April 12, 2019Phil Hall Cities where marijuana has been legalized enjoy more vibrant housing markets versus localities where marijuana is still illegal, according to a study from Clever Real Estate. The new study determined that between 2014 and 2019, cities that allowed retail marijuana dispensaries to operate saw local home values increase $22,888 more than those where marijuana remains illegal. From 2017 to 2019, cities that legalized recreational marijuana usage saw home values increase $6,337 more than those where marijuana is illegal. The report highlighted the examples Colorado and Washington, the first states to legalize cannabis for recreational use. According to the study, since opening their first dispensaries in 2014. Colorado home values… Read More
Continue ReadingLender Initiatives to Recruit and Retain a More Diverse Workforce
April 8, 2019Brooke Mulder I would like to start this article by saying that I love the mortgage industry. I’ve been working for financial institutions since business school, which eventually led me into the mortgage space specifically. I’ve worked as a Loan Officer, a Sales Manager for a team of 15 LOs, a Business Analyst, a Call Center Director and an Executive. It’s an exciting, fast-paced, ever-changing industry. I love the camaraderie many of us feel when we see the same faces again and again at conferences. I love that for an industry that employs some 350,000 people, it can seem like such a small world. Everybody seems to be… Read More
Continue ReadingForeign Buyers Spent $8.7B in South Florida Housing Purchases
Foreign buyers purchased $8.7 billion in South Florida residential properties in 2018, but from $7.1 billion in 2017, according to data from the Miami Association of Realtors and the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Foreign buyers purchased 14,300 properties in this market last year, down from 15,300 one year earlier. South Florida was responsible for nearly 9.5 percent of all U.S. international home sales last year. Foreign buyers spent a median price of $373,000 for residential properties in 2018, while about five percent of South Florida foreign buyers purchased local homes without even visiting the state. Within this market, nearly 51 percent of all South Florida international home sales occurred in Miami-Dade… Read More
Continue Reading