Blog

Miami Springs Property Owners HELP LOWER YOUR PROPERTY TAXES !!! Having lower property taxes is what our beautiful city is missing. The annexation option is the best and quickest way that Miami Springs can acheive many economic benefits including lower … Read More

Existing Home Sales Fall for 9th Straight Month What Happened This Month: Existing home sales weakened further in October, following a sharper pullback in September pending home sales. Existing home sales were at a pace of 4.43 million, down 5.9% … Read More

Weekly Housing Trends Already above their 2020 level in October, active listings continued to ratchet higher this week despite the largest year-over-year pullback in new listings since January. The data suggest that it’s not just many buyers, but sellers, too, … Read More

Home Prices Retreat in Nearly All Major Markets According to the new Knock Sellers-Buyers Market Index, of the top-100 largest metropolitan markets, 98 of them reported home price declines in September, while 15 markets reported home prices falling by more … Read More

Pending Home Sales Drop to Lowest Level Since 2010 Amid Surging Rates Contract signings for existing homes dropped 10.2% in September, to the lowest level since June 2010, with sharp declines across all geographic regions. Pending home sales were 31.0% … Read More

Key Findings Weekly Housing Trends Several trend indicators including home price growth, the new listings trend, and time on market changes didn’t move much if at all over the week. In contrast, after several weeks of very little movement in … Read More

Rates Resume Surge Toward 7% As Inflation Remains Hot What it Means: Housing markets continue to feel the direct impact of higher mortgage rates. With incomes lagging behind inflation, homebuyers’ ability to finance a purchase has been slashed by mortgage … Read More

Active Inventory Continued to Grow Highlighting the roller coaster ride that the housing market and its participants have been on in the last few years, one’s take on the current number of homes for sale depends very much on the … Read More

Fannie Mae Continues to Forecast 2023 Recession According to new research from Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research Group (ESR), the housing market is expected to further cool as mortgage rates continue to rise and continues to predict an official … Read More

Mortgage Rates Surge, Hitting Highest Point Since October 2008 The Freddie Mac fixed rate for a 30-year loan surged this week hitting 6.29% – the highest level since October 2008. This builds on the upward momentum of the past 5 … Read More

The Best Time to Buy a Home Since the start of the pandemic, homes have been in high demand leading to intense competition, rapidly depleting inventory, soaring prices and a breakneck market pace. Buyers flocked to areas that offered spacious … Read More

  Mortgage Rates Jump to 14-Year High According to Redfin, the Labor Day holiday brought with it a slight downturn in the housing market, with the rise in rates as a catalyst, with home-touring activity taking a nosedive, and the … Read More

Homes Selling for Less Than Asking For the first time since the housing market picked up after the pandemic, Redfin has reported that the average home has sold for less than its listing price as of August 28 in another … Read More

July Home Sales Drop to Early-Pandemic Levels Home sales showed no signs of stopping its recent descent in July 2022, as sales dropped to their lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic when the market was at a near … Read More

  Bidding Wars Becoming Less Common Now recording its sixth month of decline, homebuyer competition has now fallen to levels seen during the initial throes of the pandemic. According to Redfin, 44.3% of home offers written by their agents faced … Read More

Home Purchase Sentiment Falls to Lowest Levels Since 2011 Consumer sentiment toward housing fell to the lowest levels seen since late 2011, as measured by the Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI). Buyer confidence has been rocked by rising … Read More

Change is Coming For the first time in two years, weekly data show that homes are taking longer to sell than they did at this time last year. The increase in time on market is just another one of the … Read More

Housing Markets Shifting Toward a ‘New Equilibrium’ The latest S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) for May 2022, a measure of U.S. home prices, show that home prices continue to increase across the U.S., as the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. … Read More

Fannie Mae Predicts Recession Conditions in Early 2023 The current state of the real estate market—which is now adapting to record high inflation and higher interest rates—is giving real estate companies and experts a run for their money as the … Read More

The 7 Deadly Sins of Home Selling Today Home sellers have been in heaven these past couple of years, awash in bidding wars that have pushed property prices sky-high. But at long last, the tables are starting to turn. In … Read More

What the housing market correction will do to home prices in 2023 There’s no doubt about it: The Pandemic Housing Boom was an inflationary engine. Elevated homebuyer demand during the pandemic simply overwhelmed inventory. It translated into fierce bidding wars … Read More

Housing Inventory: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back June numbers show that for-sale homes available to buyers climbed 18.7%—the fastest yearly pace of all time—according to Realtor.com’s Monthly Housing Trends Report. A key demographic driving June’s jump in active listings … Read More

Zombie Properties on the Rise Zombie foreclosures refer to properties where a homeowner is presented with a pending foreclosure notice, and abandons their house before legally necessary, as the house slowly falls into disrepair and a state of dilapidation. ATTOM’s … Read More

Summer Busy Season? Not So Fast In May, the HouseCanary Market Pulse reported the first signs of a potential softening in the housing market as a litany of external influences exerted pressure on the housing market. “In May, we saw … Read More

Homebuying Sentiment Continues to Decline The share of survey respondents saying it is a bad time to buy outnumbered those saying it is a good time to buy almost five-to-one, leading to the largest net bad time to buy response … Read More

Weekly Housing Trends Data Week Ending May 28, 2022 The median listing price maintained a surprising amount of momentum this week even as recent monthly data show signs of a growing gap between buyer and seller expectations in today’s housing … Read More

Pending Home Sales Drop Contract signings for existing homes declined for the sixth consecutive month in April, with a 3.9% drop, as real estate markets feel the pressures of record-high prices and rising mortgage rates in April. The median listing … Read More

More Than Half of Investors Believe the Housing Market is Overvalued Up from 40% a year ago, 55% of real estate investors feel that their local market is overvalued and expect to see a price correction in the coming months. … Read More

