News about properties and real estate
Homeowners hit with substantial increases in their flood insurance as a result of recent changes in the federal program should do their homework, experts say, because there may be ways to lower their bills. “A lot of people don’t know the flood map is not set in stone,’’ said Jason Cummins of Cummins-Cederberg, a coastal …
Continue reading “TALLAHASSEE: Homeowners can challenge flood insurance rates”
When Citizens Property Insurance sends out its monthly customer bills, only 31 percent of them go to the same house that is insured. The rest go to other mailboxes in Florida — and around the globe, according to data analyzed by the American Consumer Institute of Citizen Research. More than 19,000 bills go to people …
Continue reading “TALLAHASSEE: Report: Citizens insures thousands of out-of-state policyholders”
One of the most prominent urban properties in Florida will hit the market for sale following a four-year foreclosure saga. The Irish government, acting as receiver for the defunct Anglo-Irish Bank, repossessed the former Sarasota Quay property Monday after no other bidders made a viable offer at its long-awaited foreclosure auction, court records show. The …
To the would-be developer of seven new houses, it was a routine “ministerial” decision. To neighbors, it was a seal of approval on new “McMansions.” But to South Miami city commissioners, a Tuesday night decision on whether to waive land-use regulations was a case study in confusion. The City Commission cast six votes on the …
Continue reading “South Miami commission gets mixed up over small development”
At 59 and 60, Kim and John Keuning are closing in on retirement — but they aren’t quite ready for it. Six years out from their target date, the Duluth, Minn., duo have roughly $500,000 saved. Selling the small ad agency they own could net them another $150,000, they figure. (None of their five grown …
Continue reading “Nearing retirement, with 3 tuition bills to pay”
Angel Luna bought a three-bedroom bungalow five minutes from the water in Apollo Beach when she moved to Florida to launch her jewelry and clothing design business. She soon decided she would rather live where she worked in West Shore than commute from South County, but Luna wanted to retain ownership of the bungalow and …