January 2012 RSS Feed

In our previous post we noted the development of an interesting real estate trend in the Destin, Florida area. Entrepreneurs are flocking to the Florida Panhandle’s Gulf Coast in search of new business opportunities and a fresh start. Seeking to combine a lifestyle change with ready-made jobs, these new Destin transplants are as interested in escaping the economic gloom up north as they are the frigid weather.

Destin’s gorgeous white sand beaches, warm weather, and access to the Gulf of Mexico, coupled with its location close to major air, land and sea transportation routes have attracted real estate investors to this grown-up fishing village for decades. Beautiful South Walton vacation properties and beach homes often draw investment…

In our previous post we noted the development of an interesting real estate trend in the Destin, Florida area. Entrepreneurs are flocking to the Florida Panhandle’s Gulf Coast in search of new business opportunities and a fresh start. Seeking to combine a lifestyle change with ready-made jobs, these new Destin transplants are as interested in escaping the economic gloom up north as they are the frigid weather.

Destin’s gorgeous white sand beaches, warm weather, and access to the Gulf of Mexico, coupled with its location close to major air, land and sea transportation routes have attracted real estate investors to this grown-up fishing village for decades. Beautiful South Walton vacation properties and beach homes often draw investment…

According to the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans are following the sun south and west with Florida’s scenic Gulf Coast attracting a fair number of the new Sunbelt transplants. Census figures show that Florida’s population is growing at a rate of approximately 560 new residents per day, surpassed only by Texas and California. Active retirees are leading the Gulf Coast’s rally, drawn to Destin and South Walton by the warm weather, comfortable lifestyle, beautiful beachfront properties and wealth of activities. But Baby Boomer retirees aren’t the only ones swelling Destin’s population. The Gulf Coast’s population boom is also attracting younger and middle-aged workers that, unable to find employment up north, are turning…

This week, the average interest rate on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages dropped back to its record low of 3.91%, falling from 3.95% the previous week. Interest rates on 15-year, fixed rate loans also remained low, averaging 3.23% nationwide, down very slightly from last week’s 3.24% rate. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has lowered interest rates to all-time lows and kept them there in an effort to strengthen the nation’s housing market. Bernanke has called recovery of the housing market essential to U.S. economic recovery.

“Restoring the health of the housing market is a necessary part of a broader strategy for economic recovery,” Bernanke said in a letter to the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees reported by…