Blog - Deborah Bethune

Buyer, Conventional, Fannie Mae, FHA, First Time Home Buyer, Florida Housing, Freddie Mac, Home Buyer Programs, VA

Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program

Good news! Florida Housing will receive $100 million in additional Hometown Heroes funding beginning July 1st. Please check back for updates to the program as we get closer to the July 1, 2023, effective date. The Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program makes homeownership affordable for eligible frontline community workers such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, […]
Lease Rental, Market Conditions, Tenant Landlord

U.S. Rents Fall for First Time in 3 Years

Study: March asking rents fell 0.4% to $1,937 year-to-year, the lowest level in 13 months. But 4 Fla. cities in the study saw increases ranging from 0.7% to 3.9%. SEATTLE – The median U.S. asking rent fell 0.4% year-over-year to $1,937 in March – the first annual decline since March 2020 and the lowest median […]
Appraisals, Florida Realtors, Insurance, Sellers

Flood Insurance to Raise Rates for Some Citizens’ Clients

In a change to be phased in over the next few years, homeowners with state-run Citizens Ins. must also have NFIP flood insurance if they’re covered for hurricane winds. MIAMI – A line in the Florida Legislature’s latest attempt to fix the state’s fractured home insurance market promises to have big impacts on more than […]
Appraisals, Articles, Buyers Sellers Investors, Finance, Market Conditions, National Association of Realtors

NAR Hosts Policy Forum on the Current Housing Market and Affordability

WASHINGTON (March 16, 2023) – The National Association of Realtors® hosted a policy forum Thursday entitled The Current Housing Market: Implications for Home Buyers and the Economy at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. The opening session, Promoting Homeownership, Affordable Rentals, and Investor Involvement All at Once, featured a keynote fireside chat with the Director of […]

Buyer Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program Good news! Florida Housing will receive $100 million in additional Hometown Heroes funding beginning July 1st. Please check back for updates to the program as we get closer to the July 1, 2023, effective date. The Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program makes homeownership affordable for eligible frontline community workers such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, […]

Lease Rental U.S. Rents Fall for First Time in 3 Years Study: March asking rents fell 0.4% to $1,937 year-to-year, the lowest level in 13 months. But 4 Fla. cities in the study saw increases ranging from 0.7% to 3.9%. SEATTLE – The median U.S. asking rent fell 0.4% year-over-year to $1,937 in March – the first annual decline since March 2020 and the lowest median […]

Appraisals Flood Insurance to Raise Rates for Some Citizens’ Clients In a change to be phased in over the next few years, homeowners with state-run Citizens Ins. must also have NFIP flood insurance if they’re covered for hurricane winds. MIAMI – A line in the Florida Legislature’s latest attempt to fix the state’s fractured home insurance market promises to have big impacts on more than […]

Appraisals NAR Hosts Policy Forum on the Current Housing Market and Affordability WASHINGTON (March 16, 2023) – The National Association of Realtors® hosted a policy forum Thursday entitled The Current Housing Market: Implications for Home Buyers and the Economy at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C. The opening session, Promoting Homeownership, Affordable Rentals, and Investor Involvement All at Once, featured a keynote fireside chat with the Director of […]

Articles N. Y. Coldwell Banker Settles Discrimination Allegation N.Y. Coldwell Banker Settles Discrimination Allegation By Robert Abruzzese A Newsday report on Long Island, N.Y., housing discrimination led the state’s attorney general to investigate. This week she announced a settlement with Coldwell Banker. NEW YORK – Attorney General Letitia James announced on Wednesday a settlement with Coldwell Banker, putting an end to the real […]

Articles Stubbornly High Inflation Pushes Mortgage Rates Up Borrowing costs may see temporary increases in the coming weeks but are expected to stabilize. Mortgage rates jumped this week, driven up by a record number of jobs and higher-than-expected inflation, says Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and director of real estate research for the National Association of REALTORS®. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.32%, up […]

