Monthly Archives: March 2011

Sun n’ Fun Fly-In 2011

Posted on March 29, 2011 by gatearty

The annual aviation event made it’s way back to the Lakeland community this past weekend. This Friday should mark the start to a busy weekend. Gates open at 8 am, & close at 8 pm. You may want to catch … Continue reading →

Posted in florida, lakeland activities, lakeland culture, lakeland events, Sun n' Fun Fly-In | 1 Comment

National Vacancy is Up

Posted on March 28, 2011 by gatearty

The national vacancy rate crept up to just over 13% according to last week’s decennial census report. That’s up from 12.1% in 2007.  Maine had the highest proportion of empty housing stock, at 22.8%. Other states with gluts of empty … Continue reading →

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Taking a Dip

Posted on March 22, 2011 by gatearty

The “winning streak” had to come to an end at some point I suppose. Sales of existing homes fell in February after three straight monthly increases.  According to the National Association of Realtors, homes sold at an annual rate of … Continue reading →

Posted in finance, investing, mortgage, National Association of Realtors, real estate investing, real estate sales | Leave a comment

Home Construction Down in February 2011

Posted on March 17, 2011 by gatearty

New home construction took a steep nosedive in February. The U.S. Commerce Department annnounced that housing starts (the number of new homes being built) fell 22.5% to an annual rate of 479,000 in February, down from a revised 618,000 units … Continue reading →

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Mid-Florida Sales Stats for February 2011

Posted on March 16, 2011 by gatearty

The Mid Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service (MFRMLS) has published its stats for the month of February & the sales activity has increased when compared to the same point last year. There were 188 sales in 201 & only 157 … Continue reading →

Posted in florida, foreclosure, MLS, real estate investing, real estate sales, short sales | Leave a comment

Back in the U.S.A.

Posted on March 15, 2011 by gatearty

Investors like to “hedge their bets” by diversifying their investment portfolios. For example, a certain % in each category of stocks, bonds, index funds, & real estate. Many investors even like to further diversify by looking into markets abroad in … Continue reading →

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Your Rent is Going Up, Up, & Away

Posted on March 15, 2011 by gatearty

We all learned in Economy 101 about the law of supply & demand. With more people electing to rent now, the supply of available rentals is going down. Rental vacancy rates have dipped below the 10% mark for the first … Continue reading →

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Cash is King

Posted on March 10, 2011 by gatearty

A slew of new rules, regulations and policies have changed the mortgage landscape, thus making buying a new home a bit more difficult & more “expensive.” A few short years ago, first-time buyers accounted for 40% of home sales. Today, that … Continue reading →

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Florida Foreclosures Go Down

Posted on March 10, 2011 by gatearty

According to RealtyTrac, the number of foreclosure notices filed in February dropped an astounding 14% from January and a staggering 27% compared with a year earlier for the biggest year-over-year decline. So what’s up with that?  Well, many experts believe … Continue reading →

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Underwater Homes

Posted on March 9, 2011 by gatearty

“Falling home prices at the turn of the year pushed more borrowers into a negative equity position, meaning they owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.  In Q4, 23% of borrowers nationwide, or 11.1 million, were holding … Continue reading →

Posted in bank, finance, florida, foreclosure, mortgage | Leave a comment