Gov. DeSantis suspends all evictions and foreclosures in Florida for 45 days

Gov. Ron DeSantis is suspending all evictions and foreclosures in Florida for the next 45 days in an effort to keep people in their homes while Floridians are supposed to stay indoors to slow the coronavirus. Democrats and tenants’ rights groups have been calling for the governor to stop evictions and foreclosures for weeks. DeSantis said the suspensions were warranted “given the circumstances.” “I’m not sure you’re going to rent out a lot of new places right now anyway,” DeSantis said. “But nevertheless, you just don’t know how people act." More from the Tampa Bay Times, the Miami Herald, the Pensacola News Journal, and WEAR.

Real estate deals tap technology for virtual tours, closings

Just because you’re holed up at home under a shelter-in-place order doesn’t mean you can’t search for, tour and close on the home of your dreams — all from the comfort of your living room. Thanks to virtual tours, online mortgage applications, remote notarization and tech tools like Facetime, real estate agents in South Florida are still conducting business these days. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Commercial real estate market navigating uncharted waters in dealing with coronavirus outbreak

It is reasonable to presume that no South Florida business will emerge entirely unaffected by the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn. As companies figure out how to get back on their feet, our commercial real estate brokers and property managers are helping them adapt to the possibility of staff reductions and structural changes to their businesses. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Lifestyles, real estate in both Florida and Michigan showcased in new show

A new television program showcasing real estate currently on the market and lifestyles in both Florida and Michigan made its debut on television this weekend. "New Journeys" will include lifestyle vignettes from Elk Rapids, Benzie County, Traverse City and from the Gulf Coast to the Treasure Coast of Florida. [Source: Up North Live]

Will real estate contracts contain a coronavirus clause?

Social distancing measures have made it extremely hard for real estate agents to show homes to prospective buyers, and getting both parties together at a closing table can be next to impossible right now. In order to help keep real estate markets operating during this turbulent and uncertain time, real estate organizations in several jurisdictions have created a coronavirus addendum to be used in real estate contracts. [Source: Motley Fool]

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› Miami commercial real estate market is expected to grow [Miami Herald]
Life moves on in South Florida’s commercial real estate market, regardless of rain, shine or the coronavirus. Avra Jain, the chief executive officer of the MiMo-based adaptive reuse consultancy firm Vagabond Group, and Scott Sherman, co-founder of the Brickell-based commercial property management firm Tricera Capital, see a steady market.

› Closing on a new condo amid coronavirus shutdown? More firms move away from paper signing [Miami Herald]
The coronavirus pandemic is forcing the real estate industry to lean more heavily on a digital notary process to close transactions. Some banks are accepting digital signatures but others are refusing, possibly jeopardizing pending sales. The state started allowing online notary services in January 2020.

› Lenders work to avoid another foreclosure crisis in Sarasota-Manatee [Sarasota Herald-Tribune]
Foreclosure activity in Southwest Florida has shrunk to what is considered a normal level of troubled homeowners. But some worry that home foreclosures could spike in the months ahead as tens of thousands of local workers lose their paychecks in the coronavirus pandemic. For now, a number of lenders have agreed to hold off on filing foreclosures and carrying out evictions, and are offering forms of relief so their financially strapped customers can hang on to their homes during the crisis.

› How will Florida's two-week vacation rental ban impact already-struggling property owners? [Motley Fool]
Short-term and vacation rentals like those available through Airbnb and VRBO as well as hotel chains have taken a beating since the outbreak first started in early March. Cancelations for vacation and short-term rentals that were scheduled for March and April have skyrocketed over the past month. However, in Florida, many short-term rentals were being advertised and booked as an ideal spot to shelter in place or self-isolate or were becoming much needed lodging for essential personnel.