(TNS)—More Americans are taking out zero-down loans to buy a home, but not at the rate or with the risk that helped bring on the U.S. recession a decade ago. Experts say zero-down programs, through which people can purchase a house without a down payment, have become more popular since the 2008 housing crisis, creating an easier path to homeownership but posing risks if the market takes an unexpected downturn. “We didn’t have to put $30,000 down on a house, but you still... [read more]

Nusret Gökçe — aka the man behind the meme phenomenon better known as "Salt Bae” is setting his sights on Miami as the location of his first-ever U.S. restaurant. Gökçe is just weeks away from opening a branch of mini Turkish steakhouse chain, Nusr-et, in the former COYA Miami space this October at 999 Brickell Avenue. This will mark the eleventh location for Nusr-et, which has outposts in places like Turkey and... [read more]

As home prices continue rising in South Florida, so does the minimum salary needed to afford a house. In Miami, the income needed to buy a median-priced home rose to nearly $72,000, according to a report from HSH.com. July marked the 68th consecutive month that single-family home prices have risen in Miami-Dade. The median price of a single-family home in Miami-Dade rose 12 percent annually in July to $335,000, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. HSH, a mortgage and... [read more]

Nearly 16,000 apartments are slated to come online in South Florida this year, but rents are still expected to keep rising, according to a new report. Apartment rents rose annually in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach in June, according to Marcus & Millichap’s multifamily report. In Miami-Dade, rents were up 8.8 percent in the second quarter, year-over-year, to nearly $1,450 a month. In Palm Beach County, rents increased 3.5 percent to just over $1,500. And in... [read more]

Miami home prices rose 5 percent in June, year-over-year, marking the fifth lowest increase nationwide, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index. The newly released report, which tracks 20 major metropolitan areas in the country, shows home prices in Miami increased by just 0.4 percent from May to June. From April to May, Miami home prices increased by 0.8 percent, ranking as the 13th highest increase among the top 20 cities. Nationwide, home prices rose 5.7... [read more]