More than 1 in 10 new Duval homes are built only for renters. Is it helping or hurting affordability?
Read full article: More than 1 in 10 new Duval homes are built only for renters. Is it helping or hurting affordability?What looks like a typical neighborhood in Jacksonville, with rows of new single-family homes that have driveways and manicured lawns, might not be for sale at all.
Mortgage rates back in the 5% range for first since 2023. Buyers are responding locally
Read full article: Mortgage rates back in the 5% range for first since 2023. Buyers are responding locallyMortgage rates have eased into the 5% range for the first time since 2023, and local lenders say buyers in Northeast Florida are taking notice.
Jacksonville rents surged post-pandemic. A new book examines why and calls attention to the affordability crisis
Read full article: Jacksonville rents surged post-pandemic. A new book examines why and calls attention to the affordability crisisWhen rents began skyrocketing across the country, Jacksonville didn’t just feel the impact, it ranked among the top five U.S. cities with the fastest rent increases.
40% of millennials want to buy a home in 2026. But they face mounting affordability hurdles
Read full article: 40% of millennials want to buy a home in 2026. But they face mounting affordability hurdlesMillennials hoping to buy a home in 2026 say affordability pressures are intensifying, with many feeling desperate to enter the housing market even as high prices, interest rates and debt make ownership harder to reach, according to new research.
Zillow lists Jacksonville as a top market for homebuyers: Jax Daily Record
Read full article: Zillow lists Jacksonville as a top market for homebuyers: Jax Daily RecordA new study from online real estate company Zillow lists Jacksonville as one of the most favorable markets for homebuyers in the U.S.
Quiet lifelines: Local organization helping Florida families from losing their homes amid foreclosure surge
Read full article: Quiet lifelines: Local organization helping Florida families from losing their homes amid foreclosure surgeAs housing costs climb and job losses ripple through Florida, more families are facing foreclosure here than anywhere else in the nation — and many are turning to quiet, community-based help before they lose everything.
Florida leads nation in foreclosure filings, but experts say it’s not a repeat of 2008 housing crash
Read full article: Florida leads nation in foreclosure filings, but experts say it’s not a repeat of 2008 housing crashFlorida has the highest rate of foreclosure filings in the country, a property data firm reported, but local real estate leaders say the situation is not comparable to the housing crash nearly two decades ago.
News4JAX joins Northeast Florida News Partners Collaborative to tackle issue of housing costs
Read full article: News4JAX joins Northeast Florida News Partners Collaborative to tackle issue of housing costsSince last May, News4JAX has been tackling the tough topic of affordable housing from every angle. Now, we’re taking our efforts a step further by joining a coalition of Northeast Florida news organizations – including digital, broadcast, and print media – to tackle the issue of housing costs as a shared editorial project in 2026.
Can you afford to buy a home in 2026? Experts say it depends on strategy, not headlines
Read full article: Can you afford to buy a home in 2026? Experts say it depends on strategy, not headlinesWith home prices still elevated and mortgage rates uncertain, many would-be buyers are asking a simple question: Can you afford to buy a home in 2026?
Landlord under fire: Man known as ‘slumlord’ to tenants sees rental empire hit with multi-million dollar foreclosures
Read full article: Landlord under fire: Man known as ‘slumlord’ to tenants sees rental empire hit with multi-million dollar foreclosuresSome of his tenants call him a slumlord, complaining of trash piling up and properties not being safely maintained, but a landlord’s empire in Jacksonville may be crumbling.
From a botched fridge install to landlord complaints: Here are the top 2025 I-TEAM and Addressing Affordability stories
Read full article: From a botched fridge install to landlord complaints: Here are the top 2025 I-TEAM and Addressing Affordability storiesFrom a botched refrigerator installation to complaints filed against a landlord for awful living conditions. Here are the top 10 I-Team and Addressing Affordability stories of 2025.
Study: Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for 10% home down payment. How long has your family been saving?
Read full article: Study: Typical Florida household needs 17 years to save for 10% home down payment. How long has your family been saving?As home prices continue to climb across Florida, a new analysis suggests it could take the typical household nearly a generation to save for a modest down payment.
St. Johns County incentives aim to entice developers to build affordable housing for essential workers
Read full article: St. Johns County incentives aim to entice developers to build affordable housing for essential workersEssential workers in St. Johns County can’t afford to live there -- even if they’re combining incomes. But county leaders want to change that.
Buyers demand affordability as Jacksonville sees the steepest home price decline of top 40 US markets
Read full article: Buyers demand affordability as Jacksonville sees the steepest home price decline of top 40 US marketsJacksonville saw one of the sharpest home-price drops in the nation, with the region’s median home price falling more than $16,000 year over year in October, the steepest decline among the country’s 40 largest metro areas, according to new data from Homes.com.
