Sandestin Gumbo Festival!

February 17th and 18th!

Retired Moving To Florida In Large Numbers!

A recent US Census Report indicates that US residents from Northern Climates are once again heading to Florida for retirement. The dates between April 2010 and July 2011, Florida welcomed 560 new residents to Florida EACH DAY!

Home Sales Contracts Continue to Rise

Dec 29 2011, 4:04PM

The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) announced on Thursday that pending home sales in November reached the highest levels seen in 19 months.  The NAR Pending Sales Index, generally seen as a leading indicator of the level of sales over the next 30 to 90 days, increased 7.3 percent from October figures to an index of 100.1 and is 5.9 percent above November 2010 when the index was 94.5. 
The November reading is the highest since April 2010 when it reached 111.5 near the end of eligibility for the popular homebuyers tax credit which expired the following June 30.  The Pending Home Sales Index is based on signed contracts for home purchases and does not reflect transaction closings.

Kiplinger’s Housing Forecast: Positive Signs Offset the Negative

The median home price in the U.S. has plunged nearly 40% in a little over five years, but the worst is definitely over, according to a recent report by Kiplinger: The market has finally wrung out the last excess valuations born of the housing bubble. Before you break out the party hats, note that this doesn't mean prices across the nation are poised to rebound anytime soon. Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics at Clear Capital, a provider of real estate data and analytics, said the housing market is in a "suspended state," with positive and negative factors offsetting one another. But he doesn't expect another free fall in prices, assuming "things are left to work themselves out and there are no further shocks to the economy