Space Coast Association of REATLORS® Blogs

U.S. News & World Report: Fla. Has 8 of Top 10 ‘Best Retirement’ Metros

By Kymberly Franklin posted 19 hours ago
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U.S. News & World Report: Fla. Has 8 of Top 10 ‘Best Retirement’ Metros By Phil Fernandez The magazine’s 2021 list ranks Fla. metros in the top four spots– Sarasota, Naples, Daytona Beach and Melbourne – but 7 other Fla. metros also made it into the top 20. NAPLES, Fla. – It may be getting more expensive to live, but Southwest Florida remains at the top of the “ Best Places to Retire ” in the country, based on the latest research by U.S. News & World Report. The state’s metros led the way in the annual findings released this morning by the magazine, with the first four in this order: Sarasota, Naples, Daytona Beach and Melbourne. ...
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Report: Fla. Closing Costs Are 2.32% of Home Price

By Kymberly Franklin posted 3 days ago
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Report: Fla. Closing Costs Are 2.32% of Home Price By Kerry Smith In the U.S., closing costs, including taxes, were up 10.5% year-to-year, and almost $7K for an average price home. In Fla. it’s a bit higher: $8.5K for the average home. SAN DIEGO – In the first half of 2021, average closing costs for buying a single-family U.S. property were $6,837 including taxes (up 12.3% year-to-year), and $3,836 excluding taxes (up 10.5% year-to-year). Refinancing costs increased marginally to $2,398 – a 4.87% change from the reported 2020 average of $2,287, according to ClosingCorp, a provider of residential real estate closing cost data and technology. ...
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Condolences to the Michele Wright Family

By Kymberly Franklin posted 6 days ago
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It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of  Michele Wright, a long-time appraiser member of the  Space Coast Association of Realtors® on Monday, October 11th, 2021 after a two month battle with cancer.  Michele is survived by her husband David, her son Nick and his wife Hannah, and her sons Brad and Justin, as well as one grandson, Maverick.  Funeral services for Michele will be:  Thursday October 21st at 11:00 am.  The Grove Church 1450 Harrison St, Titusville, FL 32780  Condolences can be sent to her husband and family at:  205 Church Rd, Merritt Island, FL 32953.
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FR/BAR Contract Update Class Presentation

By Kymberly Franklin posted 6 days ago
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If you were not able to attend our FR/BAR Contract Update Class on Wednesday October 13th, please take a moment to look it over on our YouTube channel! View presentation here The Florida Realtors/Florida Bar contracts are being updated and go into effect on November 1, 2021.  This 1 hours presentation provided an overview of the changes to Both the As Is and Residential contracts.  Topics to include: *Loan approval Period.    *Definition of Personal Property.    *FIRPTA Costs Paid by Seller.    *Time Calculations.    *Receipt of the Appraisal.    *Reduction of Closing Date Extension.    *Special Assessments.    *Force Majeure.    *Acceptable ...
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Housing Affordability Continued to Improve in August

By Kymberly Franklin posted 9 days ago
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At the national level, housing affordability increased for the second consecutive month in August compared to the previous month according to NAR's Housing Affordability Index. Compared to the prior month, affordability improved as the monthly mortgage payment fell by 1.1% while the median family income fell modestly by 0.7%. Compared to one year ago, affordability declined in August as the median family income rose by 3.9% while the monthly mortgage payment increased 13.9%. The effective 30-year fixed mortgage rate 1  was 2.89% this August compared to 3.00% one year ago, and the median existing-home sales price rose 15.6% from one year ago. ...
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Building a resilient economy on Florida's Space Coast

By Kymberly Franklin posted 17 days ago
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BUILDING A RESILIENT ECONOMY ON FLORIDA’ S SPACE COAST Monday, October 4th 2021 Space Coast EDC update Guest Speaker: Brian Baluta, Economic Development Council Florida Space Coast In case you missed it, Brian Baluta with Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast joined us Monday, October 4th at the Association office to speak with our Space Coast Realtor Members. The presentation, Building a Resilient Economy on Florida's Space Coast, provided an update with the ongoing development in Brevard and what's on the horizon. Thank you EDC of Florida's Space Coast for the recap. View EDC Presentation Here View Florida ...
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September Housing Report: Inventory Just Hit a 2021 High, Which Means More Choices for Fall Buyers

