Affording a House on Your Own

​ WASHINGTON – When you’re saving for your first home, it’s natural to wish for a helping hand. It might even feel like everyone else is getting a check from Mom and Dad. But if you don’t have a financial head start, where should you begin? The good news: Homeownership isn’t just for the lucky […]

Millennials Want Space but Prioritize Features

​ WASHINGTON – Millennial buyers prefer more square footage than other generations, but most would choose a smaller feature-rich home for the same purchase price, a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analysis found. “Buyers are willing to make compromises to find the best possible home for their families,” said NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes, a […]

Millennial Buyers Prefer Better, Not Bigger Homes

​ WASHINGTON – Millennial buyers prefer more square footage than other generations, but most would choose a smaller feature-rich home for the same purchase price, a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) analysis found. “Buyers are willing to make compromises to find the best possible home for their families,” said NAHB Chairman Buddy Hughes, a […]

Homeownership Costs Up to 17 Workdays Per Month

​ AUSTIN, Texas – The median national home price in the U.S. is $412,000 and for Americans looking to buy a home, the magic number of days required to work per month to afford the mortgage payment is 10, according to Realtor.com data. But, for residents in some states, the number of workdays required can […]

Insurer to Repay $30M to Florida Hurricane Fund

​ TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida insurance company has agreed to pay more than $30 million to the state’s hurricane fund following allegations that the company fraudulently submitted numerous ineligible claims for reimbursement, according to the attorney general’s office. Attorney General James Uthmeier said Tuesday that Universal Property & Casualty Insurance Company (UPCIC) will return […]

Florida Consumer Sentiment Drops in March

​ GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Consumer sentiment in Florida declined for the second month in a row, dropping 6.6 points in March to 78.1, down from a revised figure of 84.7 in February. This sharp decline is in line with the national sentiment, which fell by 7.7 points. “The decline in sentiment was observed across all […]

Affirmatively Recommend Attorney Be Consulted When Needed

​ Dear Shannon:  I’ve been a land broker for a long time, built a reputation for having the highest level of ethics in business and wanted to share that I learned something new about the Code of Ethics: Article 13 has two obligations, and for all these years I was only focused on one. I […]

How Seasonal Demand Affects Florida Rent Prices

​ News & Media SARASOTA, Fla. – Florida’s rental market pricing fluctuates due to factors including snowbird migration, college schedules and tourism. When snowbirds return to Florida between November and April, rental prices, particularly along the beaches, rise between 20% and 50%. When the heat and humidity are high in the summer and chances for […]

How Long Should You Wait for Rates to Drop?

​ NEW YORK — Weren’t mortgage rates supposed to be lower by now? The Federal Reserve slashed the federal funds rate three times at the end of 2024, which raised expectations that the cost of borrowing would drop, too. Instead, 30-year mortgage rates did what no one wanted them to do: They went up. Today, […]

3 Ways to Break a Home’s Blahs

​ CHICAGO – A big lesson emerging in home design is not to get too matchy if you want to make a property stand out. Matching all the wall colors, wood tones, lighting fixtures and metals could result in a space that feels too much like a blank slate that has no “wow” factor for […]

Parents Are Paying Their Adult Kids’ Bills

​ WASHINGTON — Millennials may be pushing 40, but many are still swiping cards linked to their parents’ accounts. Gen Z is cashing in even harder, racking up an average of $1,813 in monthly support from mom and dad, the March report from Savings.com reveals. Nearly half of parents surveyed, 47%, say they’ve put their […]

Boomers Now the Largest Share of Home Buyers

​ WASHINGTON – In a shift that underscores changing dynamics in the housing market, baby boomers now make up the largest generational group of home buyers, according to the National Association of Realtors®.  NAR’s 2025 Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends report, which examines the similarities and differences among recent home buyers and sellers across […]