Things To Do In SW Florida

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday appointed Orlando entrepreneur Craig Mateer to the district that oversees Disney World, filling a spot left open after Chairman Martin Garcia resigned earlier this month.

Mateer is the founder and CEO of CCM Capital Group, which provides hospitality, real estate and logistics services. He also founded the luggage handling business Bags Inc., which he sold for $275 million in 2018.

Mateer, a graduate of Florida State University, has been a generous donor to DeSantis’ campaigns for governor and president and to the Florida Republican Party. DeSantis previously named Mateer to the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority in March 2021 and to the Florida Board of Governors a year later.

The Disney district board is scheduled to meet Wednesday to consider hiring DeSantis adviser Stephanie Kopelousos as its new administrator, replacing Glen Gilzean, whom the governor appointed as interim Orange County elections supervisor on March 4.

The governor, who under state law appoints every member of the oversight board, has recommended that it put Kopelousos into the job, which paid Gilzean $400,000 a year. read more

By Kate Ashford | NerdWallet

A 2023 report from investment firm Vanguard estimates that about a quarter of Americans age 60 and over could move to a cheaper housing market and use the equity in their homes to upsize their retirement savings — making retirement more secure and enjoyable.

Those with home prices near the national median could have cleared about $99,000 in equity, on average, in 2019 (the year the data was gathered). Homeowners in top-priced markets could have cleared an impressive $346,000, on average.

“We’re at a peak of where housing prices have been, ever, in history,” says Matthew Gottshall, a certified financial planner in Westlake, Ohio. “It’s been more and more common for people to weigh the option of, ‘Do I downsize? Do I take the equity that’s grown in my house?’”

Here are the steps to take as you consider the option.

Assess the market

Selling (and potentially downsizing) your home and pocketing the equity is a good strategy in a market where you can make it work. This is easier in pricier housing areas, when you may be able to trade your high-value home for a smaller place in a more affordable market. Vanguard’s analysis noted that relocators in California, for instance, were more successful at clearing equity in their homes than those in lower-priced markets like New Mexico and Texas. read more

Sold a home in the last four years?

Congratulations. You’re entitled to a piece of the $418 million Realtor settlement fund.

But don’t expect a big windfall.

Since you will be among 21 million other Americans who are part of the “settlement class,” the amount per seller — after deducting attorneys’ fees — could be as low as $13.

That’s a pittance compared with the $18,000-$22,000 commission Southern California sellers typically pay buyers’ agents — on top of what they paid their own agents.

“It’s not going to be a lot of money,” said Jack Miller, president and chief executive of Orange County-based consulting firm T3 Sixty. “It’s not really a financial thing. The rules changes are the bigger deal here.”

See also: Accused of price-fixing, Realtors talk change at annual convention in Anaheim

The size of the seller payout is one of four key takeaways from the 107-page settlement reached this month between plaintiffs in more than 20 class-action lawsuits and the National Association of Realtors. read more