Home Purchase Sentiment Hits Lowest Level Since Start of Pandemic Homebuyer confidence slipped again in April to the lowest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as measured by the Fannie Mae Home Purchase Sentiment Index (HPSI), which dropped … Read More

Spring & Summer Remain Best Times to Sell Homes ATTOM Data, a national provider of real estate and property data, has released its annual analysis of the best days of the year to sell a home and found that based … Read More

Homebuyer Demand Has… Redfin reports that homebuyer demand has softened further over the last several weeks, triggered by surging mortgage rates and housing costs, as an estimated one in eight sellers cut their list prices during the four weeks ending … Read More

What’s Ahead for Homebuyers, Sellers, and the Market Recent weekly housing data suggests that we may start to see a turn-around in availability, with the most recent 2 weeks of data showing year over year increases in the number of … Read More

Mortgage Rates Hit 11-Year High After mortgage rates fell to all-time lows just 15 months ago, for the first time since 2011, mortgage rates have hit the 5% mark, as reported by Freddie Mac in its weekly Primary Mortgage Market … Read More

Increased Mortgage Rates Continues to Soften Purchase Activity “Mortgage rates have increased 1.5 percentage points over the last three months alone, the fastest three-month rise since May of 1994,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “The increase in mortgage … Read More

Home Selling Checklist: 12 Things to Do Before Selling Your House Getting ready to sell your house? Then it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work because there are tons of things to do before listing your … Read More

Pending Home Sales Drop for Fourth Consecutive Month Contract signings for existing homes declined for the fourth consecutive month in February, with a 4.1% monthly slide, due to a combination of rising mortgage rates, real estate prices and consumer inflation. … Read More

Foreclosure Rates Continue Upward Climb ATTOM, along with its subsidiary RealtyTrac, has released its latest Foreclosure Market Report for February which has found that there was a total of 25,833 properties with foreclosure filings against them, up 11% from January … Read More

Inherit a House and Sell It, How Are the Profits Taxed? If you sell your house and make a profit, you must pay capital gains tax—so does the same rule apply when you inherit a house from a deceased relative? … Read More

THANK YOU It was great to for our community to welcome back the River Cities Festival after two long difficult years. We were happy to participate and support the festival. It was especially nice to see so many of our … Read More

New Listings Work to Keep Pace with Housing Demand According to a new report from Redfin, the number of newly listed homes for sale during the four weeks ending February 20 was down just 2% year-over-year—the smallest decline since mid-November. … Read More

Homes Continue to Fly Off the Market “Movers are feeling a big pinch. There is nowhere for them to run from increasing housing costs now that mortgage rates are rising and inflation has spread to the rental market,” said Redfin … Read More

Millennial Demand Forcing Rise in Home Prices According to Zillow, home values are growing fastest in areas with the highest population of children, reflecting the impact millennial homebuyers are making on family-friendly neighborhoods with a shortage of homes for sale. … Read More

Weekly Housing Trends View Households who put “find a new home” on their list of resolutions for 2022 will find plenty of company, but not yet more options in the housing market. Realtor.com’s weekly housing data points to even more … Read More

HOME VALUES UP NEARLY 20% FROM LAST YEAR According to Zillow’s December Home Market Report, home values grew a record 1.6% month-over-month in December, and that appreciation accelerated throughout much of the U.S. The typical American home is worth $320,662, … Read More

MORTGAGE RATES JUMP AGAIN The Freddie Mac fixed rate for a 30-year loan pushed upward again for the fourth consecutive week, with an 11 basis point gain to 3.56%. This is the highest rate since March 2020, and followed the … Read More

FORECLOSURE ACTIVITY DROPS TO ALL-TIME LOW “The COVID-19 foreclosure tsunami that some people had anticipated is clearly not happening,” said Rick Sharga, EVP at RealtyTrac, an ATTOM company. “Government and mortgage industry efforts have prevented millions of unnecessary foreclosures, and while … Read More

SELLER’S MARKET CLOSES 2021 ON HIGH NOTE As 2021 was a record-breaking year for U.S. home price growth, CoreLogic has released its Home Price Index (HPI) and HPI Forecast for November 2021. For many prospective buyers, the housing market will … Read More

HOME PRICES MODERATING BUT GROWTH REMAINS ABOVE HISTORIC NORMS With prices for all kinds of goods and services continuing to rise, housing is no exception. The S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index shows that home prices rose in a range of … Read More

AMERICANS LOOKING TO RELOCATE TARGET THE SUNSHINE STATE Some 30.3% of Redfin.com users nationwide looked to move to a different metropolitan area in October and November, according to a new report from Redfin. Percentages are down from a record-high 31.5% in … Read More

2022 HOUSING MARKET FORECAST AND PREDICTIONS Americans will have a better chance to find a home in 2022, but will face a competitive seller’s market as first-time buyer demand outmatches the inventory recovery. Additionally, with listing prices, rents and mortgage … Read More

HEADING FULL STEAM INTO 2022 As the days grow shorter and the year draws to a close, the real estate market is heading full-steam into 2022 and bringing record high prices with it. Looking ahead to 2022, Zillow has released … Read More

  INVENTORY FINDS NEW LOW IN NOVEMBER If you thought the housing supply hit rock bottom in February, you thought wrong. According to a new report from Redfin, the number of homes available for sale fell by another 38,000 units … Read More

TIME ON MARKET WAS DOWN Homes continue to move faster than previous years. In fact, the speed has improved so much that every week since mid-March has had a lower time on market than the fastest-selling week in any year … Read More

  We are committed to providing a premier level of service.   All aspects of your real estate experience will be accompanied by Results through exceptional Service and Honesty. From the onset of our marketing meeting, we are dedicated to … Read More

MORE LOOKING TO LIST THEIR HOMES THIS WINTER Those who have sat on the sidelines over the last few months and held out on selling their homes are increasingly looking to get into the market, a move that could pay … Read More

HOME SALE PROFIT MARGINS HIT 10-YEAR HIGH The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has The latest U.S. Home Sales Report from ATTOM has shown that profit margins on median-priced single-family U.S. homes and condos jumped to 47.6% in Q3, hitting … Read More

