Beth Mazzouccolo, a widow with two children and her 86-year-old mother living at home, is concerned about landing a new job and being able to pay for health care.

But she’s hopeful that President Obama’s $75 billion housing plan will allow her to reduce her monthly mortgage payments.

With her unemployment benefits soon to run out, Mazzouccolo’s income tax refund has allowed her to catch up on her $1,600-a-month mortgage on the Fisherman’s Cove duplex in Stuart that is now worth nearly $40,000 less than the $195,000 she bought it for two years ago. (more…)

Home values in the United States posted their seventh consecutive quarterly decline, falling 9.7 percent year-over-year according to the third quarter Zillow Real Estate Market Reports.

The report showed parts of the Treasure Coast posted even higher losses than the nationwide average.

For the Vero Beach metropolitan statistical area, data from Zillow show home values fell 15.9 percent year-over-year, bringing the average price of a home to $152,058, according to the Zillow Home Value Index. (more…)