The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now February 08, 2016   Distressed sales still a big part of housing marketIn 2015, 26.4% of Fla. home sales still involved a distressed property - a short sale, REO or foreclosure, according to RealtyTrac. In South Fla., it was 27%. Read more.NAR commercial report: Moderate expansion in 2016Despite some global and domestic hurdles, commercial real estate should keep expanding this year, with demand for space steady across all industry sectors. Read more.Citizens Ins. recovers $4.2M in claim payoutsThe Fla.-owned insurer says it recouped the money and legal fees from people and companies that were ultimately responsible for damages that Citizens paid. Read more.Fitch: U.S. homebuilders primed for a solid springThe report predicts new ... 02/08/2016

The Fix Job....Is It A Job Killer? You Decide.     When the office photocopies began to look faint, the office manager called in a local repair service. After inspecting the equipment, the friendly technician informed the manager that the machine was in need of a good cleaning. The tech suggested that someone might try reading the operator’s manual and perform the job themselves, since it would cost $100.00 if he did the work. Pleasantly surprised by his candor, the office manager asked, “Does your boss know you are discouraging business?”   The technician replied, “Actually, my boss demands we explain this to all of our customers. After people first try to fix things themselves, we end up making much more money on repairs." 02/06/2016

 Market Minutes Ending For The Week Of February 05, 2016  Consumer spending was flat in December, and savings was at a 3-year high, contributing to low inflation. Disinflation supports low mortgage interest rates. Oil prices have appeared to stabilize, but equity and bond markets are still very volatile. Volatility in the markets can cause volatility in mortgage rates. Jobless claims increased slightly last week, but remained below the 300,000 mark once again. Traders will be watching for signs of a slowdown in the labor market.  Punxsutawney Phil  suggests an early start to the spring buying season. When the groundhog doesn't see his shadow, February sales increase an average 11%. Builders are adding features that increase energy efficiency and added spaces to entice buyers. Features i... 02/06/2016

It Always Seems To Come Down To The Little Things Making The Difference  There’s no doubt about it. A completely renovated room – especially a kitchen or bathroom – will really impress home buyers. That room will probably look brand new and very stylish.  But you don’t have to do a full “tear-down-the-walls” type of renovation to upgrade the look of a room. In fact, just a few minor improvements can make a big difference.For example, upgrading wall plates is an easy and inexpensive way to add a lot more style and personality to a room.In the kitchen, installing new hardware on existing cabinets can have a dramatic impact. So, look around your house to determine where small improvements could make a big difference. 02/05/2016

The Power Of The Second ImpressionYou’ve heard the term “curb appeal”. It refers to the first impression a buyer gets when he or she first arrives at your home and looks at it from the outside.  That first impression is critical. But there is a “second” impression that is also very important. That’s the impression buyers get when they open your front door and look inside. Make sure that everything looks great from that perspective too — clean, bright, uncluttered and welcoming. 02/05/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now February 5, 2016  Number of new Fla. RE licensees hits 9-year high Fla. added 28,507 new real estate licensees in 2015, a 142% increase from the low point in 2010 but below the 42,126-licensee high point of 2005. Read more.Long-term mortgage rates fall for 5th straight weekThe average FRM slid to 3.72% - its lowest point since April 2015; 47% of experts predict further drops as oil and other price declines rattle global markets. Read more.Trending marketing tactic: Admit the listing is uglyA small but increasing number of listings say things like "worst home in the neighborhood" to entice buyers seeking a bargain-priced home. Read more.Real estate Q&A: Don't be tempted to ditch insuranceCondo owner has no valuable possessions and ... 02/05/2016

How To Determine What Improvements To Make Before You List     Let's say you’re a homeowner wanting to sell your one-story, detached home. You sit down and make a list of things that need to get done to make your property as attractive as possible to buyers.  You consider the backyard. “Hmm,” you think. “Doesn’t our deck need a new finish and our flowerbed need new edging stones?”Then you think about the living room. “The carpeting is old. We really should replace it."Then you step into the kitchen and think, “Our kitchen cabinets look worn. We should get a contractor to quote on replacing them. Maybe we should install a brand new shiny sink and faucet too. That should increase the resale value of our home, shouldn’t it?”Before you know it, you have a long list of updates, repairs and r... 02/04/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now February 03, 2016  Millennials have the power to reshape RE market Young adults will soon redefine the housing market - there are a lot of them out there. Pent-up demand is strong, but many aren't quite ready to commit yet. Read more.How is Zillow using IDX listing data?NAR released more info about the lawsuits between NAR, realtor.com-oversight company Move Inc. and Zillow, saying Zillow's use of Realtor data is key. Read more.Help buyers commit by giving them what they wantAccording to a recent survey, Fla. has a home sale edge: The top reason (52%) people would consider moving is for a better climate or better weather. Read more.One builder thinks cheaper homes workMost new homes are getting bigger to attract move-up buyers, b... 02/03/2016