Pending Home Sales Fall in September The National Association of Realtors (NAR) has reported that pending home sales declined in September, retreating slightly following a previous month of growth. Each of the four major U.S. regions saw contract activity decline … Read More

WHY LETTING GO OF A PROPERTY CAN BE SO HARD A home can be many things: a personal oasis, an investment, a familial homestead—and a massive emotional and financial anchor. A property can become a burden, especially when it comes … Read More

FORECLOSURES TICK UP The first bits of foreclosure data are starting to come through after the federal government’s foreclosure moratorium expired July 31 and the numbers are not as bad as some experts were predicting at the start of the … Read More

HOUSING MARKET SURVEY: GREAT TIME TO SELL (NOT BUY) Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. “The survey’s story is also largely unchanged: Consumers feel it’s a bad time to buy a home but a good time … Read More

FOREIGN REAL ESTATE INVESTORS PLOT THEIR RETURN As signs that the second wave of COVID-19 is beginning to wane and travel restrictions loosen, foreign investors are looking to return to the U.S., potentially driving up home prices in an already … Read More

SKY-HIGH HOUSING PRICES WON’T FALL USA TODAY spoke to eight experts to find out if a housing crash is on the horizon. The short answer? No. For one, they say the housing market in 2021 is not like the boom-bust … Read More

REMOTE WORKERS ARE TRANSFORMING HOUSING MARKETS NEW YORK – Remote work since the pandemic has fueled the flexibility for Americans to leave larger cities near job centers and move elsewhere to farther-out locales. They’re flocking to mid-tier cities nationwide, leading … Read More

BUYERS HOPING FOR FORECLOSURES FACE COMPETITION FROM INVESTORS NEW YORK – Wall Street’s appetite for fixer-upper houses is insatiable, a challenge compounded by the task of finding shabby, out-of-date properties to renovate and resell for a profit. For more than … Read More

MORE AND MORE FLOCKING TO THE SUNSHINE STATE Miami, Sacramento, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Tampa were the most popular migration destinations among major U.S. metros in July, meaning they had the biggest net inflows. A net inflow is a measure … Read More

4 THINGS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT SELLING A HOME TODAY THAT JUST AREN’T TRUE You’ve heard the stories: Maybe your neighbors sold their fixer-upper as is for $100,000 over asking price. Or your friends were deluged with crazed homebuyers engaged in a … Read More

ASTONISHING’ PRICE GROWTH CONTINUES, DEMAND SOFTENS The median home price once again hit an all-time high in July, reports the research team at Redfin, reaching $385,600. That marks a 20% annual increase, which does not quite top the largest annual growth-rate … Read More

HOT HOUSING MARKET DRIVES HOME FIX-UPS NEW YORK – More homeowners plan to renovate their homes this year. The remodel trend took off during pandemic lockdowns when homeowners had little else to do and a general frustration with a home … Read More

HOME PRICES END THEIR DOUBLE-DIGIT INCREASE Home prices ended their double-digit increasing streak just 2 weeks shy of a full year at this pace. While this marks a key buyer-friendly milestone, home prices remain high and price growth is faster … Read More

Pending Home Sales Decline in June Contract signings declined in June, with a 1.9% monthly slide, reversing the strong advance from May. The monthly decline was driven by drops in the South and West regions. Pending home sales were 1.9% … Read More

Existing-Home Sales Expand in June Existing-home sales increased in June, snapping four consecutive months of declines, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Three of the four major U.S. regions registered small month-over-month gains, while the fourth remained flat. However, … Read More

The New Normal of Selling a Home Today If you’re selling your home right now—or thinking about doing it soon—you should know that today’s housing market is unlike anything we’ve seen or experienced lately, maybe ever. In the past, home … Read More

Seller Optimism Has Never Been This High WASHINGTON – Almost eight out of 10 U.S. consumers (77%) say it’s a good time to sell a home – a record high, according to Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index. Sellers have … Read More

New Listings Stage a Comeback in June Nationally, the inventory of homes actively for sale in June decreased by 43.1% over the past year, a lower rate of decline compared to the 50.9% drop in May. A deceleration in the … Read More

No Immediate Relief From Skyrocketing Home Prices Looking to buy a house, but think house prices are going crazy?  You’re not wrong. Housing prices are rocketing upwards across the country, showing their biggest annual gain since 2005.  Existing homeowners are … Read More

Homebuying Frenzy Shows Signs of Slowing While competition remains fierce and prices are still soaring, some indicators measured in a new Redfin study suggest the sizzling sellers’ market is cooling. “Many measures of the housing market, such as pending home … Read More

Will Rising Inflation Cool Down—or Further Inflame—the Hot Housing Market? Home prices aren’t the only cost that has been soaring over the past few months. It seems like just about everything, from rental cars to puppies, has gotten more expensive—and … Read More

Fierce Bidding Wars Drive Home Prices Upward In May, U.S. median home prices continued a trend of double-digit appreciation, reaching a new an all-time high of $380,000 according to Realtor.com, up 15.2% year-over-year. But in a good sign for home … Read More

MEMORIAL DAY: Why it is Important! Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time … Read More

U.S. Existing-Home Sales Drop 2.7% in April Existing-home sales waned in April, marking three straight months of declines, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). All but one of the four major U.S. regions tracked by NAR saw month-over-month … Read More

Are You Truly Ready To Downsize? There’s a host of reasons for downsizing to a smaller home. You might want to pocket the savings and build upon your nest egg. Maybe you’re ready for a new adventure and eager to … Read More

  Are We In a Housing Bubble? Will the Housing Market Crash in 2021? Today’s housing market is fierce! Due to remote work and record-low mortgage rates, Americans are relocating and purchasing homes at an all-time high. However, there is … Read More

