NAR: Commercial real estate easing in economic slowdown
WASHINGTON – June 19, 2008 – Commercial real estate vacancies are trending up modestly, while investment has dropped sharply in the wake of the credit crunch, according to preliminary information for the latest Commercial Real Estate Outlook of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).


22 arrested on charges of mortgage fraud
MIAMI – June 20, 2008 – Federal officials blasted the real estate industry on Thursday for not doing enough to prevent rampant fraud within its own ranks.
At least 22 people in Miami-Dade have been arrested on federal mortgage fraud charges in recent weeks, U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said. They’re accused of stealing more than $37 million from homeowners and banks.

Analyst paints rosy picture for S. Fla. real estate agents
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – June 16, 2008 – Home prices in South Florida “easily” could be 20 percent to 30 percent higher by 2013, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.
Addressing local real estate agents during a conference at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Lawrence Yun countered the persistent pessimism of experts who insist the region’s housing market will continue to struggle before rebounding slowly during the next few years.

New law allows landlords to charge liquidated damages
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – June 16, 2008 – A Florida landlord can now charge liquidated damages or an early termination fee under a bill signed last week by Gov. Charlie Crist, even if the property is re-rented immediately. The bill is similar to one Crist vetoed last year.

Some Very Good News for The Loan Market

Lenders Agree to Increase Anti-Foreclosure Efforts (Update1)
By Alison Vekshin
June 16 (Bloomberg) -- Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp. and other leading U.S. mortgage lenders agreed to expand efforts to help borrowers avert foreclosure as the Senate prepares to weigh legislation addressing the housing crisis.

Analyst paints rosy picture for S. Fla. real estate agents
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – June 16, 2008 – Home prices in South Florida “easily” could be 20 percent to 30 percent higher by 2013, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors said Thursday.

New law allows landlords to charge liquidated damages
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – June 16, 2008 – A Florida landlord can now charge liquidated damages or an early termination fee under a bill signed last week by Gov. Charlie Crist, even if the property is re-rented immediately. The bill is similar to one Crist vetoed last year.

Downsizing the American home

During the housing bubble, KB Home priced out first-time homebuyers by building bigger. Its new, more modest model provides a glimpse of what the return of the housing market may look like.