ISLAND WALK 2025 Sales by Community
To see all the properties, by Community, which sold in 2025 click HERE
My Year End Report with full details of Median Sales Prices, Price Per Sq.Ft. and DOM will be published shortly. (more…)
BONITA BAY 2025 Sales by Community
To see all the properties, by Community, which sold in 2025 click HERE
My Year End Report with full details of Median Sales Prices, Price Per Sq.Ft. and DOM will be published shortly. (more…)
BAY FOREST 2025 Sales by Community
To see all the properties, by Community, which sold in 2025 click HERE
My Year End Report with full details of Median Sales Prices, Price Per Sq.Ft. and DOM will be published shortly. (more…)
PELICAN BAY SALES by Community 2025
To see all the properties, by Community, which sold in 2025 click HERE
My Year End Report with full details of Median Sales Prices, Price Per Sq.Ft. and DOM will be published shortly. (more…)
NAPLES PARK 2025 Sales by Area
To see all the properties, by Community, which sold in 2025 click HERE
My Year End Report with full details of Median Sales Prices, Price Per Sq.Ft. and DOM will be published shortly. (more…)
PINE ISLAND SOUTH 2025 Sales by Community
To see all the properties, by Community, which sold in 2025 click HERE
My Year End Report with full details of Median Sales Prices, Price Per Sq.Ft. and DOM will be published shortly. (more…)
PELICAN MARSH 2025 Sales by Community
To see all the properties, by Community, which sold in 2025 click HERE
My Year End Report with full details of Median Sales Prices, Price Per Sq.Ft. and DOM will be published shortly. (more…)
Will mortgage rates fall if the GSEs buy $200 billion of MBS?
If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac materially increase their purchases of mortgage-backed securities (MBS), the most likely impact is modest downward pressure on mortgage rates. The effect is limited, uneven, and conditional on broader market forces.
Transmission Mechanism:
When GSEs buy more agency MBS, demand for those securities increases. This pushes MBS prices higher and yields lower, which compresses the primary–secondary spread for mortgage lenders. Lenders can then offer slightly lower mortgage rates to borrowers. This mechanism is similar to quantitative easing, though on a much smaller scale.
Expected Magnitude:
Historical experience suggests mortgage rates could fall by approximately 5 to 25 basis points (0.05%–0.25%), with most estimates clustering around 10–15 basis points for a program on the order of $200 billion. This is noticeable but not dramatic.
Why the Impact Is Limited:
The agency MBS market is very large, roughly $9–10 trillion, so even a $200 billion purchase program represents only a small share of outstanding securities. Treasury yields still play a dominant role in mortgage rate determination, meaning rising Treasury yields can offset the benefits of GSE buying. Additionally, banks and the Federal Reserve are not expanding balance sheets, limiting the overall effect.
Secondary Effects:
Potential positives include narrower MBS spreads, improved rate stability, and better lender confidence. Risks include perceptions of political interference, which could raise term premiums elsewhere, and concerns about prepayment risk among investors.
Net Assessment:
The base case is small but real rate relief. In the best case, mortgage rates could improve by 15–25 basis points if macro conditions are favorable. In the worst case, GSE buying merely prevents rates from rising further.
Bottom Line:
Increased GSE MBS purchases are best viewed as a cushioning tool rather than a transformative policy. They can modestly lower mortgage rates, especially when Treasury yields are stable or declining, but they are not a game-changer for the mortgage market. (more…)
Are mortgage rates holding back the market?
I get asked this question regularly. The chart below covers the last 3 years, and shows that since September 2022 the 30-year FRM has been mostly between 6% and 7% with 3 spikes over 7%, and one drop to 6% in the fall of 2024.The current rate of 6.5% is in the middle of the range for most of the last 3 years.
10 Value-Adding Home Improvements You Can Do for $1,000 or Less
A farmhouse sink. LED lighting. A pot filler. You might think these relatively low-cost home upgrades wouldn’t add much value, but our research shows that these and other home upgrades with modest price tags could pay for themselves — or even generate big returns — when you sell your home.
