Nationwide List Prices Rise Nearly 7%

3 New Luxury Oceanfront projects in Sunny Isles Beach:

Regalia 

Porsche 

Mansion-Acqualina

Buffett says he was ‘dead wrong’ on housing market

OMAHA, Neb. – Feb. 27, 2012 – Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says he was “dead wrong” with a prediction that the U.S. housing market would begin to recover by now, but he remains optimistic about the nation’s economy.

In his annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders, Buffett said he is sure housing will recover eventually and help bring down the nation’s unemployment rate. But he did not predict when that would happen.

Investors eagerly await the letter from Buffett, 81, called the Oracle of Omaha, who built a $44 billion fortune by following a steadfast, no-nonsense investing strategy.

Buffett said housing “remains in a depression of its own,” but he predicted, in typical plainspoken style, that the housing market will come back because some human factors can’t be denied. “People may postpone hitching up during uncertain times, but eventually hormones take over,” he wrote. “And while ‘doubling-up’ may be the initial reaction of some during a recession, living with in-laws can quickly lose its allure.”

Berkshire Hathaway owns more than 80 subsidiaries, including the Geico insurance company and See’s Candy, and five of them rely heavily on construction activity. Those businesses, which include Acme Brick, Clayton Homes and Shaw carpet, generated pretax profit of $513 million last year. That’s well off their $1.8 billion contribution in 2006.

Berkshire’s insurance companies took $1.7 billion in catastrophe losses last year, including from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Berkshire reported only $154 million in underwriting profit, down from $1.3 billion the previous year.

But several of its larger non-insurance businesses – Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, MidAmerican Energy, Marmon Group, Lubrizol and Iscar – generated record earnings in 2011.

That helped Berkshire generate $10.3 billion in net income, or $6,215 a class A share, last year, down from nearly $13 billion, or $7,928, in 2010.

Buffett reassured Berkshire shareholders that the company has someone in mind to replace him but did not name the successor. He emphasized that he has no plans to leave.

Glenn Tongue, a managing partner at T2 Partners investment firm, said he was struck by the fact that Buffett chose to deal with the succession topic as one of the first items in his letter. “I think this was a forceful and stronger attempt to put this issue to bed,” Tongue said.

Buffett said the Berkshire board is enthusiastic about the executive it has picked and said there are two good back-up candidates. “When a transfer of responsibility is required, it will be seamless, and Berkshire’s prospects will remain bright,” Buffett said.
© Copyright 2012 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc., Josh Fund, The Associated Press.
 

WASHINGTON (AP) – Feb. 9, 2012 – U.S. states have reached a $25 billion deal with the nation’s biggest mortgage lenders over foreclosure abuses that occurred after the housing bubble burst.

Federal and state officials announced the deal Thursday. It is the biggest settlement involving a single industry since a 1998 multistate tobacco deal.

Under the agreement, five major banks – Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Ally Financial – will reduce loans for nearly 1 million households. They will also send checks of $2,000 to about 750,000 Americans who were improperly foreclosed upon. The banks will have three years to fulfill the terms of the deal.

All but one of the 50 states agreed to the deal. Oklahoma, the lone holdout, will receive no money.

The conditions will be overseen by Joseph A. Smith Jr., North Carolina’s banking commissioner. Lenders that violate the deal could face $1 million penalties per violation and up to $5 million for repeat violators.

The settlement ends a painful chapter that emerged from the financial crisis, when home values sank and millions edged toward foreclosure. Many companies processed foreclosures without verifying documents. Some employees signed papers they hadn’t read or used fake signatures to speed foreclosures – an action known as robo-signing.

Under the deal, 49 states said they won’t pursue civil charges related to these types of abuses. Homeowners can still sue lenders in civil court on their own, and federal and state authorities can pursue criminal charges.

“There were many small wrongs that were done here,” said U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan. “This does not resolve everything. We will be aggressive about going after claims elsewhere.”

Bank of America will pay the most to borrowers as part of the deal – nearly $8.6 billion. Wells Fargo will pay about $4.3 billion, JPMorgan Chase will pay roughly $4.2 billion, Citigroup will pay about $1.8 billion and Ally Financial will pay $200 million. This does not include $5.5 billion in federal and state payments.

The deal also ends a separate investigation into Bank of America and Countrywide for inflating appraisals of loans from 2003 through most of 2009. Bank of America acquired Countrywide in 2008.

