Goodbye, condo mania

Condo owners, who had been cruising along propelled by double-digit price gains, are encountering cooler currents and the prospect of perilous waters ahead. READ MORE

HOUSE OF LIES | REACTION

Commission's plan draws anger

County commissioners will be on a panel designed to fix the Miami-Dade Housing Agency. Protesters stormed a news conference to demand an emergency meeting. READ MORE

South Florida home sales plunge again

In South Florida, real estate agents say they're persuading sellers to become more realistic with asking prices. That's a necessity because there are almost 31,000 houses and condos for sale in Broward County, according to the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale. That's about triple the amount from last June. READ MORE

A Little Real Estate Humor

Sources:Mr Housing Bubble" shirts strike chord, draw ire
Reuters, Tue Aug 16,11:25 AM EThttp://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050816/us_nm/economy_housing_shirts_dc

HOUSE OF LIES | REACTION

Three more ousted in housing shake-up

County Manager George Burgess called for the resignations of two more housing officials and a former housing director. READ MORE

House of Lies Part IV

Buyers flipping homes for profit

Homes intended for low-income buyers have instead been snapped up by investors and others who flip them for a profit. READ MORE

Mayor orders housing agency probes

Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez called for investigations in the midst of a Miami Herald series on alleged problems at a housing agency. READ MORE

House of Lies Part III

Instead of revival, a wasteland

In Liberty City, the Miami-Dade Housing Agency has left a wasteland where families once lived. READ MORE

House of Lies Part II

Nonprofit's connections, performance raises questions

A NONPROFIT RECEIVED $16 MILLION AND LAND BUT FINISHED JUST ONE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT. READ MORE

First Steps for First-Time Buyers

In his 1990 book Washington Homes, author and real estate broker Jim Stacey claims that there are three stages for the first-time home buyer: contemplation, comparison and commitment. He urges prospective buyers to get through the first stage on their own, with the help of friends and family members. The road between contemplation and being ready to commit to buying a house is arduous and emotional, and Stacey has learned that the best use of a broker's time and skills is to enter the fray after buyers have done some preliminary footwork.
http://realestate.msn.com/buying/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=24838

10 ways to sell your home faster

A few basic elements can make the difference between a quick home sale and a frustrating ordeal. The experts offer their best tips. READ MORE

7 home-buying traps

Buying your first home is an exercise in faith. You don't really know what you're getting into, you're awash in unfamiliar terminology and everyone you meet seems to have strong (and utterly contradictory) ideas about which way the housing market is headed. READ MORE

Speed your home sale with these fast fix-ups

You don't have to spend a fortune renovating your house to ensure a quick sale at the best price. Some of the most effective fix-ups are also the cheapest. READ MORE

7 creative ways to buy your first house

A pricey market poses big challenges for first-time buyers. Though some are daring, one of these options might be for you. READ MORE

Is it a pool or a money pit?

Touring that new house with a pool, you imagine a future of weekend swim parties, envious neighbors and relaxing evening swims. Reality, however, includes weekly chemical treatments, higher utility bills and endless pool skimming. READ MORE

House of Lies Part I

Housing agency is an ATMfor developers

In the nation's least affordable city, the Miami-Dade Housing Agency lost millions to developers who built nothing, stranding the poor in decrepit and unsafe homes. READ MORE

Safe landing foreseen for housing boom

WASHINGTON · Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Thursday that the once-high-flying housing market appears to be experiencing a safe landing. READ MORE

Turning Renters into Homebuyers

WASHINGTON -- July 20, 2006 -- Too often, renters look at their current monthly rent payment, compare it to the cost of owning a home, and decide the latter is "something I can't afford." But the financial advantage of homeownership, from property appreciation to income tax deductions, makes renting more expensive, and a new brochure published by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) explains that fact to renters. READ MORE

The office building wave: Some developers look to the office market to keep the building boom going

''The office market is ripe to be on the upside,'' said Defortuna. ``No offices have been built in a while. The new residential buildings are bringing people into the area, and they all need to work.'' READ MORE

THE HOUSING CRISIS ...BOOM!

The story of one apartment building that's closing to make way for a condo tower shows how South Florida's building boom is leaving its working people with few good housing options. READ MORE

Housing aid gets Springs' stamp

One highlight of the ordinance is an assistance program for first-time homebuyers to receive up to 25 percent of the purchase price at zero percent interest for five years. Payment would be deferred for five years, with the principal paid over 25 years with interest one-half the rate on the mortgage. Funds to pay for this program would come from developer fees. READ MORE

Slowing market, rising values?

ORLANDO, Fla. -- July 10, 2006 -- Three out of five Florida homeowners believe that the value of their homes will increase in the next 12 months despite reports that the state's unprecedented five-year housing boom is waning. That's according to a just-released survey of more than 1,000 homeowners commissioned by the Attorneys Title Insurance Fund.

READ MORE: http://www.planetrealtor.com/florida/news/daily/news.cfm?article=n1-07102006

What to Do If Your Home Isn't Selling

Whether you're in a bone-dry market or a sizzling selling season, if you haven't received any offers on your home you're probably facing the question of whether to take it off the market. A house that goes too long without selling begins to appear "stale" and can actually damage your future chances of a sale. READ MORE

7 sins of first-time renters

Ready to get your own place? Whether you're moving out of the dorms, taking a summer internship or starting a new job, you'll want to avoid these costly mistakes. READ MORE

PICKY, PICKY, PICKY

They want the best: A national survey by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage shows many first-time home buyers are unwilling to compromise on certain key elements when they shop for a home, and would even consider renting longer if they can’t get exactly what they want.

Among the renters surveyed, four of every 10 are unwilling to buy a home that is smaller than they'd like or one that needs significant improvements. Forty-six percent are unwilling to buy at a distance farther from work than they would like; and 70 percent are unwilling to move to a less-desirable neighborhood than they consider ideal. Other key findings:

• 97 percent of first-time home buyers would never go back to renting.

• 77 percent believe buying their home is the best investment they ever made.

• Nearly 75 percent believe that the value of their home will go up in 2006.

• 78 percent of renters believe that it is generally true that people cannot obtain mortgages without perfect credit, and 52 percent of renters believe that they personally can't get a mortgage because of credit issues. But 46 percent of the first-time buyers surveyed didn't
believe their credit was "excellent" or even "very good."

Source: REALTOR® Magazine Online
© 2006 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS