ORLANDO, Fla. – Nov. 14, 2016 –The number of U.S. downpayment assistance programs decreased 3 percent from the previous quarter, according to Down Payment Resource’s Third Quarter 2016 Homeownership Program Index (HPI). However, of the nation’s 2,392 programs, almost 88 percent currently have funds available for eligible homebuyers, an increase of 3 percent from the
ORLANDO, Fla. – Nov. 22, 2016 – There are several things home sellers should do to improve curb appeal. These include painting the front door with a pop of color to create a focal point, adding a new mailbox that is modern and ensures the home’s address number is clearly visible from the street, and
One of downtown Tampa’s newest apartment towers has a new owner. Skyhouse Channelside, which wrapped up completion in 2015, sold for $88 million to a corporate entity tied to Yonkers, New York-based AVR Realty, according to public records.     Skyhouse, right, is a 23-story tower in downtown Tampa’s Channel district. The seller was Atlanta-based Novare
ST. PETERSBURG — Years after a popular gay resort closed and its property was sold to Home Depot, the empty, weed-strewn site is about to be developed. Phillips Development & Realty, which expects to close on the parcel in December, has unveiled plans for a $70 million mixed-use project that will include 300 apartments and
1 in 4 Fla. owners with mortgage is ‘equity rich’ IRVINE, Calif. – Nov. 17, 2016 – ATTOM Data Solutions’ Q3 2016 U.S. Home Equity and Underwater Report finds that 23.4 percent of U.S. homeowners with a mortgage are equity rich, meaning their loan-to-value ratio is 50 percent or lower. It’s a year-to-year increase of
Recently there has been a lot of talk about home prices and if they are accelerating too quickly. In some areas of the country, seller supply (homes for sale) cannot keep up with the number of buyers out looking for a home, which has caused prices to rise. The great news about rising prices, however,
WASHINGTON – Nov. 14, 2016 – Can computers, big data and advanced analytics replace real live humans when it comes to accurately valuing the home you want to buy? One of the two largest financial players in U.S. real estate thinks so and is preparing to introduce changes that could prove momentous – and highly
Tampa Bay home prices continued to soar in October, with Hillsborough County recording its biggest year-over-year gain since January. Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties also showed dramatic increases as buyers vied for an exceedingly tight supply of single-family homes — Pasco had less than a three-month inventory. And even though interest rates have risen slightly
TAMPA — Convinced that the city is on a “very positive trajectory,” a Tampa-based real estate firm is planning an ambitious project that would include residences, offices, retail and hotel space on the west bank of the Hillsborough River near downtown Tampa. If it came to fruition, the proposed Lafayette Place would represent another major
Ten years ago, Jeff Vinik retired from Fidelity Investments after managing their high profile Magellan Fund. Worth an estimated half a billion, it’s safe to say Vinik can live wherever he wants, and do almost anything he wants, or nothing at all. Instead, Vinik is using his millions to reinvent himself and the city of