Homes Are Selling Lightning Fast Amid a Continuing Inventory Crunch The national inventory of active listings declined by 53.0% over last year, while the total inventory of unsold homes, including pending listings, declined by 21.9%. Newly listed homes on the … Read More

Is a Housing Market Crash Possible in 2021? With the real estate market experiencing surging prices, scant inventories and a backlog of new home construction, many consumers are wondering if what’s gone up must come back down—in other words, are … Read More

The US is 3.8 Million Homes Short The U.S. housing market needs nearly 4 million single-family homes to meet the nation’s demand, according to a new analysis from Freddie Mac. The 3.8 million shortfall marks a 52% increase in the … Read More

Sellers in a Strong Position, For How Long? After increasing last week for the first time in 2021, new listings were down again, highlighting the up and down progress on the road to a more normal housing market. We’re still … Read More

SOLD THIS WEEK! 3810 NW 63rd Ct 3 bedrooms, 3 baths 1,240 Sq Ft $430,000 $2,500.00 credit $338.58 per sq ft   Spring Season? Listings Down 70% If buyers are struggling to find a home for sale, at least they’re not … Read More

SOLD THIS WEEK! 6615 NW 39th St 3 bedrooms, 1 bath 1,145 Sq Ft $400,000 $349.35 per sq ft 6645 NW 38th Ter 3 bedrooms, 1 bath 1,308 Sq Ft $400,000 $305.81 per sq ft 6347 NW 39th Ter 4 … Read More

Buyers are Flooding the Market Buyers are flooding the housing market early in the year, as they have in the last few years, eager to find a home of their own. With plenty of buyers and not as many sellers, … Read More

Foreclosures 2021: What to Expect in the Months Ahead The million-dollar questions that everyone in the industry is asking right now are: “What are foreclosures going to look like once the foreclosure moratoria and forbearance programs come to end?  And … Read More

More Than 200,000 New Listings Are Missing From U.S. Housing Market National inventory declined by 48.6% over last year. The inventory of newly listed properties declined by 24.5% nationally and by 23.5% for large metros over the past year. The … Read More

5 Sweet Tax Deductions When Selling a Home You may be wondering if there are tax deductions when selling a home. And the answer is: You bet! Sure, you may remember way back to 2018 and its new tax code—aka … Read More

Existing Home Sales, and Prices, Rise Again in January Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose again last month, a sign that the housing market’s strong momentum from 2020 may be carrying over into this year The red-hot housing market … Read More

New Listings Continue to Fall Behind the Year Ago Pace After the upswing in new listings at the end of 2020, new listings have tread a different path in 2021. New listings are a smaller sample and thus the trends … Read More

Fewer Options for Buyers as Prices Rise Nationally, the inventory of homes for sale in January decreased by 42.6% over the past year, a higher rate of decline compared to the 39.6% drop in December. This amounted to 443,000 fewer … Read More

Buyers Returning Faster Than Sellers in the New Year Despite a slower than anticipated return of buyers and sellers this January, the U.S. housing market continues to remain tight and in position for further growth this spring. The realtor.com Housing … Read More

2020 Home Prices Up 13 Percent Annually in U.S. “The economy faces new challenges in the next few weeks, which are likely to see continued political instability and rising coronavirus cases,” said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “Still, it’s unlikely … Read More

Weekly Housing Trends Homebuyer demand has started strong in 2021. While shoppers may be optimistic that the new year brings new opportunities, they will likely face some familiar challenges, too. The number of sellers listing homes for sale shrank and … Read More

TOP 10 U.S. HOME BUYING TRENDS FOR 2021 In this elongated era of COVID-19, Zillow has just announced the TOP 10 housing trends to watch for in 2021 to adjust to living in this environment for the foreseeable future. Zillow’s … Read More

Another Record Year !!! It is with sincere gratitude and appreciation that we thank our clients, both old and new, for making this past year a record-breaking year for us at The Leonard Real Estate Group. Your support, loyalty and … Read More

With Record Real Estate Prices, Now Is A Good Time To Sell Your Home Things are coming to a boil in the market for U.S. homes, and it may be the right time to sell. In October, prices for houses across … Read More

Demand for Homes Set to Break More Records in December Compared to this time last year, demand for homes is growing at the fastest pace we’ve seen to date. The ‘housing demand’ component – which tracks growth in online home … Read More

2021 Housing Market Forecast and Predictions To say 2020 was a year of surprises is an extreme understatement. What started off as a bright year for the housing market and the economy was soon derailed by a global pandemic and … Read More

Weekly Housing Trends Key Findings This week’s data show that the housing market continues to be much more active than usual even though the usual end of year slowdown in activity is underway. As discussed last week, the closer we … Read More

NAR Forecast: 2021 Could Be Real Estate’s Best Winter Ever WASHINGTON – The housing market defied high unemployment and an economic recession and surged during the COVID-19 pandemic – and that isn’t likely to let up heading into the winter … Read More

Some Fla. Owners Will See Big Property Insurance Increases State regulators have approved about 100 rate hike requests involving dozens of property insurers. The insurance regulation office in Florida gave the green light to South Fidelity to raise their rates … Read More

…Sellers Can Make a Bundle in the ‘Best’ Winter Sales Season in Years The coronavirus has changed real estate in a multitude of ways, and perhaps one of the biggest is the sea of buyers who put off buying during … Read More

The Serious Disconnect Between  a Hot Residential Real Estate Market and the Coming Tsunami of Foreclosures Various reports show that the market for previously-owned homes climbed nearly 10% in September, the fourth straight monthly increase. It is not just sale … Read More

Housing Recovery Trends Point to More Balanced Conditions Ahead Housing activity continued to surface signals of more balanced conditions this week as the pace of demand eased and the pace of new listings improved. Despite the shift, the realtor.com Housing … Read More

4 Ways to Increase the Chances of Getting a Mortgage WASHINGTON – The coronavirus pandemic has made a huge dent in the U.S. economy, but mortgage interest rates are at an all-time low. It’s no surprise then that in 2020, … Read More

Housing Recovery in Full Swing as Sellers Inch Their Way Back into the Market Buyers and sellers remain increasingly motivated post pandemic, setting the stage for a full market recovery through the end of the year. While many buyers will still … Read More

We should be in a buyer’s housing market right now, but COVID turned everything upside down. By the end of September each year, homebuyers should be expecting the market to cool down as children go back to school and families … Read More

What Does the Future Hold? The Outlook Is Cloudy The markets have been churning at a steady pace from late summer into early fall, but is this coronavirus recovery continuing into the winter and beyond? According to Zillow®’s recent Home … Read More

Waive a Home Inspection? Why Buyers Are Willing to Right Now A home inspection is something that protects your financial interest in what will likely be the largest purchase you make in your life—one in which you need as much … Read More

Will the COVID-19 Pandemic Kill the Open Floor Plan? The pandemic has thrown millions out of work and deflated entire industries. But not the residential real estate market. A year ago, it was humming. Today, in the teeth of the … Read More

What Is Title Insurance? Peace of Mind When Buying a Home Buying a home often entails also buying various types of insurance to protect your property, and one type you might need to get is called title insurance. So what is title insurance? When … Read More

Buyer Competition Intensifies as More Housing Markets Recover In many markets, fierce competition, bidding wars and multiple offer scenarios may be the common theme in the weeks to come. Real estate activity continued to grow above the pre-pandemic pace for … Read More

Existing-Home Sales Soar at a Record Pace in July The numbers: Sales of previously-owned homes in the U.S. rose 24.7% between June and July to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.86 million, the National Association of Realtors reported Friday. It … Read More

Home Prices Increased Across Most Metro Areas in Second Quarter Year-over-year, 96 percent of the measured markets experienced increases in median single-family home prices—the same number of metro areas that saw price gains in the first quarter. On a national level, … Read More

Experts Share Predictions For The Rest Of 2020 Mortgage rates are searching for a historic bottom. Home prices are inching up toward record highs. Home shoppers are looking for deals. Homeowners are weighing selling versus refinancing. A lot is going … Read More

Listing Prices Continue to Accelerate Realtor.com®’s July housing data release reveals that an improving but continued lack of newly listed homes on the market, coupled with pent-up buyer demand, is driving inventory to all-time lows and is also steadily pushing … Read More

RE Rebound Report: ‘Housing Market Has Recovered While the COVID-19 pandemic sparked a U.S. recession, that economic drop isn’t reflected in the U.S. Housing Market, according to an index created by realtor.com to gauge how quickly the industry returned to … Read More

The summer market “remains tipped in favor of sellers,” according to realtor.com’s economist Summer 2020 is shaping up to be a very competitive market for buyers thanks to record-low interest rates and scarce inventory, according to realtor.com’s Weekly Recovery Report … Read More

Why This Is Actually the Best Time in Years To Sell a House Talk about a strange summer. Between the continued threat of the novel coronavirus, a wobbly economy, and layoffs happening left and right, it’s no surprise that many who … Read More

Buyers’ Biggest Hurdle in June? Lack of Inventory Buyer demand has risen thanks to record-low mortgage rates and frustration after spending time quarantined in less-than-ideal housing. As a result, sellers who enter the market find continually rising prices and, many … Read More

The Big Question: What Will Happen to the Housing Market? The real estate market dipped during stay-at-home orders, though it still looks as if many deals were postponed rather than cancelled. What happens next? COVID-19’s resilience remains a big unknown, … Read More

U.S. Housing Market Enjoy 8th Straight Week of Rising Demand According to Redfin’s latest weekly report, the first week of June 2020 marked the eighth straight week of rising demand in the U.S. Adjusted homebuying demand for early June is now … Read More

  Markets …Recovering From COVID-19 Setbacks “Homebuyer interest recovered quickly post COVID-19 and remains high despite the weaker economic environment, as low mortgage rates, virtual tools and lockdown lifts have enabled many buyers to continue the home search process, albeit … Read More

  Real Estate Is Seeing a V-Shaped Economic Rebound So Far It looks as if the real estate market is back, and the April crash during COVID-19 shutdown orders was merely a speedbump in an otherwise strong sellers’ market. While … Read More

  Buyers Aren’t Backing Down – New Loan Applications up 54% Homebuyers are entering the market at a much brisker pace than many economists forecasted. Mortgage applications for home purchases continue to move upward, rising 9% last week compared to … Read More

  Existing-Home Sales Continue Downward Spiral in April Existing-home sales continued their free fall in April, extending what is now a two-month slide in sales brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the National Association of Realtors. All four … Read More

2020 Housing Market Predictions – COVID-19 Update   Housing started 2020 with substantial momentum as evidenced by hitting some of the best home sales and housing starts pace in more than a decade in the December 2019 to February 2020 … Read More

      Your Top Questions About Purchasing Property During the Coronavirus Pandemic If you were hoping to purchase a property soon, you no doubt have a lot of questions—about whether it’s possible to buy or tour a house now, … Read More

      The Home Seller’s Guide To Striking the Right Deal Today Despite the Pandemic The coronavirus crisis has thrown a number of wrinkles into the home-selling process. Stock market fluctuations and job layoffs have some buyers rethinking whether … Read More

      7 Ways to Help Recession-Proof Your Finances We are not financial advisors but I thought this article was interesting especially during these unprecedented circumstances.   Americans were in the middle of the longest economic expansion on record, … Read More

      5 Tips For Selling Your Home During The Coronavirus Pandemic While some sellers are deciding to pull their homes off the market and try to sell at a different time, that may not be an option for … Read More

      Sanctuary or Solitary? Keeping Your Sanity When Stuck Inside the House Home. The word means a safe and comfortable sanctuary to return to after a busy day. But with the novel coronavirus on the march across the … Read More

        Dear friends and family, The Leonard Real Estate Group would like to take a moment to address some of your concerns regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the real estate market.  While some claim … Read More

      Consumer Expectations in the Wake of the Coronavirus Pandemic   The first half of March retained guarded optimism that the epidemic would brush past us Early March consumer expectations remained optimistic about coronavirus’s impact on U.S. economy … Read More

      Mortgage Relief Options Are Available To Homeowners Affected By Coronavirus Safety Measures Homeowners who are facing a temporary hardship due to the coronavirus and heightened safety measures such as businesses shutting down have options to postpone mortgage … Read More

      Mortgage Rates Fall to Nearly 50-Year Low The average rate of a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to a historic low of 3.29%, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. This is the lowest rate in the survey’s … Read More

      10 Crucial Questions to Ask a Real Estate Agent When Selling Your Home If you’re looking to sell your home, you’ll want to hire an amazing listing real estate agent to help—and there are certain questions to ask … Read More

      U.S. Housing Supply Reaches All-Time Low National housing inventory declined 13.6% in January – the steepest year-over-year decrease in more than 4 years – pushing the supply of for-sale homes in the U.S. to the lowest level … Read More

      7 Tax Benefits of Owning a Home: A Complete Guide for Filing in 2020 What are the tax benefits of owning a home? Plenty of homeowners are asking themselves this right around now as they prepare to … Read More

      U.S. Housing Supply Reaches All-Time Low National housing inventory declined 13.6% in January – the steepest year-over-year decrease in more than 4 years – pushing the supply of for-sale homes in the U.S. to the lowest level … Read More

      Pending Home Sales Down in December WASHINGTON (January 29, 2020) – Pending home sales fell in December, taking a step back after increasing slightly in November, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Each of the four … Read More

      Existing-Home Sales Track Up 3.6 Percent To cap off 2019, existing-home sales tracked up, according to the December National Association of REALTORS® report this week. December’s adjusted annualized rate of sales totaled 5.54 million, climbing 3.6 percent … Read More

      10 Home Improvement Projects That Return The Most At Resale   If you want to get the biggest return on your investment in home renovation projects, it would be wise to take your to-do list outdoors. The … Read More

          We are committed to providing a premier level of service.   All aspects of your real estate experience will be accompanied by Results through exceptional Service and Honesty. From the onset of our marketing meeting, … Read More

        Dream Big: 6 Reasons Why You Should Look at Homes Outside Your Price Range   When you are house hunting, budget is everything. It dictates how much home you can reasonably afford, and therefore which homes … Read More

        Thank You   For making 2019 our most successful year ever. We are humbled and grateful for all the support and loyalty from all of our friends and clients. Have a safe, healthy and prosperous year … Read More

          Florida Realtors: Single-Family Sales Rise 6.1% in Nov. Florida’s housing market reported more single-family home sales and higher median prices, as well as increased pending sales and pending inventory in November 2019 compared to a … Read More

FEATURED PROPERTY 1022 Huntinglodge Drive   Beautiful 6 Bedroom, 5 1/2 bath, Family room, Den, Pool, Porte Cochere Must see in person Call for Appointment today!                 Home-Flipping Drops Along with Investment Returns … Read More

Santa’s Mailbox has Arrived   Thank You to all who attended our office Christmas Party Your patronage is greatly appreciated and your company was thoroughly enjoyed!         Should I Offer a Discount When Selling My Home? When … Read More

  Our latest reviews Robert Nelson ***** 6 days ago A trusted partner adding value every step of the way. In today’s competitive market, there are few agents who can make a full time job out of selling real estate. … Read More

          2020 Real Estate Outlook: Existing-Home Sales Rebound 1.9% in October as Low Mortgage Rates Continue to Provide a Lift The numbers: Sales of previously-owned homes rose 1.9% in October — the latest housing statistic to … Read More

          2020 Real Estate Outlook: Expert Predictions For Mortgage Rates Home Prices, Tech And More The 2019 housing market has been one of low rates, high demand and limited supply—particularly on the lower-priced end of the … Read More

          Florida’s Housing Market Shows Positive Trends in 3Q Florida’s housing market experienced positive trends in 3Q 2019, with more closed sales, higher median prices, more pending sales and rising pending inventory, according to the latest … Read More

          8 Signs You’re Ready to Stop Renting and Buy a Home Renting a place to live may give you the freedom to move when you want and relieve you of the responsibilities of homeownership, but … Read More

          How Much to Offer on a House: Should You Go Below or Above Asking Price? How much should you offer on a house? The not-so-simple answer: It depends on the market you’re in, the list … Read More

          9 Reasons Why Some Homes Sell Faster Beyond the obvious elements such as location and size, here are nine factors that can affect how quickly your home sells…READ MORE           Want … Read More

          Mortgage rates drop once again — sparking more interest in loan refinancing Mortgage rates fell yet again on a weekly basis thanks to the declining yield on Treasury notes. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.57% … Read More

          What Is a Property Lien? An Unpaid Debt That Could Trip Up Your Home Sale Property liens are one of the most common conditions that can slow down a real estate transaction. So what exactly … Read More

          Which Is The Better Investment Rental Property: A Single-Family Home Or Apartment Building? Investing in residential rental real estate is a great way to build wealth and diversify your portfolio. If you’re ready to plunge … Read More

          Sell Homes Faster With These Five Staging Tips Because you only get one chance at a first impression, it’s critical for everything in a home to look its best. When potential buyers look through a … Read More

          Inventory and List Prices Drop Unexpectedly Inventories of homes for sale fell 1.8% year-over-year in August, the first time in a year that inventories have dropped. “The state of the housing market as we head … Read More

          Dispelling the Myth of the 20 Percent Down Payment Saving for a down payment is one of the biggest obstacles faced by first-time homebuyers. Dispelling the 20 percent down payment myth could open the path to homeownership … Read More

          What Is the Average Price per Square Foot for a Home and Why Does It Matter? If you’re hoping to buy a house, the very first dollar figure you’ll want to know is the home’s price, … Read More

