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Mary Shanklin | Orlando Sentinel | “Florida led the nation last month with what one expert called an “astounding” rate of all-cash home sales: 66 percent, a new report shows. Investor groups, international buyers, landlords and those in the market for vacation homes are fueling a cash-only market that has virtually shut out entry-level homebuyers, who can’tRead more

Raju Chebium | Gannett Washington Bureau | “California’s hard-hit housing market has improved considerably since the crisis of 2008 but Congress should pass President Barack Obama’s latest proposals to keep that recovery on track, Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan said Monday. The White House released a raft of evidence touting California’s housing recovery due to policies adopted since ObamaRead more

Timothy Gibbons | Managing Editor- Jacksonville Business Journal | “Florida had nine of the top 10 cities with the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, a list led by Jacksonville, according to the Florida Legislature’s Office of Economic and Demographic Research. That’s the third month in a row, the Jacksonville News & Daily Record say, that the stateRead more

by NorthEscambia.com | “While Gov. Rick Scott travels the state touting job growth and an unemployment rate below the national average, a report released last week by state analysts points to some continuing economic problems such as a lack of income growth and persistent home foreclosures. Florida had a 1.5 percent decline in personal incomeRead more

ALEX FERRERAS | “The latest housing data from the Florida Association of Realtors has revealed that the Sunshine State’s housing market is now in recovery mode – despite the fact the state suffered massive foreclosure losses over the last 6 years. Florida is not only witnessing double-digit gains in statewide home sales, new listings, pending salesRead more

William R. Levesque, Times Staff Writer | Scott and Jill Kelley’s posh home on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa is in foreclosure. CAROLINA HIDALGO | Times “Attorneys had gathered in a conference room to question the Tampa socialite who had unwittingly triggered the scandal that ended the career of CIA director David Petraeus. Jill Kelley’s house isRead more

Brian Bandell | South Florida Business Journal | “O.J. Simpson didn’t fare as well in front of Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Gisela Cardonne Ely as he did before Judge Lance Ito, as the former judge sent his Kendall home to foreclosure auction. The football legend, currently in a Nevada prison after a robbery and kidnapping conviction, lost an $892,283 foreclosure judgmentRead more

By KEVIN WIATROWSKI | Tribune staff | “An audit of Tampa’s Neighborhood Empowerment division has found the agency failed to collect more than $450,000 in registration fees for foreclosed properties this year. The report prompted a dressing down of division director Jake Slater during Thursday’s Tampa City Council meeting. Slater’s division oversees the city’s foreclosure registryRead more

By Christine DeGangi | AOL Real Estate | “Maryland’s foreclosure starts in July increased 275 percent from last year, according to RealtyTrac’s July 2013 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. Overall Maryland foreclosure activity — including default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions — saw a 148 percent increase since July 2012 with one in every 598 housing units inRead more

Les Christie  @CNNMoney | “States like Maryland, Oregon and New Jersey, which maintained relatively stable markets after the housing bubble popped, saw new foreclosure filings climb by double- and triple-digit percentages in July, according to RealtyTrac. In Maryland, for example, new foreclosure filings skyrocketed 275% compared with a year earlier. When it came to overall foreclosure activity, includingRead more