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On the campaign trail, Jeb Bush has repeatedly emphasized his record overseeing Florida’s boom economy as the state’s governor. He says it’s an example of an economy that created a huge number of jobs and benefited the middle class — an example of what he could do as president. “I know how to do this,” he said in Maitland, Fla., on Monday. But according to interviews with economists and a review of data, Florida owed a substantial portion of its growth under Bush not to any state policies but to a massive and unsustainable housing bubble — one that ultimately benefited rich investors at the expense of middle-class families. The bubble, one of the biggest in the nation, drove up home prices and had many short-term benefits for the state, spurring construction, spending and jobs. But the collapse of the housing bubble as Bush left office in 2007, after eight years of service, sent Florida into a recession deeper than that in the rest of the country, and hundreds of thousands lost th...

Earlier this morning we saw that housing starts unexpectedly plunged 9.3% to an annualized rate of 893,000. On the face of it, the report was ugly, considering all the talk about the recent housing snapback. It's important to note that the miss was entire due to one region: the South. Housing starts plunged 29.6% in the South, driven by weakness in single family units. "All the hit is in the south, where starts plunged by 29.6%, the biggest ever monthly drop, despite gains in each other region," wrote Ian Shepherdson at Pantheon Macroeconomics. Starts were actually up in the rest of the country. In the Northeast, housing starts were up 14.1%, driven mostly by multi-family starts. In the Midwest they were up 28%, and in the West they were up 2.6%. It wasn't immediately clear what was behind the sudden plunge in the south. "But homebuilders are being constrained by a shortage of labour and lots," Paul Diggle at Capital Economics. "...

Norway is moving closer to easing mortgage lending standards as the nation’s deflating property market prompts concern among lawmakers that existing regulations are too tight. Real estate prices, which have doubled over the past decade and touched a record high this year, are now dropping faster than the central bank had predicted. The Conservative-led government, which won power in September, says it’s now looking into raising the amount banks can lend to borrowers to 90 percent of a property’s value, from 85 percent previously, in an effort to support first-time buyers. A New Residential Development in Oslo Norway’s housing market, which Nobel laureate Robert Shiller already in 2012 said was in a bubble, has been inflated by a period of record-low interest rates that fueled a borrowing spree in Scandinavia’s richest nation and left Norwegians more indebted than ever before.   Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg said Nov. 8 her government is ready to...

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The percentage of customers signing offers in January increased by 12 percentage points according to a leading brokerage and 23 percent of Americans think it is a good time to sell compared to 11 percent the same time last year, according to Fannie Mae’s January 2013 National Housing Survey results. Customers signing offers increased 70.4 percent in January, compared with an increase of 58.5 percent a year earlier and customers requesting home tours were up 57.9 percent in January, compared with to 52.0 percent in 2012 according to Redfin’s Real-Time Demand Pulse. The increase in homebuyer demand seen in January paired with a nation-wide inventory shortage has created an extreme seller’s market, the brokerage said. Particularly in Redfin’s Southern California markets, bidding wars involving thirty or more offers have become increasingly common. Fannie’s Mae’s monthly survey found that while expectations regarding personal finances stayed relatively flat, other housing indicato...

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Los Angeles, a city where 63.1% of residents rent their homes, is in the midst of a crisis in rental housing. A recent study by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development laid out the stark facts. Los Angeles rents have increased, after adjusting for inflation, by nearly 30% over the last 20 years. During the same period, renter incomes have decreased by 6%. One important part of the problem is an inadequate supply of affordable rental units. Only 37 units are available and affordable for every 100 would-be renters living at the average renter income level.   Moreover, the foreclosure crisis, which many predicted would relieve pressure on the rental market by increasing the volume of rental units, has instead exacerbated the problem. Families who lost their homes through foreclosure have turned to the rental market and are competing for units, which has made for an even tighter rental market and more upward pressure on rents. The effects of the affordability...

With all the hullabaloo surrounding social media, business blogging is not getting the attention it rightfully deserves. There are so many benefits of maintaining an effective company blog, and companies who do not risk  missing out on opportunities for increased lead generation, more new business and amplified brand recognition—to name only a few.  According to  HubSpot , companies that maintain blogs attract 55% more website visitors, get 97% more inbound links and have 434% more indexed web pages than companies without blogs.  The more often a company blogs, the more traffic and leads it will be able to produce. Businesses that produce at least 20 blog posts per month generate over five times more traffic than those that produce less than four per month.  Additionally, companies that blog at least 20 times per month generate four times more leads than those without a blog. Clearly, high-quality business blogging has real value. Learn how to take yo...

Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS) are seen by many as the best route to tax effective retirement savings for expats. However, with so many countries offering QROPS there is another issue for those thinking of transferring their pension to consider. That is whether the country where the QROPS is based has a double tax agreement (DTA) with the UK. This is a quick guide to understanding the issue What is QROPS? QROPS allows for anyone with a UK pension pot planning to leave the country to retire, or has already done so, to transfer their pension offshore. With planning, this can be a hugely rewarding but the QROPS must be recognised by HM Revenue and Customs. However, financial advisers should take careful note of the DTA in place before recommending a QROPS jurisdiction. What is a DTA? This is an agreement between the UK and other countries to avoid earners and investors paying tax twice on the same money. What do I need to do? You need to ens...

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Each week we take a look at how much house you can expect to get at a specific price point. This week, we’re looking at homes priced around $500,000. New Seabury, MA 103 Summer Sea Road, New Seabury MA For sale: $495,000   This expanded Cape Cod with a contemporary, open floor plan is situated on an expansive lot in New Seabury. Vaulted ceilings, skylights, oversized windows and a first-floor master suite are some of the features of the 4-bedroom, 3.5-bath home. Portland, OR 13136 NW Dumar St, Portland OR For sale: $499,900   Nestled on a quiet cul-de-sac in Portland, this home has new carpet, granite counters and stainless steel appliances. The 1984-built home has 2,603 square feet of living space, 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Austin, TX 37 Tall Oaks Trl, Austin TX For sale: $495,000   This grand stone home sits on almost 2 acres of flat, “manicured” land in Austin. The home features 5 bedrooms, 4 baths and 4 livin...

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Mock direct mail advertisement illustrating claims that could be misleading. Federal regulators have sent warning letters to more than 30 companies, including real estate agents, homebuilders and lead generators, warning them that their mortgage advertising on websites, Facebook and in newspapers and direct mailers may be deceptive. The Federal Trade Commission said it sent letters to 20 companies in a coordinated action with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which issued warning letters to approximately a dozen others. The FTC said the agencies' review of about 800 mortgage ads from a wide variety of media "revealed several types of troubling claims that could be misleading to consumers." The review found potential violations of the Mortgage Acts and Practices Advertising Rule and the FTC Act in: Ads that offered a very low fixed mortgage rate without discussing significant loan terms. Ads containing statements, images, symbols and abbrev...

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