U.S. Consumer Confidence Drops a Bit in Jan.
Consumers’ current attitudes rose even as future expectations fell. Still, the gauge of people planning to buy a home within the next six months also went up.
Case-Shiller Price Increases: 2 Fla. Cities Top List
Nationwide, home prices rose 18.8% in Nov., and the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index finds Tampa (up 29%) and Miami (up 26.6%) in 2 of the top 3 spots.
Fla. May Spend $400M on Rural-Area Broadband
It’s hard to work remotely with slow internet speeds, and the $400M in fed money could expand housing options to Fla.’s 21.2% of rural areas without broadband.
Number of Homes a Buyer Views Hits Record Low
In 2021, the average homebuyer viewed a median of eight homes before making an offer – and three of those showings were done virtually online.
Condo Collapse Legal Costs May Hit $100M
On Fri., the judge urged all sides in the Surfside condo disaster to work together to reach settlements before legal costs become a ponderous burden.
Loans for Condos? New Rules Start to Have an Effect
Fannie’s tighter loan requirements post-Surfside collapse started Jan. 1; Freddie’s start Feb. 28. In the meantime, the list of no-loan condo projects will likely keep growing.
Study: More Minority Fla. Buyers Denied Loans
Of all Fla. mortgage rejections in 2020, 21.8% were Black, second only to American Indian/Alaska Native. Nationwide, the denial rate is 84% higher for Blacks.
The IRS Wants (Requires) Your Photo?
Americans won’t need identification for basic tax services via the IRS website, but for some functions, such as a childcare tax credit, they must register with ID.me.
New Construction? S. Fla. Is Almost Out of Land
A South Florida Sun Sentinel study found that less than 1% of vacant land can be developed in Broward and Palm Beach counties – mainly scattered individual lots.
Single-Family Rents See Record Growth
U.S. rent grew 11.5% year-to-year, according to a CoreLogic index, with the Miami metro area leading the nation at 33%, and the Orlando area No. 5 at 15.9%.