Miami Real Estate

NAR: Higher Home Prices in 82% of U.S. Metros

11% of metros saw double-digit price increases in 3Q, even though buyers faced a one-year mortgage payment increase of 19.2%. In 2Q, prices rose in only 58% of metros. WASHINGTON – More than 80% of metro markets (182 out of 221) posted home price gains in the third quarter of 2023 when the 30-year fixed … Read more

1 in 3 Buyers Uses Cash – Highest Share in a Decade

In Fla., cash sales dropped year-to-year in only one metro: Fort Lauderdale. The percentage of cash sales ranged from 38.2% in Tampa to 49% in West Palm Beach. SEATTLE – Just over one-third (34.1%) of U.S. home purchases in September were made in cash, up from 29.5% a year earlier and the highest share in … Read more

Thinking About Dropping Insurance? What to Know

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15%-20% of Fla. homeowners are dropping their property insurance and “going bare,” compared to the national percentage of 12%. MIAMI – With the price of premiums doubling the past few years, some Florida homeowners are choosing to go without property insurance, figuring that the savings are worth the risk of going bare in a hurricane-prone … Read more

Condo Reserve Rules Push Some Toward Foreclosure

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The one-two punch of the post-Surfside law designed to require condominium associations to set aside sufficient reserves for structural repairs combined with Florida’s unending increases in insurance costs is threatening to produce a wave of foreclosures. “People are going to be losing their homes. Foreclosures are increasing,” warned Broward County Commissioner … Read more

Short ‘Days on Market’ Shifts to the North

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Albany, N.Y., homes went under contract in 8 days in Sept., followed by Rochester (9) and Grand Rapids, Mich. (9). In 8 Fla. metros, it ranged from 25-58 days. SEATTLE – The U.S. supply-demand balance for real estate has shifted over the past year. In Albany, N.Y., the typical home sold in September went under … Read more

Miami-Dade House Prices Fall for Third Month in Row

MIAMI ­– Home prices in Miami-Dade County fell for the third month in a row in September, giving breathing room to aspiring buyers on tight budgets who have waited months on the sidelines. Median sales prices dropped last month to $600,000 for single-family houses and $415,000 for condominiums, from $620,000 and $416,000, respectively, in August, … Read more

FinCEN Extends Buyer Targeting to 8 Fla. Counties

GTOs require title companies to verify actual buyers of property. FinCEN extended its order to April 2024 and added 8 Fla. Gulf Coast counties to the list. WASHINGTON – The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced the renewal and expansion of its Geographic Targeting Orders (GTOs). GTOs require title insurance companies to identify the real-life … Read more

U.S. Households Need $115K/year for Median-Priced Home

In Fla., median income is less in six metros and higher in three, ranging from an $88.7K yearly income in Lakeland (up 13.4% year-to-year) to $143K in Miami (up 33.4%). SEATTLE – The average U.S. household must earn $114,627 to afford a median-priced U.S. home, up 15% ($15,285) year-to-year and more than 50% since the … Read more

Fla. Clothing-Optional Beach ‘Best in World’

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The state has several nude beaches – a draw for some buyers and turn-off for others – with a U.K. company naming S. Fla.’s Haulover Beach the best in the world. MIAMI – Can you let it all hang out on a Florida beach? The Sunshine State has several official nude beaches, and a few … Read more

Property Insurance Fix Likely Won’t Lower Rates

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Home insurance costs in Florida are unlikely to fall even as reforms enacted by the state Legislature last year drive down litigation rates, a national insurance analyst predicted in a newly released report. The report by Karen Clark & Company, titled “Managing Expectations: Why Florida Homeowners Insurance Premiums Are Not Likely … Read more