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Wall Street Journal: Today’s market once-in-lifetime opportunity

Nov 30th, 2011 | By
Wall Street Journal: Today’s market once-in-lifetime opportunity

The monthly cost of owning a home is more affordable now than in the past 15 years, and is less expensive than renting in numerous cities, according to The Wall Street Journal’s third-quarter survey.
Low home prices mixed with low mortgage rates – hovering at 4 percent or lower – create an appealing buyer’s market, analysts [...]



New refinance program targets ‘underwater’ owners current on payments

Nov 30th, 2011 | By
New refinance program targets ‘underwater’ owners current on payments

Starting Dec 1st, many homeowners with “underwater” mortgages can apply for a new Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac refinance program geared for pretty much everyone who owes more on a home than it’s worth – including landlords and second-home owners.
The federal government’s previous foreclosure-prevention efforts, such as the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), lowered the [...]



Pending home sales jump in October

Nov 30th, 2011 | By

Pending home sales rose strongly in October and remain above year-ago levels, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, surged 10.4 percent to 93.3 in October from 84.5 in September and is 9.2 percent above October 2010 when it stood at [...]



MSNBC Today Show: Time to Buy Sarasota!

Nov 23rd, 2011 | By
MSNBC Today Show: Time to Buy Sarasota!

Sarasota got featured on the Today Show as the #1 market where it is time to buy!
„Today“ contributor and Real Estate Expert Barbara Corcoran picked the cities where prices have dropped the most during the downturn, but in the last quarter, prices are shooting up.
 

So if you´re in search of a home or investment property in [...]



Floridas home, condo sales higher in Oct

Nov 23rd, 2011 | By

ORLANDO, Fla. – Nov. 21, 2011 – Florida’s existing home and existing condo sales continued to show gains in October, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Existing home sales increased 13 percent last month with a total of 13,755 homes sold statewide compared to 12,145 homes sold in October 2010, according [...]



Good news for Florida Real Estate

Nov 17th, 2011 | By
Good news for Florida Real Estate

Though the past four years have seen many cities suffering from large  numbers of foreclosures and a loss in home values, ten of these real estate  markets are now leading the nation towards a general recovery and stability of  the housing sector.  The six markets included – Miami, Orlando, Ft. Myers/Cape Coral, Ft. Lauderdale, Sarasota/Bradenton [...]



U.S. foreclosure activity hit 7-month high in Oct.

Nov 11th, 2011 | By

More U.S. homes entered the foreclosure process in October than in the previous month, with Florida, Pennsylvania and Indiana registering among the largest monthly increases, new data sho
Some 77,733 properties received an initial default notice last month, up 10 percent from September, foreclosure listing firm RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.
The number of homes scheduled to be [...]



More activity in the ‘distressed property’ real estate market

Nov 10th, 2011 | By
More activity in the ‘distressed property’ real estate market

After a year of fewer foreclosures, as bankers reeled from revelations that they were falsifying documents in foreclosure cases, the latest monthly numbers suggest banks are starting to repossess houses again.
Here is an excerpt of an interesting article from the Bradenton Herald on this topic:
The big banks are back in the foreclosure business.
 After a year of [...]



Florida’s existing home, condo sales rise in 3Q

Nov 10th, 2011 | By

Florida’s existing home and existing condo sales continued to show gains in third quarter 2011 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®.
Existing home sales rose 12 percent in 3Q 2011 with a total of 46,759 homes sold statewide; during the same period the year before, [...]



Sarasota featured in US Airways Magazine

Nov 9th, 2011 | By
Sarasota featured in US Airways Magazine

Traveling in the near future? Be sure to grab a copy of US Airways magazine, which features a 46-page spread on our beautiful city and its cultural richness.

Here is an excerpt:
One of the key attractions of Sarasota County has been, well, its keys — six barrier islands that lie between the Sarasota Bay and the [...]