SEBRING — Falling sale prices for homes in Highlands County, as is happening in most parts of the country, will put Michael Wright on the proverbial hot seat right away. On Monday, Wright started as the county's administrator and learned he'll have to recommend to the commissioners either budget cuts or an increase in the tax rate. Officials with the school board and the cities of Sebring and Avon Park also face the same tough choices due to the troubled economy and falling home values. The taxable property values overall in Highlands County dropped 9.2 percent from last year, according to the preliminary report by county Property Appraiser Raymond McIntyre. ...more

June 2, 2008

If you are looking for a sign the economy is still in need of repair, you can find it at Lowe's Cos. ...more

May 20, 2008

Laurel Wittman and her husband, Eduardo Lopes, are examples of a rare species: successful short-sale buyers. ...more

May 13, 2008

Hernando Today Editor's note: This is the second in a series of articles on property values in Hernando County and how they relate to the county's budget process. ...more

May 2, 2008

In spite of the uncertainty of the housing market in 2007, Smith & Associates Real Estate had a successful year, according to President Bob Glaser, and he expects this year to be even better. ...more

February 24, 2008

It's time to turn around America, and we need to start here in Florida. Our state is already economic-distress ground zero: shrinking home values, expanding unemployment, growing piles of unpaid bills on working families' tables. It's no surprise the economy has overtaken the war in Iraq as the top concern of Americans. ...more

February 20, 2008

The Detroit area, hit hard by the double-whammy of unemployment and a slumping housing market, had the highest foreclosure rate in the nation last year, with several cities in California ranked close behind, an analysis of foreclosure activity in the country's largest 100 metropolitan areas shows. ...more

February 14, 2008

Property Appraiser Mike Wells predicted Tuesday that Pasco County's taxable property value will decrease by 8 percent - or $2.5 billion - in the coming year, after several years of record growth. ...more

February 13, 2008

DADE CITY - Property Appraiser Mike Wells predicted Tuesday that Pasco County's taxable property value will decrease by 8 percent – or $2.5 billion – in the coming year, after several years of record growth.. ...more

February 12, 2008

Real estate agent Tony Rojas loves his job. But there's one thing that drives him crazy: unrealistic sellers who insist on asking buyers to pay boom-year sales prices despite profound drops in area home values. ...more

January 23, 2008