NAR News Releases

Real Estate Daily News

• Condo Demand Rebounds After Pandemic Slowdown July 23, 2021
  As more buyers turn to condos for greater affordability, find out where sales are the strongest.  
• Fears Over Delta Variant Drive Mortgage Rates Down July 23, 2021
  The 30-year loan averaged 2.78% this week as economic uncertainty rises and home prices hit a new all-time high.  
• Wildfires May Reheat Lumber Prices July 23, 2021
  Hopes for more affordability in the new-construction market may be dashed as dozens of Western blazes threaten lumber supply.  
• 15 States Drawing High-Earning Gen Xers July 23, 2021
  Southern and Western states are magnets for this cohort of home buyers.  
• No Relief in Shortages of Appliances, Furniture July 23, 2021
  High demand for home products continues to cause supply chain disruptions throughout industries related to real estate.  
• Study: Showings Plummet After First 5 Days on Market July 22, 2021
  Listings experience “hyperactivity” when they debut, but the momentum wanes quickly, according to ShowingTime data.  
• Homeowners Are Renting Out Their Pools for Extra Cash July 22, 2021
  One owner has hosted 2,700 guests in less than a year and expects to earn $111,000 by the end of the summer.  
• Ransomware Attack May Put Some Closings in Jeopardy July 22, 2021
  Cloudstar, one of the largest cloud-based services in title insurance, remains offline after a cyberattack last week.  
• Modest Uptick in Listings Buoys Sales July 22, 2021
  Record-breaking home prices are starting to encourage more sellers off the fence. Get insights from NAR’s latest housing report.  
• Another Chance to Defend Independent Contractor Status July 22, 2021
  As a Senate committee calls a hearing on the PRO Act, which faces steep resistance, NAR continues educating lawmakers.

Florida Realtors® News

• Ransomware Attack May Jeopardize Some Closings July 23, 2021
  Cloudstar, a cloud service used by many title companies, shut down after a ransomware attack last week. As a result, some brokers now can’t register transactions or closings. “We are still very much in the containment and remediation phase,” the company says.
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• Study: Showings Plummet After First 5 Days on Market July 23, 2021
  ShowingTime: Those 5 days are “hyperactive with double-digit showings and offers submitted quickly”– 64 markets averaged double-digit showings per listing during June.
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• NAR: ‘Independent Contractor’ Bill Should Exempt Realtors July 23, 2021
  NAR says it faces “steep resistance” but will keep advocating for a Realtor exemption to proposals: “Congress must recognize real estate’s unique place in the economy.”
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• HUD Offers $19M to Fight Housing Discrimination July 23, 2021
  Private fair housing groups may request money and use it to blind test housing groups, respond to complaints or propose new projects related to COVID-19 challenges.
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• Fla.’s Housing Market: Sales, Median Price, More Rise in June July 22, 2021
  Florida Realtors’ data: More closed sales, more new listings and higher median prices (up 24.5% for single-family homes, 22.4% for condos) than a year ago. Chief Economist O’Connor: The ratio of buyers to sellers may be easing; as a result, home price growth could begin to cool down in the future.
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• NAR: June Existing-Home Sales Rose 1.4% July 22, 2021
  Year-to-year home prices rose 23.4%, the second-highest on record. However, a 3.3% inventory uptick may start to slow price increases and give homebuyers more hope.
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• Mortgage Rates Fall for Fourth Week, Hitting 2.78% July 22, 2021
  Pandemic numbers are rising again. That’s shaken investors and pushed 30-year mortgage rates lower again this week, though adjustable rates moved a little higher.
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• Fla. Home to 7 Out of 10 Top All-Cash Sales Metros July 22, 2021
  Nationally, cash buyers made up about 1/3 of all 2021 home sales so far, but that percentage rises to 52.6% in West Palm Beach – the top metro for cash sales in the U.S.
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• ‘Short Commute Time’ No Longer Helps Home Values July 22, 2021
  The pandemic changed things: Home values for properties with long commute times are rising faster than units in or near metro areas.
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• NEW: Escalation Addendum to Contract Released July 21, 2021
  On July 22, 2021, Florida Realtors released a new addendum for use with Florida Realtors contracts, the Escalation Addendum to Contract, available through Form Simplicity and other licensed vendors. FAQs and how-to-complete info is available on the association’s website.
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