          Florida’s Closed and Pending Home Sales Median Prices Up in July Florida’s housing market reported more closed sales, more pending sales and higher median prices in July compared to a year ago, according to the … Read More

                Real Estate Is Back as Americans’ Favorite Long-Term Investment Stocks have long been the most glamorous of the major asset classes. Many a Hollywood film has centered around making fast money in … Read More

        FEATURED PROPERTY   27 HuntingLodge Dr  one of the original homes built in Miami Springs circa 1924 (for complete info click on photo)               Millennials drive mortgage refinance boom, and … Read More

        FEATURED PROPERTY   27 HuntingLodge Dr  one of the original homes built in Miami Springs circa 1924 (for complete info click on photo)               6 Expert Predictions for The Second … Read More

          Buyers Waiting for List Prices to Drop? They’ll Be Disappointed WASHINGTON – Homebuyers sitting on the sidelines waiting for housing prices to backslide might be waiting longer than expected, according to experts. The strong demand … Read More

          15 Best Questions to Ask When Buying a House Before making an offer on a house, you want to be absolutely sure that it’s “the one.” But with so many options out there, how do … Read More

          Why It’s Taking Longer to Find the Perfect Home With soaring prices, hordes of competition, and a dearth of properties for sale, snagging the right home for the right price is no easy task. And … Read More

          Should You Sell Your Home As Is, or Spring for a Renovation? Here’s How to Decide When you decide to sell a house that desperately needs updating, you basically have two choices: Sell it as … Read More

          What’s your retirement housing strategy? One of the most important aspects of retirement planning is making housing plans. The reality is that you need a place to live in retirement and there are a lot … Read More

          Homeowners Are Rethinking Staying Put After a bout of hesitation at the start of the year, homeowners are cozying up to the prospect of selling. According to the latest National Association of REALTORS® quarterly report, … Read More

          Death, Taxes and Inherited Homes Losing a family member is never easy. Neither is figuring out how to deal with the home and possessions they leave behind. It often falls to real estate agents to … Read More

          Home-price gains are weakest in 7 years The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city index rose a seasonally adjusted 0.1% in March, compared to February, and was 2.7% higher compared to a year ago. That was the … Read More

          Should You Do Home Upgrades Now … or Right Before You Sell? Home sellers are often told to make upgrades to their house before they sell … but when is the best time to get … Read More

                    Giving—or Receiving—a Down Payment Gift? Here Are the Tax Consequences Searching for homes and scrolling through listing photosis fun, but saving up for a down paymentcan be a real challenge. That’s … Read More

        Generational Trends: Boomerang Kids, and Millennials on the Move Adult children are moving in with their parents, and affecting their home-buying preferences—but baby boomers, who have conventionally driven the trend, are not the only generation to … Read More

        These Are the Best Days of the Year to Sell Your Home If you’re on the fence about listing your home, now is the perfect time to take the dive. According to a recent ATTOM Data … Read More

        Annual Appreciation Losing Momentum Annual appreciation in February kept slowing, with gains grinding to 4 percent, according to the latest national S&P CoreLogic/Case-Shiller Indices. One month prior, appreciation was north of 4 percent, and in February … Read More

        5 Non lazy Reasons to Skip Remodeling Before You Sell Home sellers often hear that if they ever hope to find a buyer, they must whip their house into perfect shape—fix this, paint that, overhaul your … Read More

        13 First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes to Avoid Buying your first home comes with many big decisions and can be as scary as it is exciting. It’s easy to get swept up in the whirlwind of home-shopping and … Read More

        What Is a Comparative Market Analysis? The CMA Explained A home’s price is a moving target—based on where it is, when it’s listed for sale, whether it has that trendy open kitchen, all of it. So if … Read More

        5 Unwritten Home-Selling Etiquette Rules That Can Make or Break Your Sale Selling a house takes, well, salesmanship. In other words, you have to prep your house so it looks its best. You have to open your … Read More

          What Today’s Sellers Want In the last 30 years, sellers have remained in the same home for longer periods of time. From 1987 to 2008, sellers stayed in their homes for a median of six … Read More

          As the Housing Market Shifts to Favor Buyers This Remains the Biggest Hurdle The recent slowdown in the housing market has been a boon for buyers. Since last summer, more properties have come onto the … Read More

          February 2019 Data: Inventory Growth Points to Cooler Spring Market The Best Time to List a Home For Sale The first week of April is the best time to list a home on the market … Read More

          February 2019 Data: Inventory Growth Points to Cooler Spring Market Realtor.com®’s February data shows the U.S. housing market could be heading into a cooler spring market than last year. Although home prices are increasing, 14 … Read More

          Home Prices Settling into Stable Territory “2018 was a turning point for home price growth in the U.S. housing market,” says Ralph McLaughlin, deputy chief economist and executive of Research and Insights at CoreLogic. “In … Read More

        5 Big Reasons to Sell Your Home This Year It’s no secret that life’s been pretty good to sellers for the past several years. Even if you had no need—or desire—to move, the housing landscape might … Read More

        6 Ways To Get Your Home Ready For A Spring Sale Selling your home in the spring doesn’t mean you have to actually wait until spring to prepare your home for a sale. After the holiday … Read More

      Quiz: Are You Really Ready to Sell Your House? Are you ready to sell your house? Sure, you may thinkyou’re ready. In fact, you may be dying to move right now, either because you outgrew your space, … Read More

      Data Shows Uptick in Seller Price Cuts The U.S. housing market is off to a slower start this year in many markets, compared to the rapid acceleration we saw last January. Although the market is slowing, it’s important … Read More

      Deep Dive for Existing-Home Sales, Falling 6.4 Percent After gaining ground in November and October, existing-home sales fell last month, dropping 6.4 percent to 4.99 million, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) reports. On an annual basis, … Read More

