January 2008 - Posts
MIAMI (AP) – Jan. 25, 2008 – Lennar Corp. reported a $1.25 billion fourth-quarter loss Thursday – the biggest in its history – as the prolonged housing slump drove prices lower and the builder took hefty charges to write down land
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 25, 2008 – Rates on 30-year mortgages dropped for a fourth straight week to the lowest level in nearly four years, raising hopes that low rates will help spur a rebound in the hard-hit housing industry. Freddie Mac, the mortgage
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TAMPA – Jan. 25, 2008 – Real estate agent Tony Rojas loves his job. But there’s one thing that drives him crazy: unrealistic sellers who insist on asking buyers to pay boom-year sales prices despite profound drops in area home values.
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 25, 2008 – A component of the government’s tentative economic stimulus package announced Thursday would give an immediate lift to buyers and sellers in higher-priced housing markets. The package agreed upon by Democratic
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ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 25, 2008 – With green and orange “Vote Yes On 1” signs raised high, Florida Realtors greeted Gov. Charlie Crist this morning with a standing ovation, thanking Crist for his efforts to cut property taxes. The
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NEW YORK – Jan. 24, 2008 – In response to falling home prices, home equity lenders increasingly are writing off delinquent loans instead of foreclosing. In such instances, a lien remains on the property so the lender will recoup some money
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 24, 2008 – Here’s a look at how the Fed’s action will affect different sectors of the economy: The Federal Reserve’s move Tuesday to sharply ease interest rates may have injected some confidence into the
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ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 24, 2008 – Sales of existing homes and condominiums in Florida continued to reflect the impact of a sluggish economy and mortgage financing issues in December. Statewide, sales of existing single-family homes totaled 8,828
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Jan. 24, 2008 -- State attorneys tried Wednesday to reinstate a suspension that would keep Allstate’s 10 insurance companies from writing new policies in Florida. Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty suspended Allstate
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ORLANDO, Fla. -- Jan. 24, 2008 -- Florida’s housing market followed the national trend in 2007, as mortgage industry issues and a sluggish economy impacted sales and prices. By year’s end, a total of 130,241 homes sold statewide for a 29 percent
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 23, 2008 – President Bush said Tuesday he is confident that Congress and the administration will be able to approve a stimulus package to jump-start the economy and calm fears of recession that have shaken financial markets
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jan. 23, 2008 –Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced a multi-pronged initiative to combat mortgage-related fraud, specifically fraud involving “rescue foreclosure” scams. As part of the litigation and
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CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Jan. 23, 2008 – When Eric Feichthaler became mayor three years ago, this town was booming. The city issued 800 permits that month to build single-family homes. Cape Coral still has thousands of empty lots, but last month,
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MIAMI – Jan. 23, 2008 – Intensifying one of the hottest debates in science, a new report concludes that global warming actually is diminishing the number of hurricanes that strike Florida and the rest of the United States – and the phenomenon
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Jan. 23, 2008 – The insurance industry should not be allowed to thumb its nose at regulators and lawmakers, an expert told a Senate panel Tuesday. J. Robert Hunter, an actuary who has spent 45 years in the business,
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MEXICO CITY – Jan. 22, 2008 – In her bustling corner real estate brokerage, Ana Laura Pulido is doing her best business in years, enjoying a sort of Mexican immunity from the U.S. housing crash. “It’s a time of hope,” said
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jan. 22, 2008 – Buy milk. Go to dry cleaner. Pay bills. Such reminder notes cover refrigerators, but tasks such as “vacuum refrigerator coils” don’t usually appear on to-do lists. But benign neglect today
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CHICAGO – Jan. 22, 2008 – Economists and politicians can debate all they want about whether the nation is sliding into its first recession in nearly seven years. To Chuck Rizzo, the picture is clear. Rizzo was recently laid off from his customer
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NEW YORK – Jan. 22, 2008 – The next housing downturn is already on the horizon – and it looks like it’s going to be a long one. In the next two decades, as millions of aging baby boomers put their homes on the market, they’ll
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WASHINGTON (AP) – Jan. 22, 2008 – The Federal Reserve, confronted with a global stock sell-off fanned by increased fears of a recession, slashed a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Tuesday and indicated further rate
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 21, 2008 – President George W. Bush and Congress are discussing economic stimulus packages to ward off a recession, and the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is urging them to help homeowners and the national economy
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 21, 2008 – A look at where the major presidential candidates stand on issues important to Florida voters: NATIONAL CATASTROPHE INSURANCE Democrats • Hillary Clinton: Supports the idea. Has proposed legislation in the
