Bob Forman's Real Estate Blog

Fla.’s housing market continues positive trends in Jan. 2014   NAR: Existing-home sales drop in Jan. but prices continue to rise ORLANDO, Fla. – Feb. 21, 2014 – Florida’s housing market reported more closed sales, higher median prices, more new listings, fewer days on the market and the continued...

Most consumers now think they qualify for a mortgage   WASHINGTON – Feb. 12, 2014 – More Americans now believe it would be easy for them to get a mortgage, according to Fannie Mae’s January 2014 National Housing Survey results. Positive consumer attitudes regarding the ease of a mortgage applicat...

Men and women fall in love with a home differently   SAN JOSE, Calif. – Feb. 11, 2014 – Realtor.com® released the results of its Home Crush Survey, which studied the way men and women react to homes on the market. Realtor.com defined a “home crush” as a listing that a consumer likes and looks at ...

Fla.’s housing market gained momentum, strength in 2013   NAR: Metro areas see solid home-price growth in 4Q 2013 ORLANDO, Fla. – Feb. 11, 2014 – Florida’s housing market wrapped up 2013 with more closed sales, higher pending sales, higher median prices and a reduced inventory of homes for sale c...

Canadians looking in Fla. told it’s time to buy   Profile of International Home Buyers in Florida Check out NAR's 2013 Profile of International Buyers in Florida and other international research reports in the Research & Statistics section of floridarealtors.org. TORONTO, Canada – Feb. 10, 2014 –...

How are millennials changing home marketplace?   LAS VEGAS – Feb. 7, 2014 – Better Homes and Gardens released findings from its sixth-annual survey on homebuyers. According to the Boston Consulting Group, U.S. Millennials – young adults in their twenties or low thirties – account for an estimated...

Senate passes four-year flood insurance delays, but House the real hurdle   WASHINGTON – Jan. 31, 2014 – The U.S. Senate passed a four-year delay in flood insurance premium hikes Thursday as attention now turns to the GOP-controlled House, where prospects appear rockier. By a vote of 67-32, Senat...

2013 new home sales highest in five years   WASHINGTON (AP) – Jan. 27, 2014 – U.S. sales of new homes fell in December for a second consecutive month, but even with the pause at the end of the year, sales for all of 2013 climbed to the highest level in five years. Sales of new homes dropped 7 per...

Nearly all U.S. cities will grow in 2014   WASHINGTON – Jan. 24, 2014 – The U.S. economic expansion will be much more broadly shared among the nation’s cities and metro areas this year than it was in 2013, the U.S. Conference of Mayors says in a new report. All but seven of the nation’s 363 metro...

Fitch Ratings paints rosy picture of 2014 economy   NEW YORK – Jan. 22, 2014 – Although U.S. home sales are currently lackluster, a stronger economy and better employment numbers should likely counter higher interest rates and more restrained price increases in 2014, according to Fitch Ratings’ R...