A report from the Palm Beach Post in Florida. "The consensus seems to be there’s no firm consensus about what the future holds this season for Palm Beach homebuyers and sellers, according to conversations with several brokers and agents who do business on the island. One problem, brokers caution, is that some single-family properties seem priced too high for the market, a situation that could resolve itself if those homes remain for sale over an extended period."

"Brokers and agents have pointed to mid-range homes priced as much as $7.5 million that might attract buyers if their askings were dropped substantially. The problem is that developers who bought land in the past couple of years to build new houses on speculation likely paid a premium price, which in turn means that the final sales price of the house must be high enough to cover construction and overhead costs while still delivering a profit."

"Several real estate insiders, who didn’t want their agencies identified, confirmed to the Daily News that sales revenue this year has been down, with one agency seeing a drop of 25 percent from levels in 2017 and 2018. The coming season, insiders say, may involve some serious negotiations, as house hunters seek common ground with sellers. 'The market is going to be a place where buyers are willing to make (lower) offers to sellers,' said John Hackett, senior managing director for the Corcoran Group’s South Florida offices. 'As always, the market is going to determine and dictate what the value of a property is.'"

From Click Orlando in Florida. "State regulators recently shut down an insurance company that wrote tens of thousands of policies across the state. Florida Specialty Insurance Co. offered property insurance for homeowners and renters as well as for mobile homes, but state regulators say the company’s financial records violated state law."

"Claudia Zuco has owned her Kissimmee home for 30 years, and she says she never had a problem with her insurance until now. 'I know like most Americans, I'm one paycheck away from disaster and ruin,' she said. She says her mortgage company recently paid FSIC the annual premium of $1,800. She says she has gotten no indication from FSIC that the money will be refunded, and now she owes it back to the mortgage company."

"'My mortgage company could foreclose, since I'm $1,800 in arrears,' she said."

From WBUR on Ohio. "Driving through Cleveland’s Ward 8, it’s hard to tell that it’s been a decade since the nationwide housing collapse. Thousands of homes are vacant, abandoned and crumbling where owners are evicted, but not informed by the bank that their names remain on the title. That means no one maintains or lives in these 'zombie homes,' sometimes for years, and no one claims responsibility."

"The problem, says Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek, is multi-pronged. It started with predatory lending. Polensek points to a structure built by his development corporation and initially sold for $242,000. 'What did that person put down on the home?' he asks. '$42.13 — and they were given a loan.'"

"People in these neighborhoods have been either unable to make their mortgage payments or have fallen so far behind on their taxes that they can’t put money into the property. Eventually, he says, they just abandon it. 'Had they collected or foreclosed within a reasonable period of time, you wouldn’t have houses sitting vacant for six, seven, eight years,' he adds. 'They would have been sold at a sheriff’s sale and been put back into productive use.'"

"He says the situation is insane, but it’s entirely 'man-made.' 'We weren’t hit by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Michael. This was a man-made natural disaster,' he says."

From Variety on California. "Located north of Sunset Boulevard in the desirable lower Coldwater Canyon neighborhood, controversial social media superstar Jaclyn Hill’s temporary digs are ultra-contemporary in style, containing practically every high-tech gadget known to mankind. Built on speculation by local real estate investor Kambiz Hakim and completed in 2017, the mansion sports its own pedigree of sorts."

"But unfortunately for the seller, those slick accouterments have yet to woo a buyer in this slumping luxury real estate market. The house has been for sale for over two years, it was first listed in summer 2017 for $30 million, though the price tag has since been slashed all the way down to $19.999 million."

The Hartford Courant. "Long ago, comedian George Carlin made a name for himself with a bit about the seven words that could not be said on television. Nowadays, you can hear all of those words on cable, and many of them on broadcast TV. But some real estate professionals say there are still some words neither their colleagues nor their clients should use in their listings. These phrases and terms are so overused that they have become meaningless, agents complained in a recent ActiveRain discussion."

"Take the phrase 'motivated seller,' for example. 'I’d rather lower the price than announce we are 'motivated,' adds Steven Beam of RE/MAX Alliance in Parker, Colorado."

"'Will not last' is another unworthy phrase. Nina Hollander of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Shirley Coomer of Keller Williams Realty in Phoenix both call it 'the kiss of death.'"

"'If it’s not going to last,' asks Anna Kruchten of the Phoenix Property Shoppe, 'then why has it been on the market for four months with no takers? So lame.'"

"'I have yet to see an MLS entry that states 'owner unmotivated’ or 'will look at offers when we feel like it,' says Juan Juarez of Keller Williams in Fremont, California. 'Some things are too obvious to state, yet we see that stuff constantly.'"

"Two other hackneyed phrases that ruffle pros’ feathers include 'almost new' and 'will look at all offers.' There is no degree of new; it’s either new or it isn’t. If a house was lived in for one day, it is no longer new. And if you are not going to entertain all offers, why bother? Otherwise, agents say, you are telling everyone your place is overpriced to begin with."