Florida RealEstateRama

Tampa, FL - September 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) urges residents and businesses along the U.S. coastline from North Carolina to Maine to take steps now to minimize potential wind and water damage from Hurricane Earl.

TAVARES, FL - September 2, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As part of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program, Lake County is conducting a pilot program by selecting one home and one small commercial building to receive free energy efficiency retrofits (up to a $3,000 value) to show how small investments in energy efficiency reduce energy costs.

Tampa, FL - August 31, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Home and business owners can reduce their chances of property damage by taking measures ahead of time to protect their unoccupied house or business, according to the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

Tampa, FL - August 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- With Hurricane Danielle churning out in the Atlantic, and the recollection of the massive destruction wrought by Hurricane Andrew on this date 18 years ago, the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) urges residents to take the necessary precautions to minimize wind and water damage from potential hurricanes.

ORLANDO, FL - August 24, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing condominiums in Florida rose 11 percent in July, with a total of 5,557 condos sold statewide compared to 4,991 units sold in July 2009, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®.Eleven of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported higher existing condo sales in July, according to Florida Realtors. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $87,200; in July 2009 it was $108,500 for a 20 percent decrease. The national median existing condo price was $181,300 in June, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR

ORLANDO, FL - August 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida Realtors® and four other state Realtor organizations successfully negotiated with Kenneth Feinberg, administrator of the new Gulf Coast Claims Facility handling the British Petroleum (BP) Oil Spill Fund, for a special allocation for real estate professionals’ claims for loss of income or loss of sales due to the Gulf oil spill.

Tampa, FL - August 18, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Five years after Hurricane Katrina, building codes along the Gulf Coast today are, for the most part, inadequate, according to a report from the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 16, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today sent a letter to Scott Wallace, executive director of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, calling on Citizens to implement contract reforms to ensure accountable and competitive contracting, and allow all qualified businesses the opportunity to compete for work available from Citizens. Wallace is scheduled to meet with CFO Sink’s staff about contracting procedures at Citizens next week.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 10, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced his office has launched three new investigations into allegations of unfair and deceptive actions by Florida law firms handling foreclosure cases. The Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division is investigating whether improper documentation may have been created and filed with Florida courts to speed up foreclosure processes, potentially without the knowledge or consent of the homeowners involved

Tampa, FL - August 9, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As new and existing home sales remain sluggish, one way sellers can increase appeal of their homes is by adding disaster-resistant retrofits, according to the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)

TALLAHASSEE, FL - August 6, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that a Pinellas County woman pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $8 million in a real estate fraud scheme. Cheryl Wehlau, owner of Gulf Coast Title Offices, entered her plea yesterday in a case prosecuted by the Office of Statewide Prosecution.

ORLANDO, FL - July 30, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The latest gadgets and gizmos, motivating advice from leading real estate trainers and a chance to network with other real estate professionals: That’s what the Florida Realtors’® 2010 Convention & Trade Expo has to offer – opportunities to learn new practices, gain fresh approaches and boost business.

Washington, DC - July 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Today, during a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas (FL-24) called for action to stabilize the commercial real estate market in order to help small businesses grow and create jobs. At the hearing, entitled ‘Alternatives for Promoting Liquidity in the Commercial Real Estate Markets, Supporting Small Businesses and Increasing Job Growth,’ Kosmas addressed the need to help small businesses who are facing a lack of available credit and are being denied the ability to renew the commercial real estate loans that are critical to their operations.

TALLAHASSEE, FL - July 29, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Florida CFO Alex Sink today issued the following statement after meeting with Kenneth Feinberg, the independent administrator of the BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Victim Compensation Fund, about the lost-income claims process for small businesses and real estate professionals.

Tampa, Fla. (July 27, 2010) – The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) offers residents and small business owners the following guidance on returning to flood-damaged properties.

Tampa, FL - July 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- As Tropical Storm Bonnie approaches South Florida, the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) urges residents to take steps to minimize wind and water damage from the storm.

ORLANDO, FL - July 23, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Sales of existing homes in Florida rose 15 percent in June, marking 22 consecutive months that sales activity has increased in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®.A total of 18,038 single-family existing homes sold statewide last month compared to 15,732 homes sold in June 2009, according to Florida Realtors. June’s statewide existing home sales increased 7.7 percent over statewide sales activity in May. Meanwhile, last month’s statewide existing-home median price of $143,400 was 2.1 percent higher than May’s statewide existing-home median price of $140,400. It marks the fourth month in a row that the statewide existing-home median price has increased over the previous month’s median.

Tampa, Fla. (July 22, 2010) – The summer edition of Disaster Safety Review, a publication of the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), sheds new light on coastal property risks as the Gulf and Atlantic coasts prepare to enter the height of what is forecast to be an active hurricane season.

Tampa, FL - July 22, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) today released its latest research study, “Surviving Nature’s Fury: Performance of Asphalt Shingle Roofs in the Real World,” which investigated damage from Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008.

July 21, 2010 - (RealEstateRama) -- Yesterday, Rep. Wasserman Schultz secured funding for important transportation and housing projects in her district. These funds have been passed out of the Appropriations committee as part of the Fiscal Year 2011 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill.