Aubuchon Strong

Back in the dark ages when I was in elementary school, the letter grades on our report cards were S, N and U. The "S" stood for satisfactory, the "N" for needs improvement and the "U" was the dreaded unsatisfactory grade. Someone reminded me that the same grading system also included the letter "E," which stood for excellent. That troubled me because I didn't remember seeing an "E" on my report card, so I tore the attic apart until I found the shoebox that contained a few of my old report cards.

Daniel L. Dombal
236 Henry St.
Massapequa Park
New York, 11762

July 1st, 2008

To whom it may concern,
I have been involved in real estate for a few years , and my purchase of a speculative condo in cape coral in April 2005 led me to and through a new experience with the southwest Florida real estate market.

Between the three management companies and a condo assoc that disbanded , i had a investment that went up in value by 30k in 1 year and now is down 50% of original purchase price .

Sales edged up and prices reversed a downward spiral that's been going on since October for existing homes in Lee County, according to statistics released Thursday.

The median price of a single-family home sold with the assistance of a Realtor in May was $212,400, up 6 percent from April's $200,300, according to the report issued by the Florida Association of Realtors.

Meanwhile, the number of houses sold rose 2 percent from 809 to 823.

Nationally, resales increased 2 percent to a 4.99 million annual rate, but the median price dropped to $208,600 from $222,700 in May 2007.

Harry Belafonte crooned in one of his classic songs: "You never say yes/ you never say no/ you got me in the middle and you won't let me go." Harry's lyrics sum up the business negotiations of many commercial real estate agents today.

If something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Such is the case with buying, selling or working with a short sale. Sellers have hopes of getting the equivalent of a "mortgage mulligan" as their lender erases tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars of their mortgage debt. Buyers expect to get the steal of the century and agents feel like lottery winners because they believe short sales are easier to sell than tickets to see Hannah Montana. However, these grand expectations are rarely fulfilled.

With the worst housing slump in a generation slashing home prices across the country, the dynamics of the market have shifted squarely in favor of buyers. And as the real estate industry grows increasingly Web-savvy, house hunters can now scour through neighborhoods, inspect front porches, and even peek inside bedrooms from the comfort of their desktops. But while this surge of new information can help you find that perfect home, it can also—at times—make the whole process overwhelming.

It's no secret that the days of houses selling like Beanie Babies are over. After real estate appreciated at jaw-dropping rates during the first half of the decade, home prices and sales tallies have dropped precipitously in recent months—tilting market dynamics to favor buyers over sellers. That doesn't mean your house won't sell, just that the playing field has changed. So here are five tips to help you get a timely sale at a fair price in today's reshuffled housing market.

The slowdown doesn't mean your home won't sell, but it demands a different approach.

TAMPA, Fla. – May 8, 2008 – A top real estate economist offered shell-shocked Tampa Realtors a hint of optimism Wednesday, saying the Bay area housing market should begin to improve in the second half of the year.

Home sales and prices, which have been battered in recent months, should stabilize and then begin to rise in 2009, predicted Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors.

TAMPA, Fla. – May 8, 2008 – A top real estate economist offered shell-shocked Tampa Realtors a hint of optimism Wednesday, saying the Bay area housing market should begin to improve in the second half of the year.

Home sales and prices, which have been battered in recent months, should stabilize and then begin to rise in 2009, predicted Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors.

Wall Street Journal, By Cyril Moulle-Berteaux
May 6, 2008

The dire headlines coming fast and furious in the financial and popular press suggest that the housing crisis is intensifying. Yet it is very likely that April 2008 will mark the bottom of the U.S. housing market. Yes, the housing market is bottoming right now.

How can this be? For starters, a bottom does not mean that prices are about to return to the heady days of 2005. That probably won't happen for another 15 years. It just means that the trend is no longer getting worse, which is the critical factor.