South Florida’s housing affordability crisis is dire, but it’s certainly not unique. Nearly every major city in North America is struggling with the prosperity gap that prevents residents from being able to buy or rent a home within their budgetary means. What caused the epidemic? Every city has its own unique set of variables at play, but some broad similarities exist. The report “Attainable …

LendingTree’s latest survey of secondary homeowners finds that many haven’t been able to make good use of their property. Almost half feel guilty that they don’t use their vacation home as much as they’d like, and one in four even regrets their decision to buy. To find out attitudes about second homes, LendingTree commissioned a survey of consumers who own, or have owned, an …

A double mass shooting last week has forced many U.S. businesses to question their “It couldn’t happen here” beliefs. One in El Paso, Texas, targeted Walmart back-to-school shoppers; one in Dayton, Ohio, targeted a popular nightlife district. “We used to worry about school shootings – a big thing since Columbine and Sandy Hook – but just listen to the news now,” says Marc Greenstein, …

 According to a study by Fannie Mae, 34% of first-time homebuyers in 2018 did not shop around before choosing a lender – and 41% of repeat buyers did the same. Nearly two-thirds of borrowers who only reviewed one quote before obtaining a mortgage said they chose not to compare competing offers because they were either comfortable with the lender who provided the initial quote …

There’s been a lot written about green building – and with good reason. Sustainably-built office buildings are not only a good business decision for developers – making properties more valuable and improving NOI due to reduced maintenance and energy costs – but they also have an enormous impact on the environment and climate change. Just as important, however, are the benefits realized by corporate …

A task force focused on red tide outbreaks along the Gulf Coast has been reorganized within the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the revised panel, tasked with studying the causes of red tide, during a press conference Friday at the SandBar Tiki & Grille in Englewood. The panel, comprised of researchers and scientists, has been inactive and unfunded …

When it comes to how Americans prefer to invest long-term, real estate is still the most favored investment option – 31% said it’s their preferred way to invest money they wouldn’t need for more than 10 years, according to a poll by Bankrate.com. While real estate has been among the top choices in each of the seven years of Bankrate polling, 31% is the highest …

Florida Realtors offers a number of contracts for members to use when handling transactions. Of course, as I’ve said before, not all contracts are the same – and knowing which addenda or rider to use with whatever contract is being used in a transaction can make a world full of difference in terms of having a smooth road to closing … or a rather …

Have you ever played the telephone game? It’s a simple group game that starts when the leader thinks of a phrase. The leader then whispers that phrase to one person, who in turn whispers it to another. This process is repeated until the final person playing the game hears the phrase whispered to them. At that point, the final person repeats the phrase aloud. …

Question: Our landlord sold the home we have rented for many years. The new landlord wants us to make a new security deposit. We told him that we still have the one from when we moved in. He feels that is the prior owner’s problem and is withholding repairs to the home until we make another deposit. Can he do this? – Tina Answer: …