HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE – Florida insurance regulators abruptly ended a planned two-day hearing with Allstate executives Tuesday, angered that the company and its attorneys failed to fully comply with a subpoena demanding information on property coverage rates. While Allstate’s four Florida companies had asked for double-digit rate increases, the insurer told state regulators it planned to [...]

REAL ESTATE TAX REFORM – Governor Crist will spend a lot of time this week advocating passage of Amendment 1, the property tax reform proposal voters will consider on January 29. The governor continues to visit families who will benefit from passage, and plans a promotional bus tour around the state on Wednesday. Early voting [...]

HOME PRICES – In the current housing market, buyer incentives and disguised discounts make it harder to track home prices through sales records. Buyer incentives – ranging from free cars or furniture to cash rebates – make those prices less reliable as a sign of what buyers actually paid.
Most multiple listing services require homes be [...]

FLORIDA BUYERS – One in three Florida homebuyers is single, with 21 percent of home purchases made by single women and 12 percent by single men – just one finding from the newly-released Florida version of National Association of Realtor’s “2007 Profile of Florida Homebuyers and Sellers.” Another highlight: Over two-thirds of Florida buyers (64 [...]