“The settlement includes far reaching relief that will help many of our customers and complement our already extensive efforts to improve our borrower assistance efforts and servicing processes,” JPMorgan Chase said in a statement.

The banks and U.S. state attorneys general agreed to the deal late Wednesday after 16 months of contentious negotiations.

New York and California came on board late Wednesday. California has more than 2 million “underwater” borrowers, whose homes are worth less than their mortgages. New York has some 118,000 homeowners who are underwater.

In addition to the payments and mortgage reductions, the deal promises to reshape long-standing mortgage lending guidelines. It will make it easier for those at risk of foreclosure to make their payments and keep their homes.

Those who lost their homes to foreclosure are unlikely to get their homes back or benefit much financially from the settlement.

The settlement would apply only to privately held mortgages issued from 2008 through 2011. Banks own about half of all U.S. mortgages – roughly 30 million loans. Those owned by mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are not covered by the deal.

Some critics say the proposed deal doesn’t go far enough. They have argued for a thorough investigation of potentially illegal foreclosure practices before a settlement is hammered out.

Under the deal:

• Roughly $1.5 billion for direct payouts, in the form of $2,000 checks, for about 750,000 Americans who were unfairly or improperly foreclosed upon; another $3.5 billion will go directly to states.

• At least $10 billion for reducing mortgage amounts.

• Up to $7 billion for other state homeowner programs.

• At least $3 billion for refinancing loans for homeowners who are current on their mortgage payments but who are underwater.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press, Derek Kravitz, AP Real Estate Writer. Associated Press Writers Michael Virtanen in Albany, N.Y. and Pallavi Gogoi in New York contributed to this report.
 

Rising Rents Make Home Buying a Better Choice

NEW YORK – Jan. 17, 2012 – Optimism is building that the housing industry is nearing a bottom – finally.

Home sales and homebuilding are forecast to rise this year after sliding steeply the past five years in housing’s worst downturn since the Great Depression.

Recovery is expected to be slow, and home prices are widely expected to fall this year. But investors are betting on the start of an upturn, bidding up home builder stocks and causing them to outperform the broader stock market.

Chief executives are more positive. JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon said last week that housing is near its bottom but could stay there a year. Stuart Miller, CEO of home builder Lennar, said the market has started to stabilize because of low prices and record-low interest rates.

Market researcher RBC Capital Markets has also turned from a “bearish” view on housing to saying that 2012 “will mark a step in the right direction.”

Many economists expect home prices to fall more this year because of foreclosures and other properties sold at very low prices.

As foreclosures pick up this year, “prices will drop,” says Stan Humphries, Zillow chief economist. He says home prices won’t bottom until later in 2012 or next year.

On average, prices have fallen by about a third since 2006.

“This year will feel a lot better to builders, investors and real estate agents than to consumers,” says Jed Kolko, economist for real estate website Trulia.

Housing’s outlook is brightening with signs of a better economy. Last month, U.S. employers added 200,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, lowest in nearly three years.

While an economic shock could derail progress, “there’s now more evidence of improvement in the economy, and housing will follow the economy,” says David Crowe, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders. More improvement is expected for:

Sales. Existing home sales will rise 12 percent this year after a 2 percent increase last year, and new home sales, coming off a horrid year, will jump 74 percent this year, Moody’s Analytics predicts.

November’s existing home sales hit their highest mark in 10 months, and new home sales were the year’s second best, IHS Global Insight says.

Construction. Single-family housing starts will rise 37 percent this year, Moody’s predicts, after falling 9 percent last year.

Home builder stocks are on a run. The S&P 1500 homebuilding index is up 38 percent since mid-October, vs. 7 percent for the S&P 500.

© Copyright 2012 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc., Julie Schmit.

10 States With the Highest Foreclosure Rates

Fed Officials Call for More Housing Fixes

Fed to Begin Publishing Rate Forecast

Buyer vs. Seller on Home Prices

Source : Sunsentinel.com

5 ways for snowbirds to return to their Florida nests safely

By Julie Patel December 21, 2011 10:15 AM

If you're part of the second wave of snowbirds arriving to Florida after Christmas, there are a host of hazards you should be aware of when returning to your seasonal home.

Alan Chesler, a partner of Alan James Insurance in Sunrise, describes what can go wrong and how to avoid or minimize damage that may trigger insurance claims.

Turn your water heater on very slowly after checking the area around it for any evidence of leaks. Turning it on too fast "can result in a water surge that can break hoses," Chesler said in an email, adding that homeowners should consider replacing old rubber hoses with more durable metal ones and purchasing a new water heater if it's more than seven years old. "Flooding can destroy not only the home where the flood occurred but also in units below and to the side. In many cases, this damage is covered by the unit owner’s and not by the association’s policy," he said.

Consider centrally monitored home security, fire alarm and leak detection systems that can alert you or local law enforcement of problems when they happen or before. Some insurers give premium discounts for the systems.

Clean your dryer's lint trap before using it when you return and each time after. "Lint tends to dry out over several months of inactivity and can cause fires."

Listen for a hissing sound or other noises when turning on your fuse box. That could indicate the wiring is bad, which could cause a fire.

Make sure your surge protectors aren't outdated or plugged into one wall outlet, which can also cause fires. "Another common problem with opening up a home for the season is the damage caused by activating a fuse box that is overloaded by computers, stereo equipment, televisions, appliances," Chesler said.

Photo: Robert Denis and Gilles Denis, snowbirds from Quebec, Canada, on Hollywood Beach recently. (Taimy Alvarez, Sun Sentinel)

Categories: Property Insurance (407)

U.S. Economists at Florida Realtors® 2012
Real Estate & Economic Event

ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 7, 2011 – Despite national and global headwinds, Florida’s real estate market is entering 2012 on an upward trend, according to three leading U.S. economists.

“Our state is in a mini-recovery,” said Florida Realtors® Chief Economist Dr. John Tuccillo at the state association’s 2012 Real Estate and Economic Forecast Conference in Orlando. “Sales are trending up, listing inventories are falling, the supply of lender-related properties has stabilized, and we are seeing multiple offers on homes in some local markets.”

Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, N.C., said the U.S. economy will continue to face significant challenges, particularly financial concerns related to the European debt crisis. But he expects the U.S. economic recovery will continue next year, making it easier for Midwesterners, for example, to buy Florida homes.

“Florida’s economy is recovering, with tourism and healthcare leading the way,” Vitner said. “On a national level, we expect the U.S. will not fall into recession next year, although Europe faces serious problems.”

Dr. Lawrence Yun
NAR Chief Economist

Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors®, said many Florida markets are showing sharp drops in inventories of homes for sale – a sign that demand is picking up and prices are stabilizing. “That’s a major change from just a year ago,” he said. “Buyers have stepped back into the Florida market.”

Noting the state’s powerful appeal to international buyers, Yun said he was particularly optimistic about the outlook for South Florida. “Don’t be surprised to see a gain in home prices in the Miami and Naples markets in the next 18 months,” he said. “From there, the recovery is likely to roll northward to Central Florida and then North Florida.”

Tuccillo noted that foreclosed and distressed properties will remain a significant part of the Florida market in 2012, but lenders are feeding these properties into the market at a gradual pace rather than pushing them out all at once.

The event also featured a panel of Florida real estate professionals, who discussed the 2012 outlook for several sectors of the state’s real estate market from a practitioner’s point of view. Panelists were Clark Toole, president and COO, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Inc. in Florida, discussing residential real estate; Cynthia Shelton, 2009 president of Florida Realtors and a director at Colliers International in Orlando, discussing the commercial market; and Dean Saunders, accredited land consultant and broker-owner of Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate in Lakeland, covering the market for land and undeveloped property.

Florida Realtors real estate and economic summit was webcast to 32 local association or satellite sites around Florida. “Turnout was high for our statewide event,” said 2011 Florida Realtors President Patricia Fitzgerald, manager/broker-associate with Illustrated Properties in Hobe Sound and Mariner Sands Country Club in Stuart. “We hope to hold more of these forums on a regular basis – sharing knowledge of market trends is a powerful way for our Realtor members to connect with buyers and sellers.”

 

Florida Realtors®, formerly known as the Florida Association of Realtors®, serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 115,000 members in 64 boards/associations.

 

 

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What Will Be Hot in Home Interiors in 2012?

On December 5, 2011, in Home Trends, by Melissa Tracey

 

By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

The design forecasts are rolling in for the new year and the predictions of what’s going to be popular in interior decorating in 2012.

