Florida Real Estate | Florida Team Realty

Who Are The Biggest U.S. Mortgage Lenders

On February 21, 2012, in Florida Real Estate, Florida Real Estate Blog, by Marc Vitorillo

Residential originations fell in 2011, and some lenders saw a bigger decline than others, according to MortgageDaily.com’s 2011 Mortgage Lender Ranking. The government’s role in residential finance was reduced last year. Fourth-quarter originations by all lenders were an estimated $381 billion, up from approximately $317 billion closed three months earlier. The biggest fourth-quarter lender was [...]

Florida Real Estate: More Deals Falling Through

On February 8, 2012, in Florida Real Estate, Florida Real Estate Blog, by Marc Vitorillo

Appraisals coming in lower than the agreed-upon sales price continue to cause more real estate deals to be cancelled, recent surveys show. In December, a third of real estate professionals reported they had a real estate contract fall through, up from 9 percent a year earlier. The National Association of Realtors®, along with other housing [...]

Florida Real Estate Bargains for International Buyers

On December 30, 2011, in Florida Real Estate, Florida Real Estate Blog, by Marc Vitorillo

Florida real estate prices have dropped significantly since 2005. Enticing prices, inventory and low-rate financing are just a few reasons that international investors are buying homes, condos, lofts, villas and golf course real estate properties in Florida. You have an incredible opportunity to own Florida real estate. In fact, there has never been a better [...]

Second Homes Hold Steady

On June 10, 2011, in Buyer Tips, Florida Real Estate, by Marc Vitorillo

Data from the recently released 2011 NAR Investment and Vacation Home Survey shows vacation-home sales accounted for 10 percent of all transactions last year and investment sales were 17 percent of the overall market. Those figures are unchanged from the 2010 survey. The median vacation-home price was $150,000 in 2010, while the median investment- home [...]

A New Bill to Expedite Short Sales?

On May 9, 2011, in Florida Real Estate, Florida Real Estate Blog, by Marc Vitorillo

Short Sale Relief on the Horizon? A new bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives could bring relief to distressed home owners hoping to avoid foreclosure through short sales. The “Prompt Decision for Qualification for Short Sale Act of 2011” would impose a deadline of 45 days on lenders to respond to short sale [...]

How Restructuring Fannie and Freddie Affects Florida

On March 31, 2011, in Buyer Tips, Florida Real Estate, by Marc Vitorillo

The Obama administration recently called for an orderly transition from the current form of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac secondary mortgage market to a new structure that would allow home buyers continued access to affordable, sustainable mortgages. Without functioning mortgage markets, people cannot buy or sell homes. To ensure a smooth transition, it’s important [...]

First Time Homebuyers Getting the Cold Shoulder

On March 29, 2011, in Buyer Tips, Florida Real Estate, by Marc Vitorillo

Many first-time homebuyers are sitting on the sidelines of the U.S. housing market, hampering its ability to gain traction. Last month, 34 percent of existing-home purchases were made by first-time buyers, according to the National Association of Realtors. In January, they were 29 percent of the market, the lowest since NAR surveys started tracking them [...]

Florida’s Existing Home, Condo Sales Up in January 2011

On March 6, 2011, in Buyer Tips, Florida Real Estate, Florida Real Estate Blog, Seller Tips, by Marc Vitorillo

Florida’s existing home and existing condo sales rose in January, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Existing home sales increased 14 percent last month with a total of 12,151 homes sold statewide compared to 10,702 homes sold in January 2010, according to Florida Realtors. January’s statewide sales of existing condos rose [...]

Florida Real Estate, Existing Home and Condo Sales Up in December 2010

On January 31, 2011, in Buyer Tips, Florida Real Estate, Seller Tips, by Marc Vitorillo

The statistics are now available for Florida Real Estate in December 2010. Sales of existing homes and condominiums in Florida rose in December, a positive trend also reported at the close of 2010 as statewide sales activity posted gains over the previous year, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. A total [...]

Florida in 2010: Rent or Buy a Home?

On June 14, 2010, in Buyer Tips, Florida Real Estate, Florida Real Estate Blog, by Marc Vitorillo

First time home buyers have a lot to consider this summer when making the decision to rent or buy a home: interest rates are at all-time lows, there’s still plenty of housing stock and prices are at or near their lowest in years. Still, deciding whether to buy a home or rent an apartment can [...]