      What Will Affect Home Appreciation in 2019? It might not be a crash, but home appreciation is certainly poised for a slowdown in 2019 according to the fourth quarter of 2018 VeroFORECAST. The quarterly forecastrevealed that the rate … Read More

      7 Reasons to Accept the First Offer on Your House How do you know you’ve found The One? The one offeron your home worth taking, that is. It’s entirely natural for sellers to consider multiple offers from … Read More

      Conditions for Homebuyers Are Improving Right? With inventory loosening and prices slowing, buyers’ chances look promising—but as mortgage rates rise, how great are their odds, really? According to recently released researchby Zillow, home-buying power is shrinking. In … Read More

      We are committed to providing a premier level of service.   All aspects of your real estate experience will be accompanied by Results through exceptional Service and Honesty. From the onset of our marketing meeting, we are … Read More

      We are committed to providing a premier level of service.   All aspects of your real estate experience will be accompanied by Results through exceptional Service and Honesty. From the onset of our marketing meeting, we are … Read More

      4 Hard Lessons Learned Helping Mom Move This year, I helped my mom sell our family home. The hardest part? Going through decades worth of old belongings, deciding what to keep … and what to chuck. Before … Read More

      Forecasting Housing in 2019: Not Better for Buyers, but Not Worse   If the expectations about housing in 2019 can be summed up in one word, it’s this: balanced. After months and months on a runaway track, … Read More

FEATURED PROPERTY 1171 Nightingale Avenue   Call us to find out more       The Beginning of the End of Explosive Prices Case-Shiller ‘Confirms’ Cooling Housing Market…In September, the growth in home prices slowed to 5.5 percent, continuing a … Read More

      Should Buyers Beware or Start Celebrating? After years of steadily increasing values, home price reductions are on the rise. In fact, the share of U.S. homes listed for sale with at least one price cut is at … Read More

      6 Reasons You Shouldn’t Take Your Home Off the Market for the Holidays Tempted to take your home off the market—or hold off on listing it—until after the new year? After all, you’re swamped with cooking, shopping, … Read More

      Cheaper the Home Faster the Price Rises While overall home price growth is beginning to moderate, lower-priced homes continue to outpace higher priced homes in appreciation, continuing to challenge young millennials interested in homeownership. Nationally, home prices … Read More

      Introducing the Newest Member of the Leonard Real Estate Group   CHUCK the TRUCK 1963 Volkswagen Single Cab Available for community and charity events Free of charge    ………………………………………………..……………………………………………………………………………             Existing Home … Read More

      FEATURED PROPERTY OF THE WEEK!         Inventory Watch Is ‘Big Change’ on the Horizon? The grip on inventory is loosening, with fresh listings sprouting up and the severity of the shortage starting to unwind, … Read More

      Custom built in 2014! This home is premium quality, top to bottom.  More Details Coming Soon       More Homeowners on Board With Selling With prices rapidly rising, homeowners have been reluctant to sell, fearful of being … Read More

          Case-Shiller: Ease-Off in Home Prices The foot on the gas is letting up.   The explosive growth in home prices is slowing, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic/Case-Shiller Indices, which found July prices rose 6 percent … Read More

      CLICK HERE for more detailed information       The Single Best Way to Sell Your Home This Fall, Revealed You may have heard that spring and summer are the top home-selling seasons, and that fall is as … Read More

      CLICK HERE for more detailed information       How to Price a Home in a Seller’s Market: Go Low, or Shoot for the Stars? How to price a home in a seller’s market may be a … Read More

      How Long Should You Live in Your Home? 6 Signs It’s Time to Move On  Ten years. That’s the average amount of time a homeowner stays in a house, according to the National Association of Realtors®.Think that … Read More

      Pending Home Sales Stumble as Housing Market Momentum Wanes  Pending home sales stepped back in July and have now fallen on an annual basis for seven straight months, according to the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending … Read More

      Existing-Home Sales Stuck For the fourth month straight, existing-home sales slid, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) reports. Activity declined 0.7 percent in July, to 5.34 million, down 1.5 percent from the prior year. Inventory rewound, as … Read More

      These Mortgages Pay for Home Renovations Many people don’t realize that there are renovation loans that can help pay for your housing upgrades. Whether you need a new roof or your kitchen is outdated, there is a … Read More

      Affordability Challenges Keep Millennials on the Sidelines Affordability is fading fast—and although millennials are eager to enter the market, and succeeding, they’re bearing the brunt of the challenge, according to recent research. Sixty-three percent of millennials under … Read More

      Pending Sales Still Underwhelm Year-Over-Year With an 0.9 percent gain month-over-month, June pending sales slightly sparked, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) Pending Home Sales Index(PHSI)—but, on an annual basis, contracts still underwhelmed, down 2.5 … Read More

      Existing-Home Sales Slip, but Inventory Stirs Barely budging against imbalanced inventory, existing-home sales slipped at the start of summer, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) reports. Activity in June declined 0.6 percent to 5.38 million, down 2.2 … Read More

      Millennials raiding their 401(k)s to buy homes Millennials: They’ve experienced bad timing, having witnessed the devastating effects of a market downturn 10 years ago as many were approaching adulthood. But, according to the Bank of the West … Read More

      Warning: House Flipping Fever Can Be Contagious Flipping homes has never been so popular. According to ATTOM Data Solutions, 207,088 single-family homes and condos were flipped last year alone. That’s almost 3,000 more than in 2016, and … Read More

      Over Five Million Baby Boomers Expect to Rent Next Home by 2020 Baby Boomers and others aged 55 or older, including several million current homeowners, expect to move to rental units according to the first Freddie Mac … Read More

      ‘Independence Day Parade’ spectators & participants! Please join us at the Annual Miami Springs Independence Day Parade. The Leonard Real Estate Group will once again be part of this wonderful tradition. Look for our trolley! This year … Read More

        We are committed to providing a premier level of service. All aspects of your real estate experience will be accompanied by Results through exceptional Service and Honesty. From the onset of our marketing meeting, we are … Read More