According to Beasley & Henley Interior Design in Winter Park, Fla., here are some interior design trends to be on the lookout for in the upcoming year:

Hickory chair featuring hot 2012 trend of yellow and gray; Photo Credit: Beasley & Henley Interior Design

Homes go gray: All shades of gray will be making up more households, from warm grey to charcoal gray, through furnishings, window treatments, and artwork.

Yellow pops: Yellow can lift practically any room, according to Beasley & Henley Interior Design. Pairing yellow with gray can bring a trendy look to a home in 2012.

 

Photo Credit: Beasley & Henley Interior Design

Rustic: Furnishings from natural, reclaimed, and rustic wood are expected to catch on. “Finishes on these rustic pieces will range from wire-brushed to bleached oak to gray washes,” according to Beasley & Henley Interior Design.

 

 

Photo Credit: Beasley & Henley Interior Design

Repurposed lighting: Reclaimed pieces that are turned into lamps and lighting pieces is expected to continue its wave of popularity in 2012.

The industrial look: The industrial look is also gaining traction, such as repurposed, industrial occasional tables or side carts.

Lower seating: Chairs and sofas are sitting lower to the ground. More home furniture manufacturing companies are debuting lounge chair seating lower than the standard 20’’ off the floor. They’re introducing more products at 17-18’’ off the floor–possibly to fit in smaller homes.

 

Oversized photography, such as in Sepia or computer-enhanced, will dominate the look of artwork in the coming year. Photo Credit: Beasley & Henley Interior Design

Supersized artwork: Artwork continues to get bigger with oversized photography dressing up interiors with black and white, Sepia, or standard pictures.

 

Source:NAR
 

At planned Sunny Isles Beach condo, cars and drivers ride elevator home

The latest twist on designer parking garages: a Jetsonesque elevator that whisks residents to their condos while they are still in the driver’s seat.

Ldinkova@MiamiHerald.com

Pull over into the designated space. Turn off the engine. And enjoy the oceanfront view as you escalate in a glass elevator that takes you, while you are sitting in your car, to the front door of your apartment.

No, this is not the latest Disney ride.

The $560 million Jetsonesque tower will rise in Sunny Isles Beach as part of a collaboration between Germany-based Porsche Design Group and a local developer, Gil Dezer. It likely will be the world’s first condominium complex with elevators that will take residents directly to their units while they are sitting in their cars.

“You don’t have to leave your car until you are in front of your apartment,” said Juergen Gessler, CEO of Porsche Design Group.

Here is how it will work: After the resident pulls over and switches off the engine, a robotic arm that works much like an automatic plank will scoop up the car and put it into the elevator. Once at the desired floor, the same robotic arm will park the car, leaving the resident nearly in front of his front door. Voila, home!

The glass elevators will give residents and their guests unparalleled views of the city or of the ocean during their high-speed ride, expected to last 45 to 90 seconds.

“What this is really doing is taking two technologies that have existed for centuries and putting them together,” said Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Properties. “It’s taking the robotic arm and it’s putting it in an elevator.”

The building, to named Porsche Design Tower, was approved unanimously Thursday night by the Sunny Isles Beach City Commission. Before the meeting, Mayor Norman S. Edelcup said he had not heard any opposition to the plan.

The cylindrical building will be erected on 2.2 acres of land at 18555 Collins Avenue. The 57-story luxury tower will have 132 units. Smaller units will be allocated two parking spaces and larger ones will have four, with 284 robotic parking spaces in total. There will be three elevators.

Residents will be able to see their cars from their living rooms.

“So people with fancy cars and antiques, they will actually have a really nice view of them,’’ Dezer said.

Units will range from 3,800 to 9,500 square feet and could cost up to $9 million.

The car elevators are the latest twist on Miami Beach’s burgeoning passion for designer parking garages. The highly acclaimed 1111 Lincoln Road designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron opened in 2009; also planned are garages by London architect Zaha Hadid, Mexico’s Enrique Norten and Miami’s own Arquitechonica.

Dezer said his hopes are that many other buildings in the United States and the rest of the world will be constructed following the Porsche Design Tower model.

But this will be the first and last one in South Florida, he said.

