An article in today's Herald Tribune confirmed what I have been arguing for the last few months. Things ARE getting better in Manatee County!!
I have been saying these very same words to everyone that asks me for the past several months. I started taking note of the MLS activity every day starting on January 1 of this year and the numbers don't lie! Things have slowly been getting better.
"Hank Fishkind, Florida's premier economist, believes that the downturn in the residential real estate market is over."
"I argue that housing has stopped going down," Fishkind said. "It is weak. It is painful, but it is not going to get any worse."
FINALLY!!!! Someone is reporting the positive side of real estate and not the negative. I am so tired of hearing all the negative news stories that the media plasters all over the news and the Internet saying things are still bad, when in fact in all areas that is not true!
I can't tell you how many countless conversations I have had with people that still argue that things will continue to decline. This is not the case. If you're sitting on the fence waiting....I hope this is your wake up call. I have said and will still tell you that there are a lot of great deals out there right now. But the longer you sit, the less there will be to choose from. Inventory has stopped climbing and in fact is starting to slowly decline. The longer you wait, the less you will have to choose from.
"He predicted that Sarasota and Manatee will burn off excess inventory this year, and that sales will improve in 2008 and 2009."
That was exactly my thinking and in fact I am going to start keeping track of the number of single family homes and condos that are Active on the market and start also reporting those numbers.
On May 9, 2007 there were:
4,457 single family homes on the market for sale in Manatee County
2,168 condos on the market for sale in Manatee County
On May 18, 2007 there were:
4,447 single family homes on the market for sale in Manatee County
2,132 condos on the market for sale in Manatee County
I will continue to report these numbers each week for the rest of the year.
If you haven't already, head on over to my website and start searching the MLS before you miss out on these great deals!
