Bucking the National Trend, ‘South Florida Is Still in a Seller’s Market’
Deals are rising in Miami, as are prices, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. Read More
BY THE NUMBERS
TRENDING TODAY
SPECIAL REPORT
Florida’s Cape Coral-Fort Myers Area Offers More Canals Than Venice
There’s an opportunity for buyers in the sought-after coastal area because of its successful storm recovery and market stability. Read More
LISTING OF THE DAY
Inside Stanley Cup Champion Nazem Kadri’s Toronto Penthouse
The three-bedroom residence is in the heart of downtown and features panoramic views of the city. Read More
DESIGNER’S CORNER
Decorating a Cozy Home Theater and Media Room
The right colors, textures and furniture merge the conveniences of a theater and being at home. Read More
NEWS BITES
Hong Kong Cuts Stamp Duty to Help First-Time Buyers
Looking to help first-time buyers get a handle on the world’s most unaffordable housing market, Hong Kong has altered a decade-old stamp duty tax on mass-market homes. A property priced at HK$8 million (US$1.02 million) will now face a stamp duty of 3% (previously 3.75%), and homes HK$3 million and under will now see a stamp duty of just HK$100 (previously only applied to homes HK$2 million and under). The measure is expected to benefit 37,000 buyers and cost the government HK$2.9 billion a year. South China Morning Post
Affordability Worsens in Nine out of 10 Major Canadian Markets
Prices may be falling across Canada’s housing market but buyers aren’t catching a break. According to online financial comparison site RateHub.ca, the income required to buy a home has gone up in nine out of 10 major Canadian markets over the past year as mortgage rates have headed skyward. Potential buyers in Victoria, British Columbia, fared the worst, with an additional C$25,500 (US$18,851) of income required to purchase a home. Vancouver and Calgary rounded out the top three in declining affordability with C$23,350 and C$20,310 more in income required, respectively. Only Hamilton, Ontario, saw a drop in required income among the markets surveyed, with C$4,350 less now needed to purchase a property. Vancouver Sun
Actors Tracy Letts, Carrie Coon Sell Chicago Mansion for $3.1 Million
Husband-and-wife acting couple Tracy Letts and Carrie Coon have sold their home in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood for $3.1 million. The modernist mansion, which Mr. Letts purchased in 2009 for $3 million, features four-bedrooms, four full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms, a three-car garage and two fireplaces. Mr. Letts, who is an actor, playwright and screenwriter, won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award for his 2007 play “August: Osage County.” Ms. Coon currently stars in the HBO series “The Gilded Age.” Chicago Tribune
Rare Frank Lloyd Wright Home in California Sells for $22 Million
A significant Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, has sold for its asking price of $22 million, an enormous price per square foot for the area. The single-story, roughly 1,400-square-foot property is the only home of its kind completed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in a coastal environment, according to paperwork submitted for its designation on the National Register of Historic Places. According to the historic places report, the home’s most prominent feature is a hexagonal living room framed in glass panels with panoramic views over the coastline. The Wall Street Journal
AROUND NEWS CORP
How to Make a Dark, Dank London Home New Again? Copious Amounts of Color [The Wall Street Journal]
17 Reasons Why You Hate Your Kitchen—and What to Do About It [The Times of London]
The Crazy Way These Homebuyers Bought Their First House—and the Secret to Getting Rich Off Real Estate [Realtor.com]
A Trailer in a Hamptons Billionaires’ Bunker Sells for a Record $3.75 Million [New York Post]
