Firearms Foresight While it seems other readers found irony in placing a large ad for gun sales in a paper whose headline included at least two horrific examples of gun violence, I found the ad timely and appropriate. ...more

March 16, 2009

After sending numerous notices and imposing a collection of fines, Westchase leaders are taking the next step and trying to evict a household of residents. ...more

December 2, 2008

Say an absentee landlord owns the house next to yours. Neither of you keep up your mortgage payments. ...more

October 18, 2008

Union representatives for workers at a Plant City manufacturing plant said the company has locked the gates on the facility, putting 160 people out of a job. ...more

October 15, 2008

The House on Thursday passed a massive homeowner rescue plan to provide cheaper, government-backed mortgages to half a million debt-ridden borrowers and bolster an economy crippled by the housing crisis. ...more

May 9, 2008

When we voted on the proposed property taxes to increase the homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000 here in Florida, it was passed. I called the Highlands County appraisal office. I asked the lady when it was going to go into effect, and she told me it would be Jan 1, 2008. I then called my mortgage holder, Bank of America, and they told me they got the notice, and that my homestead exemption went to $50,000 in Florida. She told me I would be getting a notice shortly on the new payment. I did not know that it didn't include Sebring. We now get an extra $5,000 for low income seniors and we could get the additional $20,000 more, which would give us $50,000 homestead exemption like the rest of Florida. ...more

February 22, 2008

SEBRING — An old approach to avoiding foreclosure is finding new life in Florida's depressed real estate market. When a homeowner can't repay the loan, banks will sometimes accept a "short sale." That is, the mortgage holder will allow a real estate agent to sell the property for less than the balance of the note, and the remainder is forgiven by the bank. "This is becoming more and more popular due to the rate of foreclosure," said Jenifer McMullian, a real estate sales agent with C.S. Edwards Realty Inc. Grace Bloodwell, who writes for HowToDoThings.com, suggested asking a real estate agent to confirm the value of the property with a comparative market analysis. Then total the cost of selling the property, which may include mortgage payments, legal fees and closing costs. Subtract that against the expected sale price. If it doesn't equal the total of all loans against the property, consider a short sale. ...more

October 27, 2007

SEBRING — The Highlands County Housing Department is known primarily for helping low- and moderate-income people reach the American dream of home ownership. ...more

October 25, 2007