FloridaRealtors

• Mortgage Rates Drop to 2020’s 14th Record Low: 2.71% December 3, 2020
  It’s only a slight drop from last week’s 2.72%, but it’s enough to break another record. One year ago, the rate for a 30-year mortgage loan averaged 3.68%.
  marlam
• 25 and Ready to Buy? We’ll See with Gen Z December 3, 2020
  Florida Realtors economist: Gen Z (oldest members turn 25 this year) faces unique obstacles with a pandemic marking their entrance into adulthood. Here’s what we know right now about their homeownership potential.
  marlam
• RE Q&A: Why Push Owners to Obtain Proof of Insurance? December 3, 2020
  Also: Fla. law gives unit owners more power to upgrade to hurricane standards – but a condo complex can’t have an array of different windows. How does that work?
  marlam
• Investors Vying for Build-to-Rent Single-Family Homes December 3, 2020
  A pandemic-inspired push from cities to suburbs has sparked interest from investors who see profit in buying build-to-rent homes to lease to those urban relocators.
  marlam
• FHA Announces 2021 Loan Limits Starting at $356,362 December 3, 2020
  The limit for Title II and reverse mortgages rises from this year’s base of $331,760. In high-cost areas, the limit can go as high as $822,375, up from $765,600 in 2020.
  marlam
• Virtual Real Estate Forecast Summit: What to Expect in 2021 December 3, 2020
  NAR’s Real Estate Forecast Summit goes virtual this year – but you must register. Seven sessions (Dec. 10, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.) will provide an overview of the year ahead.
  marlam
• Dear Anne: My Seller Won't Work with Broker X. Now What? December 3, 2020
  A Realtor’s friend and colleague works at a different brokerage, and per a seller’s instructions, she must ban the entire brokerage from representing a buyer if she wants a listing. It’s a personal problem but is it a Code of Ethics problem? Can she ban a single business from the transaction?
  jamess
• Fla. Discriminatory Covenants Law: Does Your HOA Have Any? December 3, 2020
  SB 374, one of the last bills signed by Gov. DeSantis this year, prohibits “discriminatory restrictions” from any title transaction recorded in the state. Until now, those restrictions could be added or allowed to remain in any title transaction – they just weren’t enforceable in court.
  jamess
• Hot Topic at NAR Convention? Buyers’ ‘Love Letters’ December 3, 2020
  “How can I get the seller to accept MY offer?”, buyers wonder in today’s heated, multiple-offer market. In some areas of the country, “love letters” – a note from buyer to seller praising the home – are common. But some of the letters may flirt with Fair Housing Act violations.
  jamess
• Wary of Code Compliance Complaints? It’s Likely One of These December 3, 2020
  “But that wasn’t a Code of Ethics violation,” often follows the filing of a Code of Ethics complaint. It’s a difficult process even if the Realtor did nothing wrong, but here are some steps to lessen the risk it will happen to you.
  jamess