Buyers Sellers Investors Homestead Exemption

Investing 7 Tips for Listing Your Home on Airbnb 7 Tips for Listing Your Home on Airbnb If you’re a homeowner who loves to meet new people from around the world and likes to earn extra income, then become a host by listing your property for rent on Airbnb. The San Francisco-based company connects leisure and business travelers to short-term apartment, house, and room […]

Coldwell Banker Why You Should Use a Real Estate Agent to Sell Your Home With so much at stake in the selling of a home, here’s our case for why you should work with a professional agent to stage, list, and sell your home. For many people, owning a home is one of the largest financial transactions they’ll make, which is why 87% of sellers rely on an agent […]

Florida Realtors 2022: Market Feels Effects of Inflation, Rate Hikes As 2022 ended, Florida’s housing market looked similar to the more traditional pre-pandemic market years in terms of total closed sales, though it fell short in the year-to-year compared to the unusually strong 2021 sales. Reprinted with permission Florida Realtors. All rights reserved.

Articles NAR: Existing Sales Dropped 1.5% in Dec. Image: Coldwell Banker Brandsrv Sales rose in Jan. 2022 and then fell for the next 11 months. Based mainly on rising mortgage rates, 2022 U.S. home sales were down 17.8% year-to-year. WASHINGTON – Existing home sales retreated for the eleventh consecutive month in December, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Three of the […]

Articles Florida Still No. 1 for International Buyers About one in four (24%) international buyers opt for a home in Fla., finds Coldwell Banker study, compared to No. 2 Calif. (11%) and No. 3 Texas (8%). MIAMI – Florida is still the No. 1 choice for international home buyers, according to the Coldwell Banker International Buyers Guide. About one in four 24% of international […]

Resources INVENTORY RISES DURING THE HOLIDAYS Inventory Rises During the Holidays in Palm Beach County November 2022 reports have been released from Florida Realtors® detailing recent real estate activity in Palm Beach County. The reports compare year-over-year data. The median home price also rose again, with an increase of 10.8 percent to $565,000. Monthly Market Data Detail – November 2022 | […]

Insurance Forego Insurance? Owners with Loans Can’t Opt Out Andrill Yalanskyl, Getty Images “It’s too expensive,” isn’t a good excuse. Lenders can “force-place” insurance that owners must pay – and that coverage protects the lender more than the owner. FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Question: Our mortgage was set up so that we directly pay the property taxes and insurance. Our insurance renewal bill went way […]

Finance FHA Announces 2023 Loan Floors and Ceilings Andril Yalanskyl, Getty Images Loans for single units range from $472,030, the floor, to $1,089,300, the ceiling. For four units, it’s $907,000 to over $2M – and in some non-Fla. areas, over $3M. WASHINGTON – The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced new loan limits for calendar year 2023 for its Single Family Title II forward and Home […]

Articles Home Staging Mistakes to Avoid Stage Your House Like a Pro If you’ve talked to real estate agents or watched any home selling show, you know that prepping your home for potential buyers means decluttering, depersonalizing, and deep cleaning. But these are only the basics, and there is so much more you can do to stage your home. Successful home […]

Uncategorized Mortgage Rates Exceed 6% for the First Time Since 2008 On the rise since the beginning of the year, mortgage rates continued their upward trajectory this week, rising above 6% for the first time since 2008. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 6.02% this week, up from 5.89% last week, according to the latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®) from Freddie Mac. Key findings: The […]

Articles Ring in the New Year in a New Home Listing your home for sale during the holiday season Are you looking for a fresh start in 2023? You can ring in the new year in a new home if you start now. The holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year, especially when it comes to selling your home and making a […]

Appraisals Common Myths About the Home Buying Process In today’s increasingly competitive real estate market, understanding the appraisal process cannot be overstated. Appraisals are required for all real estate transactions with loans involving $250,000 or more from federally-insured financial institutions, which impacts millions of Americans. Although appraisals are one of the most important parts of the home-buying process, they are often one of […]

Articles Mortgage rates top 7% in 21-year high, tank applications A spell isn’t going to wash away rising mortgage rates, which are at their highest point since “Harry Potter” premiered in theaters — the first one. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose for the 10th straight week to hit 7.16 percent, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The figure for the week ending on Oct. 21 […]