By Kymberly Franklin posted 21 days ago
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Realtor.com® September Housing Report: Inventory Just Hit a 2021 High, Which Means More Choices for Fall Buyers U.S. inventory declines continued to shrink (-22.2% year-over-year) despite a dip in new listings in September SANTA CLARA, Calif. ,   Sept. 30, 2021   / PRNewswire / -- New housing data shows inventory hit a 2021 high in September, giving buyers more choices than they have had all year, according to the Realtor.com ®   Monthly Housing Report   released today. Nearly one-third of the 50 largest metros continued to see increases in newly-listed homes compared to last year and in   Austin, Texas ;   Portland, Ore. ;   Jacksonville, ...
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Pending Home Sales Recover 8.1% in August

By Kymberly Franklin posted 22 days ago
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Key Highlights Contract signings rose 8% in August from July after two consecutive monthly declines. Contract signings rose in all regions from the month before, led by the Midwest and South. Contract signings were 8.3% lower than this time last year. WASHINGTON (September 29, 2021) – Pending home sales rebounded in August, recording significant gains after two prior months of declines, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Each of the four major U.S. regions mounted month-over-month growth in contract activity. However, those same territories reported decreases in transactions year-over-year, with the Northeast ...
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2 Newly Added Space Coast MLS Features

By Kymberly Franklin posted 27 days ago
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RV Communities: New MLS search feature added to help drill down to the most accurate data right at your fingertips. Recently Added: Residential Sub-Type - RV Communities RV Community Amenities. Now members can search for the unique features of RV Communities such as the great outdoors with ease. CREXI: Crexi is the fastest-growing commercial real estate platform with over 500,000 active listings and over $1 trillion in property value. Take a minute and watch a quick Crexi overview video to get familiar with their platform and services. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMUT2J7WCwo You can attend one of their live webinars that takes place ...
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Existing-Home Sales Recede 2.0% in August

By Kymberly Franklin posted 29 days ago
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September 22, 2021 NAR Article Key Highlights Existing-home sales dropped 2% on a seasonally adjusted annual rate from July to August. The inventory of unsold homes decreased 1.5% to 1.29 million from July to August – equivalent to 2.6 months of the monthly sales pace. The median existing-home sales price rose at a year-over-year pace of 14.9%. WASHINGTON (September 22, 2021) – Existing-home sales retreated in August, breaking two straight months of increases, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Each of the four major U.S. regions experienced declines on both a month-over-month and a year-over-year perspective. Infographic: ...
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NAR Announces New REALTOR Benefits® Program Partnership

By Kymberly Franklin posted 30 days ago
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RRC Broker Solutions designed to increase support for independent firms CHICAGO (September 21, 2021) – The National Association of Realtors® announced today the launch of a new resource being made available to its members nationwide through the   REALTOR Benefits® Program . The offering,   Residential Real Estate Council's Broker Solutions , was developed to ensure residential real estate brokerages with fewer than 150 agents are able to provide service and support to their agents comparable to what is typically offered by larger entities. Last week, NAR released its   2021 Profile of Real Estate Firms , which found that the vast majority of real estate ...
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2021 CONTRACT UPDATES

By Kymberly Franklin posted 09-14-2021
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FLORIDA REALTORS UPDATES FR/BAR CONTRACTS AND RIDERS Revisions to the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar Contract for Sale and Purchase (FR/Bar) – both the AS IS and the Residential – have recently been approved and contain numerous changes. In addition, seven Riders have been updated and three new Riders were created. These revisions will replace the current versions of the contracts and riders on November 1. REGARDING REDLINES: Any text on the redline documents that is not BLACK reflects a change. The color of the text is of no consequence. AS IS Residential Contract for Sale and Purchase Blackline Redline Summary of changes ...
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Public Policy Update