The Daily (020216) Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now February 02, 2016  Real estate fraud nets $598,000 A popular email scam - a criminal steals a client's password, monitors a deal and requests a last-minute wire transfer - ensnared a Fernandina Beach lawyer. Read more.4 big real estate trendsWhat trends could impact real estate? The Urban Land Institute suggests mortgage rate uncertainties and Gen X's transition into real estate leadership positions. Read more.Timing right for Canadian snowbirds to sellCanadians who bought homes six years ago got a great deal thanks to favorable exchange rates, but the U.S. dollar is strong now and it's a good time to sell. Read more.Some real estate ideas sound right but aren'tWe hold some real estate truths to be self-evident, but they ... 02/02/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now February 01, 2016  Floridians' confidence stable as economy improves Floridians seem to think the U.S. economy faces challenges but it won't affect them: The U.S. economic numbers dropped but personal outlook numbers climbed. Read more.Walkable neighborhoods: Demand up but supply lowJust 14% of in-demand U.S. neighborhoods manage to be affordable, walkable and near decent schools - and that limited supply could cause home prices to spike. Read more.Closing with cash? Not always a good ideaMost consumers (53%) stash cash in secret locations, according to an American Express survey, but cash can raise a red flag at closing and possibly cause delays. Read more.Apple users alert: Bug strikes iPhones, iPadsApple is warning users that a... 02/01/2016

Terrific useful Windows programs to have  for your business...  Here are some Windows apps, which you won’t launch every day, but are incredibly helpful to have.  Speccy. This program scans your PC and tells you all the specs—model numbers, fan speeds, how much RAM you have, how much you’re using, CPU temperature, everything. A Task Manager alternative. The Windows Task Manager gives you some info about the programs running. But if you need more, you’ll want an alternative. Process Explorer is a good one; search “Task Manager Alternatives” for others. Ultimate Windows Tweaker. This app makes it easy to tweak everything on your computer so it’s just the way you like it. Use it when you add new things to your workflow, and always back up before you start tweaking. MalwareBytes, VirusTotal... 01/31/2016

 Staging Tips That Help Sell Homes FastThe numbers don't lie; often well-staged homes can see faster sales and higher offers than their cluttered counterparts. The key is getting an early start on the process. By beginning the monumental task of clearing the clutter and doing a pre-pack now, you can reduce the stress of preparing for showings and make it easier to move when your home sells.Try these five staging and organizing tips to help you reach a faster sale.  Purge From Top to Bottom -- Do a proper sort and purge, getting rid of outdated clothing, duplicate items and rarely used gadgets. To keep this task from turning into a source of serious frustration, tackle one room (or even one drawer) at a time.Pack Up Everything but the Essentials -- Start pre-packing your home, storing no... 01/31/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending NowJanuary 29, 2016   Fewer Fla. foreclosure homes 'seriously underwater'RealtyTrac year-end report: Only 1 in 5 Fla. foreclosure homes had a mortgage at least 25% higher than current value - a drop from 1 in 4 a year earlier. Read more.Fla. poised to be 2016 real estate 'hot spot'2016 Florida Real Estate Trends: Economists say this year will look a lot like 2015 - rising demand, good fundamentals and positive momentum for the state's real estate markets. Read more.NAR: Dec.'s pending home sales a bit higherIt's not much - only 0.1% - but the number of homes under contract rose in Dec. 2015, fueled largely by a surge in the Northeast; the South saw a 0.5% decline. Read more.Average 30-year mortgage falls again - to 3.79%The FRM fell f... 01/28/2016

Why did the chicken cross the road, from a political point of view         DONALD TRUMP: We will build a big wall to keep illegal chickens fromcrossing the road. We will have a door for legal chickens.JOHN KERRY: We will trust the chicken to tell us whether it crossed the roador not.CHRIS CHRISTIE: We need to waterboard that chicken to find out why itcrossed the road.RAND PAUL: It's none of our business why the chicken crossed the road.NANCY PELOSI: We will have to wait until the chicken crosses the road to see what it says.CARLY FIORINA: Hilary Clinton lied about why the chicken crossed the road.BRIAN WILLIAMS: I crossed the road with the chicken.BEN CARSON: This isn't brain surgery. So why did the chicken cross the road?SARAH PALIN: The chicken crossed the road because, gosh-darn it, ... 01/28/2016