“We want to keep this really exclusive and not have this become a McDonald’s kind of style. The tower is going to change the skyline of Miami Beach,” Dezer said. “This is something Floridians should be proud to have in their state.”

Source: The Miami Herald

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/11/17/2507333/at-planned-miami-beach-condo-cars.html#ixzz1f2WhWKnj

 The Real Deal Deal Online

Miami-Dade pending sales jump in October

December 01, 2011 11:15AM

Cumulative pending home sales in Miami were up 10 percent in October compared to the same period last year, according to the Miami Association of Realtors. There were 11,245 cumulative pending home sales in October, although that was a 0.4 percent decrease from September. The total number of listings, including single-family homes and condominiums that pended during October increased by 26 percent compared to 2010. "In Miami, where market performance has outpaced the nation, strong pending sales activity has mirrored robust closed sales figures due to international buyers who mainly pay all cash and are not impacted by mortgage financing issues," said Jack Levine, chairman of the board of the MAR. -- Alexander Britell The Real Deal reserves the right to delete any comment it finds to be rude, obscene, racist, sexist, bigoted, irrelevant or repetitive, as well as inappropriate comments about anyone's personal appearance or advertisements. The Real Deal does not endorse any comments posted on its website nor does it verify the veracity of comments or the identity of posters.

AR: Commercial markets expected to grow in 2012

WASHINGTON – Nov. 28, 2011 – Commercial real estate markets have been relatively flat this year, but improving fundamentals mean a more positive trend is expected in 2012, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says there is little change in most of the commercial market sectors. “Vacancy rates are flat, leasing is soft and concessions continue to make it a tenant’s market,” he says. “However, with modest economic growth and job creation, the fundamentals for commercial real estate should gradually improve in the coming year.”

The commercial real estate market is expected to follow the general economy.

“Vacancy rates are expected to trend lower and rents should rise modestly next year,” Yun says. “In the multifamily market, which already has the tightest vacancy rates in any commercial sector, apartment rents will be rising at faster rates in most of the country next year. If new multifamily construction doesn’t ramp up, rent growth could potentially approach 7 percent over the next two years.

Looking at commercial vacancy rates from the fourth quarter of this year to the fourth quarter of 2012, NAR forecasts vacancies to decline 0.6 percentage point in the office sector, 0.4 point in industrial real estate, 0.8 point in the retail sector and 0.7 percentage point in the multifamily rental market.

The Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, in its SIOR Commercial Real Estate Index, an attitudinal survey of 231 local market experts, shows the broad industrial and office markets were relatively flat in the third quarter, in step with macroeconomic trends. The national economy continues to affect the sectors, with 92 percent of respondents reporting the economy is having a negative impact on their local market.

Even so, the SIOR index, measuring the impact of 10 variables, rose 0.6 percentage point to 55.5 in the third quarter, following a decline of 2.6 percentage points in the second quarter. In a split from the recent past, the industrial sector advanced while the office sector declined.

The SIOR index is notably below the level of 100 that represents a balanced marketplace, but it had six consecutive quarterly improvements before the last two quarters. The last time the index reached the 100 level was in the third quarter of 2007.

Construction activity remains low, with 96 percent of respondents indicating that it is lower than normal; 88 percent said it is a buyers’ market in terms of development acquisitions. Prices are below construction costs in 83 percent of markets.

NAR’s latest Commercial Real Estate Outlook offers projections for four major commercial sectors and analyzes quarterly data in the office, industrial, retail and multifamily markets. Historic data for metro areas were provided by REIS Inc., a source of commercial real estate performance information.

Office Markets
Vacancy rates in the office sector are expected to fall from 16.7 percent in the current quarter to 16.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The markets with the lowest office vacancy rates presently are Washington, D.C., with a vacancy rate of 9.3 percent; New York City, at 10.3 percent; and New Orleans, 12.8 percent.

After rising 1.4 percent in 2011, office rents are forecast to increase another 1.7 percent next year. Net absorption of office space in the U.S., which includes the leasing of new space coming on the market as well as space in existing properties, is projected to be 20.2 million square feet this year and 31.7 million in 2012.

Industrial Markets
Industrial vacancy rates are projected to decline from 12.3 percent in the fourth quarter of this year to 11.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

The areas with the lowest industrial vacancy rates currently are Los Angeles, with a vacancy rate of 5.2 percent; Orange County, Calif., 5.7 percent; and Miami at 8.4 percent.