A Zillow analysis of more than 350 features in the listing descriptions of more than 2 million homes listed for sale in 2024 found that some home improvements are associated with higher than expected sales prices. The features analyzed won’t guarantee that your home will sell for more if you include them in a for-sale listing. But the following upgrades — gleaned from those listings — offers a good starting point for moderately priced home renovation ideas that could add value to your home while making life a little sweeter.
This article from Zillow lists 4 upgrades uber $500, 5 under $1,000, and 2 over $1,000. (more…)
Number of Citizens’ Insurance Policies Halved since 2023
As of Friday, Citizens had 770,729 policies. As of June 30, it had 774,814 policies; the next largest property insurer, State Farm Florida Insurance Co. had 643,671, according to a state Office of Insurance Regulation report. Citizens topped 1.4 million policies in 2023, and the depopulation program has played a key role in whittling that number.
Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky last week signed orders that would allow five private insurers to assume up to 87,925 policies from Citizens in November and December. That came after the state last month approved proposals by nine companies to assume up to 428,947 policies in October, November and December. (more…)
Major Homebuilder Sees Surprising Signs of Life in Troubled Florida Housing Market
A major homebuilder has reported recent gains in Florida, marking a surprising turnaround in the state after several years of slowing sales and falling prices.
PulteGroup, the third-largest homebuilder in the nation, said that net new orders in Florida rose 2% last quarter compared with a year earlier.
“We’re really happy with what we saw out of Florida,” PulteGroup President and CEO Ryan Marshall told investors on a call last month. “We get buyers from all over the country, all over the world that come into Florida. We also see a healthy mix of folks moving within Florida as well.” PulteGroup’s unexpected uptick in Florida sales follows years of pronounced weakness in the state, where homebuilders have been forced to slash prices and offer mortgage rate buydowns and other generous concessions in the face of weak demand.
In recent months, however, there are signs that Florida’s housing market is getting closer to equilibrium, with inventory stabilizing and price declines slowing. (more…)
Storm Losses and Attorney and Public Adjuster Fees in Florida
“While hurricanes have become more frequent and severe in recent years, the threat of damage from catastrophic weather events is not the only factor driving a decrease in capacity and increased insurance costs in the state. Increased legislation has increased the cost of claims. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation reports that Florida accounts for only 9% of the nation’s homeowners’ claims but 79% of homeowners insurance lawsuits. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation states that over a 10-year period, 71% of the $51 billion paid by Florida insurers went to attorneys’ fees and public adjusters. In total, these parties have received more claims settlement money than policyholders. In 2023, the industry posted collective underwriting losses of $190.8 million, marking the eighth straight year of losses, according to S&P Global. As a result, insurance in Florida continues to be scarcer and more expensive. (more…)
How’s the Market in Bonita Springs in 2025?
This is, naturally, the most asked question by both buyers and sellers.
While there are always anecdotal stories – about both high- and low-priced sales – I try in this blog to focus on facts, actual sales data, albeit recognising that sales take place 4-8 weeks after a contract is signed. So sales are a lagging indicator; but they are neither selective nor influenced by emotion.
While I normally focus on quarterly numbers in less seasonal markets, here in Southwest Florida the market fluctuates so much with the calendar – more higher-priced take place during “the season” – that I report monthly figures for the overall area.
Here are the charts showing median prices since 2022 for all areas of Bonita Springs, broken down by property type. In broad terms the median price peaks each year in the early months, drifts lower in the summer months and recovers in the Fall. The Condo market is showing signs of weakness beyond the seasonal.
Single family sales
SFH sales have been generally in the $700,00-800,000 range:
Villa Sales (more…)
How’s the Condo Market in Pelican Bay in 2025?
As a follow up to my post How’s the Market in Naples in 2025? I have produced a simlar report for Pelican Bay Condos. As Condo sales account for 80% or more of all sales in Pelican Bay, I have not produced the charts for Single Family and Villa sales. Because of the much smaller number of those sales, they are more appropriately monitored on a quarterly basis and are included in my quarterly reports. Because there were only 3 very high-prices sales in November 2024 I have excluded that month from the chart. In general, the median price in recent years has been in the $1.1-1.5 million range, with the usual seasonal variations: Higher early in the year when more buyers of higher-priced properties are here, dropping in the summer and picking up again in the Fall.
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