Southwest Florida Real Estate News and Market Insight

An ultra luxurious eight-bedroom compound overlooking the Laguna Beach coastline has hit the market for the extraordinary price of $112 million—a sum that could see it become the most expensive home ever sold in Orange County. Built in 1974, the 14,434-square-foot estate is currently owned by auto d

When Philomene Benoit died in 2012, the New Jersey home she and her husband had owned for more than 25 years remained with her surviving spouse, Clerveaux. That might have seemed to settle the question of what would happen to their family home. But Philomene had received Medicaid-funded care for nea

For the past several years, the real estate industry has talked about the mortgage-rate lock-in effect mostly as an inventory problem. That is understandable. When a homeowner has a 3% or 4% mortgage, and today’s replacement mortgage is in the mid-6% range, selling can feel financially irrational. F

The fight for market share in real estate has never been more intense. National portals, institutional investors and well-funded disruptors are all competing for the same buyers and sellers, pushing many brokerages to believe they need to spend more to keep up. But independent brokerages won’t win b

Affiliated Development started construction on a Live Local Act project in Fort Lauderdale after scoring a $74 million construction loan.  Pacific Life Insurance Company provided financing for The Cove, an eight-story, 376-unit development at 1055 North Federal Highway. The project is also being cap

With the landmark 21st Century Road to Housing Act now law, local governments may finally rein in the red tape that is choking off the construction of new homes. The new law includes a $200 million "innovation fund," which would be a competitive grant program for local governments that can show they

To see our latest updates on the Nancy Guthrie case, please click here. "Today" host Savannah Guthrie has issued a gut-wrenching new plea to those responsible for her mother, Nancy Guthrie's disappearance to help the family "bring her home," while detailing the "agony" that they continue to experien

Allapattah, already a neighborhood targeted for redevelopment, now has a $243 million spending plan that leans in on infrastructure improvements and affordable housing construction.  Miami commissioners, sitting as the members of the newly formed Allapattah Community Redevelopment Agency, unanimousl

Steve Ross, who developed an office and condo empire in West Palm Beach, is planning his first Live Local Act project.  The proposal aligns with Ross’ public stance that the shortage of attainably priced housing is a top issue in Palm Beach County and marks a full circle for the 86-year-old who star

Tax attorneys and accountants are about to make bank helping owners of non-primary homes navigate New York City’s pied-à-terre tax notifications, which started landing in mailboxes before the weekend. “If you have a second home in New York City worth more than $5 (million), check your mailbox when y

Apartment hunters in New York City may soon get a warning when the home they’re scrolling looks a little too good to be true. The city is moving to require rental listings to disclose photos that have been altered using artificial intelligence or other digital tools, targeting a new version of an ol

Actor Josh Duhamel isn't ready to turn his back on Hollywood altogether—revealing that he will continue to split his time between Los Angeles, his primary residence in North Dakota, and his "prepper" cabin in Minnesota even after selling his longtime California bachelor pad. Duhamel, 53, raised sign

A company tied to restaurateur Stephen Starr paid $13 million for a waterfront home in Miami Beach.  Property records show Souheil Salloum Chamaa and Myrna Domit sold their five-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bathroom home on Pine Tree Drive to a Philadelphia LLC linked to Starr’s hospitality company. The

A new beachfront mansion in Palm Beach led Palm Beach County’s luxury market last week, landing a contract at an asking price of $88.4 million.  Buyers signed 14 contracts between July 20 and July 26, according to the weekly report by Douglas Elliman’s Eklund-Gomes team, which tracks listings in Pal

The District of Columbia could tax land and buildings separately, in a bid to encourage development as Congress tries to cut its ability to raise other taxes. Councilmember Brianne Nadeau introduced a bill last week to shift DC's property taxes to a land tax system. Under that system, the value of t

In 2024 and early 2025, homebuilders large, medium and small were smitten with the strategic notion of “land light.” In 2026, and for the near future, most everybody is more preoccupied, and rightly so, with “land right.” Many of the U.S.’s most prolific new-construction markets undergoing some form

A former HGTV Dream Home in the Florida Keys has been transformed into an astonishing waterfront compound and placed back on the market for $14.9 million—nearly double the price it was last sold for in 2021. The property, which is located in Islamorada, began as a single dwelling that was overhauled

Although she’s no stranger to the real estate industry, Ruth Reffkin, the mother of Compass International Holdings founder and CEO Robert Reffkin, has decided to start her own real estate team. Reffkin announced the launch of her eponymous Ruth Reffkin Team, which will unsurprisingly be brokered by

The landscape for real estate agent recruiting is undergoing a structural shift, with agents increasingly choosing to move within their existing brand rather than switch to a competitor, according to a new report from Recruiting Insight and Lone Wolf Technologies. The Q2 2026 Agent Migration Report,

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has signed a spate of bills aimed to boost the state's housing supply, including a ban on large investors from buying single-family homes and reforms to zoning and building codes. The governor late last week approved several housing measures, including a new housing ta