Your home builder’s tax estimate might be off by hundreds of dollars. Here’s how to verify it yourself
Read full article: Your home builder’s tax estimate might be off by hundreds of dollars. Here’s how to verify it yourselfA growing number of Florida homeowners say their mortgage payments jumped by hundreds, even more than a thousand dollars, within their first year of owning a new construction home, and many believe they were never warned it could happen.
They signed the papers to their dream homes. Then learned their taxes were triple what the builder told them
Read full article: They signed the papers to their dream homes. Then learned their taxes were triple what the builder told themDozens of Northeast Florida families say they were blindsided by steep increases in their monthly mortgage payments after buying new construction homes from D.R. Horton, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders.
Addressing A4dability: Golden Isles employers struggle as workforce housing falls short
Read full article: Addressing A4dability: Golden Isles employers struggle as workforce housing falls shortAs the population of Brunswick and the Golden Isles continues to climb, community leaders say the demand for affordable homes is outpacing construction, and the gap is widening.
‘We’re trying to lead’: Jacksonville company rolls out portable 3D construction robot to tackle housing costs
Read full article: ‘We’re trying to lead’: Jacksonville company rolls out portable 3D construction robot to tackle housing costsA Jacksonville-based company says its new portable 3D construction robot could help lower homebuilding costs and make housing more affordable across Northeast Florida.
‘Building housing for the houseless’: Nonprofit aims to close affordability gap in Nassau County, one property at a time
Read full article: ‘Building housing for the houseless’: Nonprofit aims to close affordability gap in Nassau County, one property at a timeAffordable Housing 1st was created last year by co-founder Carlene McDuffie and president Kevin Harriman to address Nassau County’s growing affordability crisis.
Nassau County resident receives keys to new home through affordable housing program
Read full article: Nassau County resident receives keys to new home through affordable housing programA Nassau County resident received the keys to a brand new home constructed through the county’s State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP), which provides down payment and rehabilitation assistance for individuals in need.
Jacksonville launches new housing dashboard to help tackle affordable housing crisis
Read full article: Jacksonville launches new housing dashboard to help tackle affordable housing crisisJacksonville city leaders are rolling out a new tool designed to give residents a clearer picture of the city’s ongoing efforts to address the affordable housing crisis.
VyStar rolls out program for first-time homebuyers who are first responders, teachers, law enforcement
Read full article: VyStar rolls out program for first-time homebuyers who are first responders, teachers, law enforcementBuying a home right now feels impossible for a lot of families in Florida and Georgia, but VyStar said it’s trying to change that, especially for the people we all rely on.
Nearly 1 million renters across Florida are just one ‘curveball’ away from losing their housing, study finds
Read full article: Nearly 1 million renters across Florida are just one ‘curveball’ away from losing their housing, study findsHomelessness among Florida families has surged in the last three years as soaring rents and a shortage of affordable housing push more residents into shelters, motels and the streets, a new University of Florida report says.
‘Slumlord problem’: Jacksonville’s most vulnerable forced to choose between affordable rent and safe living conditions
Read full article: ‘Slumlord problem’: Jacksonville’s most vulnerable forced to choose between affordable rent and safe living conditionsTenants at several Jacksonville apartment complexes say they’re living in dangerous, deteriorating conditions while paying rising rents to one of the city’s largest landlords.
Housing advocates warn ‘grace period’ in lease can be trap for renters. Florida law says you have to pay by due date
Read full article: Housing advocates warn ‘grace period’ in lease can be trap for renters. Florida law says you have to pay by due dateWhile the option of a "grace period" that allows you to pay a few days later than the due date without penalty might seem like a nice bonus from your property manager, it could also be a trap.
Evicted despite paying rent: One Jacksonville renter says cases like hers are fueling the affordable housing crisis
Read full article: Evicted despite paying rent: One Jacksonville renter says cases like hers are fueling the affordable housing crisisA Jacksonville renter says her “affordable” apartment turned into a legal and financial nightmare after she tried to pay rent and then learned days later that she’d been evicted, a case housing advocates say reflects a broader trend worsening the city’s affordability crisis.
In Jacksonville, new construction is emerging as the more affordable path to homeownership
Read full article: In Jacksonville, new construction is emerging as the more affordable path to homeownershipA new report from Realtor.com shows the price gap between new construction and existing homes has fallen to a record low, and Jacksonville is among the metro areas seeing some of the steepest declines in new-home list prices.