Annual industrial rent should decline 0.5 percent this year before rising 1.8 percent in 2012. Net absorption of industrial space nationally should be 62.0 million square feet this year and 41.2 million in 2012.

Retail Markets
Retail vacancy rates are likely to decline from 12.6 percent in the current quarter to 11.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Presently, markets with the lowest retail vacancy rates include San Francisco, 3.7 percent; Long Island, N.Y., and Northern New Jersey, each at 5.7 percent; and San Jose, Calif., at 6.0 percent.

Average retail rent is seen to decline 0.2 percent this year, and then rise 0.7 percent in 2012. Net absorption of retail space is seen at 1.2 million square feet this year and 13.5 million in 2012.

Multifamily Markets
The apartment rental market – multifamily housing – is expected to see vacancy rates drop from 5.0 percent in the fourth quarter to 4.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012; multifamily vacancy rates below 5 percent generally are considered a landlord’s market with demand justifying higher rents.

Areas with the lowest multifamily vacancy rates currently are Minneapolis, 2.4 percent; New York City, 2.7 percent; and Portland, Ore., at 2.8 percent.

Average apartment rent is projected to rise 2.5 percent this year and another 3.5 percent in 2012. Multifamily net absorption is likely to be 238,400 units this year and 126,600 in 2012.

© 2011 Florida Realtors®

Marla Martin, Communications Manager, or Jeff Zipper, Vice President of Communications 407/438-1400, ext. 2326 or 2314

Fla.’s Existing Home and Condo Sales Up in October 2011

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 21, 2011

– Florida’s existing home and existing condo sales continued to show gains in October, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Existing home sales increased 13 percent last month with a total of 13,755 homes sold statewide compared to 12,145 homes sold in October 2010, according to Florida Realtors.

“Statewide, both sales and prices are above where they were this time last year,” noted Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. John Tuccillo. “The monthly median prices have ticked down slightly for the past few months, but the overall trend continues to show gains year-over-year.

“These numbers, combined with reports from Realtors throughout the state, indicate that we’re seeing strong interest in purchasing Florida real estate from smart investors who are taking advantage of the current favorable market conditions,” Tuccillo said. “These folks tend to have a long-term outlook and plan to hold onto their property purchases for a while.”

Seventeen of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported higher existing home sales in October; 12 MSAs had higher existing condo sales.

The statewide median sales price for existing homes last month was $131,200; a year ago, it was $136,600 for a decrease of 4 percent. According to analysts with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), sales of foreclosures and other distressed properties continue to downwardly distort the median price because they generally sell at a discount relative to traditional homes. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

The national median sales price for existing single-family homes in September 2011 was $165,600, down 3.9 percent from a year ago, according to NAR. In Massachusetts, the September statewide median resales price was $294,950; in California, it was $287,440; in Maryland, it was $228,879; and in New York, it was $217,600.

In Florida’s year-to-year comparison for condos, 6,132 units sold statewide in October, a 12 percent increase over the 5,473 units sold in October 2010. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $87,800; a year earlier, it was $80,500 for a 9 percent gain. The national median existing condo sales price in September was $163,800, according to NAR.

“The latest unemployment figures indicate that Florida’s jobs outlook is improving, mortgage rates remain at historical lows and buyers are able to consider a variety of housing options at affordable prices in communities across the state,” said 2011 Florida Realtors President Patricia Fitzgerald, manager/broker-associate with Illustrated Properties in Hobe Sound and Mariner Sands Country Club in Stuart. “This is a great time to consult a local Realtor® about homeownership opportunities in your local housing market.”

According to Freddie Mac, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.07 percent in October, down from the 4.23 percent average during the same month a year earlier. Florida Realtors’ sales figures reflect closings, which typically occur 30 to 90 days after sales contracts are written.

Two charts showing statistics for Florida and the state’s MSAs are attached. One chart compares the volume of existing, single-family home sales and median sales prices in May 2011 to May 2010 based on Realtor transactions; another compares the volume of existing, condominium sales and median sales prices in May 2011 to May 2010 based on Realtor transactions.

Single-Family pdf html
Condominium pdf html

Florida Realtors®, formerly known as the Florida Association of Realtors®, serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 115,000 members in 64 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Media Center website is available at http://media.floridarealtors.org.