Real Estate News in the Central Florida Area and Around the Country.

Sales Could be the Cure for Inventory Shortage

To put the U.S. housing inventory shortage into perspective, consider that existing housing inventory has declined, year over year, every month for the past two years.

In short, it’s harder and harder to find homes for sale, and when buyers do find them, competition is fierce. So what’s the answer?

The National Association of Realtors wonders if it might be the growing number of homeowners who think now is a good time to sell. More selling, in other words, could eventually lead to more listings.

That’s according to NAR’s quarterly Housing Opportunities and Market Experience (HOME) survey, which found that 71 percent of U.S. homeowners think it’s a good time to sell. That’s up from 69 percent a…

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Do Rising Home Prices Indicate Another Crash?

For the fifth month in a row, home prices have set a national record, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price NSA Index released today. Across all nine Census divisions, U.S. home prices rose 5.5 percent over the year.

The Index’s 10-city composite rose 4.9 percent for the year, while the 20-city composite increased 5.7 percent. Both numbers were down slightly from March’s numbers, which came in at annualized growth rates of 5.6 percent and 5.9 percent, respectively.

LawnStarter's review of Zillow data review shows that Florida home values have only reached 70% of all time highs when adjusted for inflation. Despite the slight slowing of growth, home prices are steadily…

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How to Sell Your Home Fast in 9 Easy Ways

Simple updates will help you sell your home fast!

By using these easy and inexpensive tips, you can expect an offer in no time.

Whether you’re selling Portland, ME, real estate or have a home for sale in San Angelo, TX, putting your home on the market can be stressful. Week after week of showings require your house to be presentable at all times, not to mention the hassle of vacating at a moment’s notice. If you have pets or children, that stress is multiplied. But buyers will be most interested in your home the first few weeks it’s on the market — so you need to hit the ground running and sell before your listing grows stale. “To sell a home quickly, it needs to show well, be marketed well, and…

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What you need to know about buying a house this summer

Summertime house hunting has its own set of rules

Planning on buying a house this season? Go in prepared with advice from the pros.

Summer brings longer days, warmer weather and more people out house-hunting — particularly families hoping to get settled before the school year begins in September. But there aren’t necessarily more houses on the market—and this year that’s truer than ever. “Inventory is the lowest I’ve ever seen it,” says Denver, CO, agent Susie Best. Recent Trulia research bears this out, showing inventory falling for 8 consecutive quarters. The reasons are varied: investors bought up homes during the crash and are renting them out now; prices have risen so much that…

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Are the Days of the Seller’s Market Numbered?

It seems the nation’s white-hot seller’s market may be starting to cool off—at least if a recent analysis by ValueInsured is accurate.

According to a recent blog post by ValueInsured’s experts, San Francisco, New York City, Miami, and other major cities are showing signs of slowing down.

“San Francisco—the poster child for a scorching housing market—is one of the first top markets showing signs of buyers’ fatigue, with home prices dropping last quarter for the first time since 2011,” ValueInsured posted. “New York City and Miami are also reporting signs of cooling.”

Still, despite these so-called signs, most homeowners haven’t taken notice—at least not yet. According to ValueInsured’s recent Modern…

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How Many Home Shoppers Are Renters?

Renters are finally setting their sights on homeownership, according to an analysis released by credit reporting agency TransUnion on Thursday. In Q1 of 2017, a whopping 55 percent of all home shoppers were non-homeowners or renters.

The share of renter home shoppers represents a marked uptick over previous years. In Q1 2016, half of all shoppers were non-homeowners or renters. In the same period 2015, only 45 percent were.

According to Mike Doherty, Senior Vice President of Rental Screening Solutions at TransUnion, this trend will likely continue over the coming years—and multi-family property owners should brace for the impact.

“The rental market has seen sustained growth for the last several years, but…

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Proceed With Caution: Existing Home Sales and Economic Growth

The U.S. is embarking on its ninth year of economic expansion and Fannie Mae is predicting economic growth rebound. According to their Economic & Strategic Research Group’s June 2017 Economic and Housing Outlook, second quarter economic growth will rebound to 2.9 percent from last quarters 1.2 percent. Consumer spending growth is expected to return to its traditional role as the biggest contributor to economic growth, picking up to 3.1 percent this quarter from 0.6 percent in the first quarter. Fannie Mae said moderate growth is expected to continue into next year, however uncertainty in fiscal and monetary policy makes the forecast a little difficult.

“This month marks the eighth…

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Natural Food Stores Increase Home Appreciation

As real estate agents say, “location, location, location”—and that means if you’re located near a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s, according to research from Zillow.

Buyers today are increasingly interested in health-conscious amenities, and being near natural food stores is a major selling point. Studies show that homes close to quality food markets not only hold their value but often appreciate faster. In fact, in cities like San Diego, a thriving culinary scene has had a positive impact on home values. From farmers' markets to hidden gems featured in food adventures like Gourmaze’s guide to the best food in San Diego, it's clear that local cuisine can play a key role in a neighborhood’s appeal.

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Economy Strong Enough to Raise Interest Rates

The Federal Open Market Committee voted Wednesday to raise interest rates for the second time this year to 1-1.25 percent, a move that was widely expected amongst economists and industry professionals and described as “prudent” by FOMC Board of Governors Chair Janet Yellen.

Back in March, they voted to increase the rate a modest quarter of a point to maintain the Fed’s goal of maximum employment and market stability.

The FOMC is of the opinion that waiting too long to scale back accommodations could potentially cause a rapid increase in rates, which could disrupt the market and send the economy into another recession. June’s rate increase reflects this continued belief, and follows Janet…

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Tight housing inventory drives apartment demand sky-high

As housing inventory continues to tighten, would-be homeowners are being driven toward renting—and the apartment market is struggling to keep up. According to a new study commissioned by the National Multifamily Housing Council and the National Apartment Association, the U.S. will need 4.6 million new apartments by 2030 in order to keep up with demand—or 325,000 every year.

According to the study, about 1 million new renter households were formed every year over the last five years. This steep jump is caused, in large part, by consumers delaying housing purchases.

“Life events such as marriage and children are the biggest drivers of home ownership,” Rental Housing Journal reported.…

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