Things To Do In SW Florida

By Kate Ashford | NerdWallet

Your home is your sanctuary, but it’s also one of your biggest budget items. And after you retire, it may feel like more house than you need. But in this housing market, when a smaller home with upgraded features may be about as expensive as the one you’re selling, is it still smart to downsize?

In some cases, downsizing is appropriate, but not necessarily money-saving. You may be able to sell your house and buy something cheaper, but it might also make sense to downsize to move closer to family or have less house to clean.

It’s important to be clear on what you want. “Goals are so crucial,” says Juan HernandezAriano, a certified financial planner in Houston. “There are multiple pathways people can take.”

Here are some situations that may match up with a “For Sale” sign.

You’re in a cash flow bind

In retirement, you might find that rising prices combined with a fixed income make you feel a little squeezed.

HernandezAriano notes that his clients in southeast Texas are bothered by high home insurance premiums due to severe weather events, plus high property taxes. “A lot of insurance companies are dropping coverage on the southeast side of Texas,” he says. read more

Real estate investor Debra Falese called a landmark Realtor commission settlement “horrible” because it requires home shoppers to sign contracts with their agents.

That could leave buyers “locked into” working with unreliable agents, the Huntington Beach property owner said.

New homeowner Morgan Hedrick worries the settlement will make it harder for future buyers if their broker fees come out of pocket instead of from the sale of the home.

And one home shopper outside an open house in Downey was visibly angry, saying the settlement does nothing to help the consumer.

“Now I have to pay my own agent,” the man said. “There are so many hidden fees to begin with. Now you’re bombarded by another fee that can come out of your pocket.”

Homebuyers, sellers and the real estate industry as a whole are facing an uncertain transition under the proposed agreement the National Association of Realtors signed in mid-March.

Faced with more than 20 class-action lawsuits accusing NAR of price fixing, the trade group agreed to pay $418 million and to end the requirement that home sellers pay their buyer agent’s commissions. read more

Boards of directors

Amanda Dukes, senior public information officer for the Communications Division of Orange County Government, was appointed to the board of directors of Grace Medical Home, Orlando.

Lisa Wong Shue, owner of Skyward Tax & Accounting Service, was appointed to the board of directors of Grace Medical Home, Orlando.

Elena Norman, founder and chief executive officer of Be Eloquent LLC, was appointed chairperson of the board of directors of Dave’s House, a nonprofit that works to end homelessness for people with serious mental illness through the development of permanent supportive housing.

Scott Robertson, director of partnership development for MBI Print and Digital, was appointed to the board of directors of Dave’s House, a nonprofit that works to end homelessness for people with serious mental illness through the development of permanent supportive housing.

Ralph Nattans, retired human services leader, was appointed to the board of directors of Dave’s House, a nonprofit that works to end homelessness for people with serious mental illness through the development of permanent supportive housing. read more

Orange County’s tourist-tax revenues for February topped the month’s tally from a year ago.

Collections for the month totaled about $34 million, up about 4.3% or $1.4 million from Feb. 2023.

“Before leaping to conclusions, consider there were 29 days in February this year compared to 28 last year,” said Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks collections of the 6% surcharge tacked onto the cost of a hotel room, a home-sharing rental or other short-term lodging. “But for the extra day, revenues would have been relatively flat.”

Revenues from the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) are considered a measure of the tourism industry’s health.

February’s total builds on January’s collections, which topped $30 million, the most ever for the month.

Citing insights by Visit Orlando, the TDT-funded marketing agency for Central Florida tourism, Diamond also credited the February boost on an attendance surge at the Orange County Convention Center, driven by the pop culture show MegaCon. read more

Universal Studios has announced dates for the 2024 edition of its Halloween Horror Nights and started selling one-night tickets for the after-hours event.

For the first time, HHN will kick off in August. Opening night is Aug. 30. (Last year, it began Sept. 1.) Horror Nights will be held nightly, Wednesdays through Sundays, through Nov. 3, a total of 44 event nights, the same amount of evenings as in 2023.

Single-night ticket prices vary by date. The lowest admission fee is $82.99 on 11 select nights in September; the most expensive option is $122.99 on the middle three Saturdays of October. Opening night tickets are $102.99.

Prices for express passes range between $149.99 and $239.99, depending on the date.  The pass gives access to shorter lines for the HHN haunted houses and select theme park rides. It does not include the general admission ticket for the event.

Universal is not selling multinight passes for HHN yet, and no themes for the 10 houses and five scare zones have been announced.  A news release provided by Universal Orlando on Thursday says the event will include an “energetic live show.” read more