By Kymberly Franklin posted 09-13-2021
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September 10, 2021 Public Policy Update Hello everyone. We announced some exciting news this week regarding our ongoing efforts to address Florida’s housing affordability crisis. Thanks to REALTOR® advocacy efforts, Florida Realtors® will immediately begin working with legislative leaders to advance homeownership opportunities for frontline workers while protecting funding for existing housing programs. This effort will be a part of our 2022 Legislative Session agenda and provide us with enhanced opportunities to advocate for REALTORS® as the voice of real estate in Florida. In light of this plan, Florida Realtors® is suspending the Housing ...
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Dear Joey: MLS Compensation Offer Has Strings Attached

By Kymberly Franklin posted 09-13-2021
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I thought MLS offers of compensation were unilateral and unconditional, but I’m seeing more conditions, such as full compensation only for full-price offers submitted within a set number of days. What does “unconditional” mean? ORLANDO, Fla. –   Dear Joey:   How can an offer of compensation that is supposed to be unconditional appear to be conditional due to language in the remarks section of an MLS listing? I’m seeing more language in broker or private remarks that place conditions on the offers of compensation. For example: “Agent must present a full price offer within 10 days to receive the full compensation offered in the MLS.” Is this not ...
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Legislative Solution Seen As ‘Fastest Path’ to Address Housing Crisis

By Kymberly Franklin posted 09-09-2021
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Florida Realtors: A new effort will offer homeownership opportunities for frontline workers and take the place of the Housing Funds for Housing ballot campaign. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Realtors® announced that it is pursuing a legislative solution as the fastest way to address Florida’s affordable housing crisis, including new homeownership opportunities targeted at frontline workers. The decision was made following highly productive discussions with legislative leaders indicating strong support to address this crisis. This legislative relief will take the place of the Housing Funds for Housing ballot campaign. Florida Realtors will be working ...
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Florida Realtors Updates FR/Bar Contracts and Riders

By Kymberly Franklin posted 09-07-2021
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Florida Realtors and the Florida Bar work together to keep FR/Bar contracts current and useful, and the latest update has just received final approval from both groups. Members will have time to study the changes before it replaces current forms on Nov. 1. The AS IS contract, Residential contract and seven Riders were updated, and three new Riders were created. ORLANDO, Fla. – Revisions to the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar Contract for Sale and Purchase (FR/Bar) – both the AS IS and the Residential – have recently been approved and contain numerous changes. In addition, seven Riders have been updated and three new Riders were created. The update gives members ...
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Sept. Is High Hurricane Season: Post-Disaster Tips

By Kymberly Franklin posted 09-02-2021
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Deal with immediate needs first: First things first: Contact the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get help via a disaster recovery center by texting your ZIP code and “DRC” to 43362. Texting “Apple” or “Android” to that same number will give you a download link for a mobile app from FEMA with additional resources, such as shelter locations. Local and state agencies and nongovernmental groups such as the Red Cross can also help; call 211 from any phone or visit 211.org to get information. Check your credit card or hotel loyalty accounts as well. You might have points or a free night certificate. Most hotel loyalty programs have offered generous expiration ...
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September is Realtor Safety Month

By Kymberly Franklin posted 08-31-2021
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September is Realtor Safety Month, and Florida Realtors has compiled the best advice — on everything from cybersecurity to personal safety. Did you know that 23% of Realtors have experienced a situation that made them fear for their personal safety or their personal information and that 31% have felt unsafe during an open house? Selling real estate is a unique industry because it’s one of the few businesses where you meet strangers at vacant properties.  In addition, there’s the silent — and growing — threat of cyberattacks that put your data (and your clients’!) at risk. Read full Florida Realtor article here
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29 Clever Real Estate Marketing Ideas for 2021

By Kymberly Franklin posted 08-27-2021
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There is only one truth in real estate marketing: it’s  constantly  changing. If you’re trying to keep up, you will always be second-guessing yourself.  Will the marketing you used last year still work in 2021? Find out much more in the full article here: Read Me!
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Victory on Eviction Moratorium

By Kymberly Franklin posted 08-27-2021
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The U.S. Supreme Court ends the CDC's eviction moratorium Thursday night, giving much-needed relief to America’s small housing providers facing financial hardship for more than a year. For the full article visit the NAR site here: http://ow.ly/qlMV50FZbM6 ​
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