Category Archives: Slideshow Releases

Home Sellers Can Take Steps Now for a Great Spring Landscape

ORLANDO, Fla. — Thinking of selling a home in the spring? Then now is a good time to get in the yard and prepare the landscaping. Many home sellers focus on indoor projects and forget that the first thing potential buyers see is the home’s curb appeal – the landscaping and yard.

Student Debt May Delay Millennial Homeownership

ORLANDO, Fla. — Despite being in their prime home-buying years, a majority of millennials with student debt currently don’t own a home – and many believe this debt is the reason why.

Florida Realtors®: Which Home Improvements Are Best Value?

ORLANDO, Fla. — Before tackling a home improvement project, Florida Realtors® recommends that a homeowner do a little research first. For example, if a home improvement project costs $1,000, how much money will the homeowner get back if he sells the home – what is the return on investment (ROI)? In 2017, only attic insulation recoups more than its cost.

Florida Realtors®: Prepare for Hurricane Season

ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane season will be here June 1, 2017, and lasts until Nov. 30. For the next six months, Floridians face an increased possibility of major storms and should take steps to help weather a severe storm.

Study: Florida Ranks 5th for Commercial Development

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida Realtors®: It appears business is booming in the Sunshine State. When it comes to commercial development, Florida ranks fifth nationwide, according to the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), a commercial real estate development association. By sector, it’s third in retail, third in warehouse/flex sectors and seventh in office space.

Generational Trends Among Home Buyers and Sellers?

ORLANDO, Fla. –More Generation X households bought a home last year, thanks to an improving economy, multiple years of strong job growth and a notable increase in home values, according to the National Association of Realtors^® (NAR) 2017 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends study.

The survey also found that:

• A growing number of millennials and younger boomer buyers have children who still live at home
• Student debt is common among Gen X and boomer households
• More millennials are buying outside the city
• Younger generations are more likely to use a real estate agent

The challenges faced by millennials have been widely reported, but little has been said about the many Gen X households who bought a first home and started a family only to be rattled by job losses, falling home values and overall economic uncertainty.

Recent Gen X buyers delayed homeownership longer than millennials because of debt. They’re the most likely generation to have sold a distressed property, and the generation most likely to be locked into their current home because it is worth less than their mortgage. Gen X buyers also had the most student loan debt ($30,000).

The uptick in purchases from Gen X buyers this year (28 percent) was the highest since 2014 and up from 26 percent in 2016. Millennials were the largest group of recent buyers for the fourth consecutive year (34 percent), but their overall share was down slightly from a year ago (35 percent). Baby boomers were 30 percent of buyers, and the Silent Generation made up 8 percent.

Younger boomer buyers increasingly consider adult children

This year’s survey also suggests that the soaring cost of rent in many areas is likely convincing middle-aged parents to buy a home with their young adult children in mind. Younger boomers were the most likely to purchase a multi-generational home (20 percent; 16 percent in 2016), and the top reason for doing so was that children over 18 years old either moved back home or never left (30 percent; 27 percent in 2016).

Student debt not just a millennial problem

Debt, particularly from student loans, appears to be a portion of the household budget of buyers in every generation. While millennials were the most likely to have student debt (46 percent), their typical balance ($25,000) was lower than Gen X buyers ($30,000). A combined 16 percent of younger and older boomer buyers also had student debt, with a median balance of over $10,000 for each group.

Among the share of buyers who said saving for a downpayment was the most difficult task, millennials were most likely to cite student loans (55 percent), followed by Gen X (29 percent) and younger boomers (9 percent).

More millennials moving to suburbs … with kids

Similiar to previous years, roughly two-thirds of millennial buyers are married. One aspect of their household that has changed is the number of children in them. In this year’s survey, 49 percent of millennial buyers had at least one child, which is up from 45 percent last year and 43 percent two years ago.

With more kids in tow, the need for more space at an affordable price increasingly pushes millennial buyers outside the city. Only 15 percent of millennial buyers bought in an urban area, which is down from 17 percent last year and 21 percent two years ago.

Millennial buyers and sellers overwhelmingly go online and use a real estate agent

Regardless of age, buyers and sellers continue to see real estate agents as an integral part of a real estate transaction. In this year’s survey, nearly 90 percent of respondents said they worked with a real estate agent to buy or sell a home. This kept for-sale-by-owner transactions down at its lowest share ever (8 percent).

Online and digital technology use during the home search has increased in recent years. Although millennials and Gen X buyers were most likely to go online, they were also the most likely to buy their home using a real estate agent (92 percent and 88 percent, respectively). On the seller side, millennials were the most likely to use an agent (90 percent), followed closely by Gen X and younger boomer sellers (each at 89 percent).

Florida Realtors®: International Real Estate Sales in Fla. = $19.4B

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida remained the top destination of foreign buyers purchasing U.S. residential real estate in 2016, with 22 percent of all foreign buyers who bought residential property in the United States. Florida Realtors® latest report, the 2016 Profile of International Residential Real Estate Activity in Florida, finds that international sales hit $19.4 billion this year, though that’s less than the $23.7 billion spent in 2015.

Want a Home Project with Appeal? Try Outdoor Remodeling

ORLANDO, Fla. – Homeowners looking for a remodeling project should head outside, according to a new report from the National Association of Realtors^® (NAR) and National Association of Landscape Professionals (NALP).

Moving with Kids? Realtors® Can Help

ORLANDO, Fla. – Most people can relate to the complications and complexities involved with moving. Whether you’re relocating to a recently purchased apartment or a starter home, resettling takes time, effort and planning.

What’s Best in a Home? Depends on the Generation

ORLANDO, Fla. – Homebuyers are demanding more home features that help them save energy and keep the home organized, according to a recent study released by the National Association of Home Builders, “Housing Preferences of the Boomer Generation: How They Compare to Other Homebuyers.”