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Jan. 21, 2008 – Homeowners would get a small property tax break for energy efficiency and hurricane protection improvements if voters adopt a proposed state constitutional amendment approved Friday for the November
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jan. 21, 2008 – A court Friday allowed Allstate Corp. to keep selling insurance in Florida while the company appeals an order barring it from writing new policies. State regulators told Allstate on Thursday to stop writing
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ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 21, 2008 – How would you like your real estate news today? Sunny-side up? We thought so. That’s why the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) created the Great Time To Buy Florida Web site, which debuts today
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 18, 2008 – Rates on 30-year mortgages dropped for a third straight week to the lowest level since the summer of 2005 as worries intensified about the current economic slowdown. Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported
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NEW YORK – Jan. 18, 2008 – The slowing economy and the possibility that we're headed for a recession are worrisome subjects for small business owners, whose biggest concern is how to keep sales coming in when customers are becoming shy
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jan. 18, 2008 – A committee of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission on Thursday gave first approval to a plan (CP 0002) that would mandate taxation of goods and services to buy down school property taxes, despite
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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Jan. 17, 2008 – Upscale homebuilder WCI Communities Inc. renegotiated loan terms with two banks Wednesday, a crucial move that caused its stock price to rise and set aside speculation that the company was quickly headed
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – Jan. 17, 2008 – Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty on Wednesday suspended Allstate companies from writing new automobile insurance policies in Florida for refusing to comply fully with a subpoena from the
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MIAMI -- Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday urged voters to approve the proposed amendment that would cap property taxes while providing cuts for most homeowners, saying the change will boost the state's real estate market and local economies. "It's
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DORAL, Fla. (AP) – Jan. 15, 2008 – Early voting started across Florida on Monday, as residents cast ballots on their party’s presidential candidates and a state proposal to cut property taxes. Some early birds said they wanted to be
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 15, 2008 – The foreclosure arena presents opportunities for real estate professionals who know what lenders expect of them and can deliver first-rate performance, speakers agreed at a recent panel, “Working with Foreclosures,”
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HARTFORD, Conn. – Jan. 14, 2008 – Authorities in New York and Connecticut are investigating whether Wall Street banks hid crucial information about high-risk loans bundled into securities that were sold to investors, Connecticut’s Attorney
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jan. 14, 2008 – Florida’s economy, already slumping from a depressed real estate market and a sharp decline in sales-tax collections, would be hit hard if the country slides into a recession, state economic forecasters
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LOS ANGELES – Jan. 14, 2008 – Countrywide Financial Corp. CEO Angelo Mozilo liked to boast that his company had plenty of cash and know-how to survive the worst rollercoaster housing cycles. But the latest slump and a severe credit crisis
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jan. 14, 2008 – Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s largest property insurer, is hoping its investments in a troubled state investment pool bounce back before hurricane season starts in June. About $7 billion
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jan. 14, 2008 – Governor Charlie Crist will spend a lot of time this week advocating passage of Amendment 1, the property tax reform proposal voters will consider on Jan. 29. The governor continues to visit families who
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – Jan. 11, 2008 – Bank of America Corp. said Friday it has agreed to buy Countrywide Financial for $4 billion in stock, a deal that both rescues the U.S.’s biggest mortgage lender and expands the financial services
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MIAMI – As part of continuing efforts to promote the "Yes on 1—Save our Homes NOW" campaign, Governor Crist today hosted a conference call inviting supporters of Amendment 1 to learn more about the tax cutting benefits of the plan.
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Sun Coast Pasco By Carl Orth of The Suncoast News NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - Some 160 real estate agents gathered for a rally today to persuade residents to vote in favor of the property tax constitutional amendment on the Jan. 29 ballot. "Vote Yes
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Beautiful Conservation Lot • 1,810 sq. ft., 2 bath, 3 bdrm single story - MLS® $259,900 - Impeccable Home River Crossing, New Port Richey - Impeccable home. Fresh paint inside and out. Newer appliances. All 3 bedrooms are spacious. Ceramic tile
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Embassy Hills, Port Richey - The single story at 7415 Moravian Dr has been sold. Property information
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Paradise Pointe West, New Port Richey - Announcing a price reduction on 11914 Carissa Ln, a 984 sq. ft., 2 bath, 2 bdrm single story. Now MLS® $94,900 - Water View. Property information
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