013 new home sales highest in five years Dec. home sales declined 7%. Analysts expect continued recovery this year, though with slower sales gains than those seen in 2013. Read more.   Banks again pitching home equity l... 01/27/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, January 20, 2014    MLS: RX-10007875 Offered for $750k Jupiter, FL   TODAY'S TOP STORIES NAR: Exterior replacement projects most valuable A new steel front door remains the top improvement, returning 96.6% of the cost when a home is sold, but 8 of the top 10 were exterior projects. Read more. Lien filed against wrong homeowner Real estate Q&A: A simple error placing a lien on the wrong home has ramifications. Even if removed quickly, it can impact credit scores and more. Read more. Key considerations for unwed couples buying a home An increasing number of couples buy a home before (or without) getting married, but that status means they should spend more time on some of the legal details. Read more.   Debate escala... 01/20/2014

    A Top 40 Hit that soon will become?   I haven’t seen too many posts lately about points for blogging or ranking. So I decided to encourage those that may be not as active as I to start off the year with a goal of placement. For myself, I look forward to maxing out the allowed points for the week and watching my name advance. It took a while to be discipline to do this on a daily basis. However by doing so, I feel it keeps me in the game of our local real estate.  Currently I rank 6th in Palm Beach county, 40th in the state of Florida, and 310th nationwide.    How do you rank, and do you have specific goals or guidelines? Looking forward to another great year and appreciate Active Rain for creating this format. Good luck to you as well. 01/13/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, January 6, 2014 RX: 9987866 Offered @ $399,900 Delray Beach, FL     TODAY'S TOP STORIES Mortgage tax break expires despite lawmaker support A tax break for money forgiven by banks expired Dec. 31. While Congress may resurrect it, current short sellers and others should seek advice from a tax expert. Read more.   Average rate on 30-year loan at 4.53% It's an increase from the 4.48% reported one week earlier. Most experts predict stability over the short term, however. Read more.   Buyers get extended offer period on REOs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's "first look" programs give buyers 20 days - up from 15 days - before investors may submit an offer on a REO property. Read more.   Fla. is No. 3 in population - almost G... 01/06/2014

The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, December 16, 2013 MLS: RX-3345466 Offered for $3,650,000 Boca Raton, FL   TODAY'S TOP STORIES Florida Supreme Court issues HOA ruling A housing developer that provided "essential services," such as roads and sewers, may be responsible for later problems under an "implied warranty of fitness." Read more.   Apartment rents to rise 3% next year. A range of rental predictions forecasts increases as high as 3.3% next year on average, though the actual amount will vary by community. Read more.   Q&A: How can the self-employed get a mortgage? It has become increasingly difficult. Though rare, "stated income" loans can be found for those with high credit scores and down payments, and deep cash reserves. Read more.   FHA fi... 12/16/2013

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, December 9, 2013 MLS: RX9964747 Offered for $690k     TODAY'S TOP STORIES HUD: New FHA loan limits take effect Jan. 1 Current cap in areas with relatively low housing costs remains unchanged at $271,050; but the high-cost area cap drops from $729,750 to $625,500. Read more.   CoreLogic: 48,000 completed foreclosures in Oct. Fla. retains top status for foreclosures with 115,000 completed year-to-year in Oct. No. 2 Michigan had 50,000. But nationally, it's down 30% for year. Read more.   Fla. officially has 12.7K homeowners associations A new law requiring HOAs to register with the state by Nov. 22 found 12,721 associations representing about 2.5 million parcels. Read more.   -Condo conversions draw foreign buyers A ... 12/09/2013

  The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News December 3, 2013   MLS: RX-9975753 Offered for $1,340,000   TODAY'S TOP STORIES U.S. home prices rise just 0.2% in Oct. CoreLogic: Fla. prices up 0.5% month-to-month and 12.8% year-to-year. The moderate monthly gain suggests the market could be stabilizing. Read more.   New mortgage rules have some wiggle room A handful of larger banks will probably make home loans that don't conform to new qualified-mortgage (QM) rules. Read more.   Time for statewide water planning? From S. Fla. pollutants to St. Lucie river runoff to Apalachicola Bay supply, a range of water problems requires a broad solution, says incoming House speaker. Read more.   Foreclosed owners get second chance sooner Ex-owners who went through a foreclosure o... 12/03/2013