Market Minutes Ending For The Week Of January 29, 2016  Stocks continued to slide as oil prices dropped to $30 a barrel. Traders turned to the safety of bonds, including mortgage bonds, helping mortgage rates remain low. Consumers don't seem concerned that volatility in financial markets will harm the economy. Consumer confidence that the economy would improve rose in January. The Fed's announcement after the FOMC meeting signaled that March may still bring a Fed policy rate increase. Many economists don't think it will happen though.  The most recent Case-Shiller study says that home prices continued to increase in November. Tight inventory and low mortgage rates helped fuel the increases. New single-family home sales surged in December, increasing 10.8% over November. For 2015, new ho... 01/28/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now January 28, 2016  74% of Fla. home sellers hire first agent they meetAccording to the new "Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Florida Report," 66% of buyers do the same, and 3 of 4 sellers later recommend their agent to friends. Read more.U.S. new-home sales soar in Dec.New home sales increased 10.8% as Americans rushed to buy them at the strongest pace in 10 months - a positive sign of market momentum. Read more.Fla. is the best state for retirement: 6 reasonsA new study from WalletHub.com named Fla. the best state in the U.S. for retirement based on affordability, quality of life and healthcare. Read more.Home prices rise in Nov.; all-time highs in 4 citiesThe S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index rose 5.8% year-to-year - Oc... 01/27/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now January 27, 2016  Man harasses female real estate agents near TampaA man appears to have pressured two female agents while visiting model homes in Riverview. Hillsborough County's sheriff wants help tracking him down. Read more.Seattle court unseals evidence in Move v. ZillowNAR: The realtor.com oversight company says departing execs stole confidential info. Zillow denies it. Just-released docs, including texts, depositions and to-do lists, shed some light on the proceedings. Read more.U.S. consumers more upbeat in Jan.This month's Consumer Confidence Index rose 1.8 points. Assessments of current conditions held steady, short-term future expectations improved moderately. Read more.Clients like to shop online. Why choose you instea... 01/27/2016

 The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now January 26, 2016   Jan. 31 the last day to get health insuranceIt's also the last day to avoid IRS tax penalties. For 2016 taxes, the penalty for non-coverage is $695 per adult or 2.5 percent of household income Read more.Judge's ruling could change debt collection gameU.S. court judge in N.J.: If a homeowner facing foreclosure tells a debt collector that his data isn't correct, the collector can't ignore the owner, move forward and blame the lender later. Read more.New home sizes expand along with pricesNAHB: The average size of a new home rose to about 2,720 square feet in 2015 - 60 feet more than the 2,660-square-foot average the year before. Read more.Trends: Big yards are out, playrooms are inA playroom for kids is an increa... 01/25/2016

Info That Hits Us For The Week Of January 25th 2016  The famed purveyor of humorous verse would certainly have liked today's homebuilding market, where progress seems to last no more than a month.  After November's significant gain, which followed October's dramatic drop, Housing Starts fell again in December, but this time only 2.5% down from an upwardly revised November number.  Nevertheless, at an annual rate of 1,149,000 units, we're solidly over a million starts a year and 6.4% ahead of where we were in December a year ago. If you can stand the monthly roller coaster ride, you can revel in the fact that 2015 was the strongest calendar year for housing starts since 2007. Friday saw Existing Home Sales skyrocket 14.7% in December to reach a 5.46 million unit annual rate. This followe... 01/24/2016

The Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now January 25, 2016  Fla.'s home, condo median prices rise in Dec.NAR: U.S. home sales "bounced back" last month, up 7.7% from year ago. Fla.'s single-family sales rose 2.9% year-to-year; median price up 11.6% to $206,500. Read more.Fla.'s RE referral rules official: Effective Feb. 9What type of title company referral isn't allowed? Fla. attempts to answer that question with a set of guidelines that officials approved this week. Read more.1 in 3 closings delayed or cancelledA closing delay is fairly common, according to a recent NAR survey. Financing issues top the list of reasons, followed by appraisals and inspection problems. Read more.New rules go into effect for visa waiver visitorsTighter travel rules went into effect yesterday... 01/24/2016