when will the real  estate market in south florida stop going down and start going up?
915731
It's just not in FL, it's like that all the way to the west coast. Prices have dropped from between 5-10% here in just the last few months. New housing construction has slowed to a snails pace and is almost at a stand still. Some places, including Las Vegas are looking at a predicted drop in home values of 25-30%  in the near future. They predict the decline in prices to continue for about 2 years before they level back out. In the meantime foreclosures were up almost 50% this last month in this area (central CA) and are expected to continue into the foreseeable future.
620170
June 2006 money magazine says real estate prices in a few markets is going down but not in most areas. Many will still increase at the average. Prices must level off due to incomes not increasing that much and interest rates going up. Check out the mag article. I just subscribe to the magazine. Good luck. Its best to buy and hold for the long term. There are less deals available so find a few and keep them.
730010
Right now real estate is on the decline. So why would you want to invest until the market has settled off its high?
792668
Eventually yes they will have to fall!! Prices are rising at an alarming rate, and it will get to the point where it will be difficult for many people to afford to buy their own home. As the saying goes "what goes up has to come down".
935005
What goes up, must come down. In the USA, many people were buying homes, and now they can not get rid of them. My own brother has 4 homes in Florida for sale(Florida took the biggest hit) Nothing sold for a whole year. He is miserable. However, it did look good in the beginning when he was buying it 2 years ago...I would wait for the market to stabilize if I could
142606
It is said that the hotest real estate markets may go through a little pullback but that most locations might be ok. So if you believe this then no.\n\nThat cooling off was due to some december housing starts statistics, which actually drastically increased in Jan. The reason may be that the extra cold december shrunk the number and pent up demand plus the extra warm jan made it balloon to its highest level in 30 years. If you believe that then yes.\n\nBottom line is if you can buy a home for a price you can afford and will be there a while and are happy with it then do it, even if the market cools off you will be fine. If it is an investment, then make sure it will have a positive cash flow after all expenses. If you have a positive cash flow and the nmarket cools you can always hold it until it comes back without any trouble.\n\nIf those are not true for you then you probably shouldn't.
175547
I sure hope so.  I am sick of apartment living but can't afford housing here.  I say stick it out in the apartment for at least another few months to see what the market does.  I have a feeling it will be going in our favor.  Maybe it's just wishful thinking.
1036615
well yeah its a good time but there wont always be a demand at the moment it is a buyers market. there are more houses for sale than there are actually abled buyers.
794210
yes. housing is off now. winter is a good time to buy as they are cheaper.
1154625
It all depends, I recommend you do a property search on Zillow.com which will give you comparable sales in the area. I live in Tampa and the comps vary signifigantly.. If you need any assistance please drop me a line Jcorreahq@yahoo.com \n\n\n~Joseph Correa\nLicensed Mortgage Broker
1071715
Find a real estate agent and ask them. They can tell you what the market is doing in your area.
662637
ft laud has some of the most inflated realestate in the country its hot much of the year and there are huricanes in the summer it is also prety crowded but its still not all bad , you may want to check out central fl (orlando) aswell
817193
Property sales are down everyplace, but prices are up in some areas even though sales are down. I think this a buyers market. Buy low and sell when it turns around in five to ten. In general I think this always works.
424905
I am a realtor in florida and know a two people over there that may be able to help. please email at the link below and Ill try to get you connected with them.
561856
Different markets are reacting in different ways...\n\nProperties in northern cities which are losing population are suffering flat or falling values.\n\nCities in the South, such as Tampa, which are still enjoying steady job and population gains are continuing to appreciate, although not at the same rate of the last 1-3 years.
11257
Your question asks if the state of the housing market is one extreme (bubble) or the other (media hype), but I think the answer lies somewhere in between and also depends on your personal circumstances.\nThe general market appears to moderating and by "moderating" I mean the rate of housing price growth is slowing.  This doesn't mean that prices are falling.  The media often misses this subtle, yet important distinction.  Slowing price increases are a good thing because it means that the market is starting to act more rationally.  We all know that prices can't continue to increase at the same rate they have for the past 3-5 years (+10 to +30% a year).  So, the moderation of these increases are not a sign of trouble.  They're a sign of a return to rationality.\nWhat would be a sign of trouble?  A few things come to mind:\n- A substantial increase in job losses and unemployment on a national and, more importantly, a local level.  Think about how business is doing in the L.A. area and where it is likely to go in the future.\n- A substantial increase in the long-term interest rates would be worrisome because fewer people will be able to afford to buy your house for a high price.  Notice I said "substantial".  Everyone knows that rates will go up slightly over the next year or two.  But that's natural as our financial markets try to get to a normal interest rate level.  Our current rates are abnormally low and returning to 7% ish isn't such a bad thing.\n- We restrict immigration substantially.  Immigration trends are driving the demand for first-time home buyers in the U.S.  If we restrict the number of people who can enter our country, become productive citizens and eventually buy a home, we'll lower demand for housing.  Especially in Los Angeles!\nI don't trust the media to give me a balanced view of the housing (or any other) market because that's not their objective.  Media's goal is to get you to watch and they wouldn't get very many viewers if they said that the market would likely just moderate going forward with only slight increases for the future.  They get much more attention when they find data that will allow them to make dire predictions and predict doom and gloom.\nCurrently, the prices of houses are being driven by people's ability to afford the monthly payment and the supply of people looking to purchase houses.  I think that increasing rates will lower the prices a little bit, but I don't think prices will fall significantly causing many people to lose many and file bankruptcy.  I personally don't know anyone who is overleveraged and would be devastated by a decline in housing prices.  They would just continue paying their mortgages and living in the house.  However, when I talk to people about the market, they all think there is a significant population of people who are going bankrupt.  I'm not sure there is much real data to support this paranoia, however.\nNow, to address the second part of my answer -- your personal situation.  If you buy a house for the right personal reasons, then you won't have to worry about future housing prices as much.  If you're committed to staying the local area and you have professional job stability, then you will have more security to ride out any short-term price fluctuations.  Additionally, you should consider the value of owning versus renting along other lines than pure investments.  What is the value of owning your own residence and being able to upgrade various amenities when and how you please?  (Hey - new jet tub! Granite countertops!)  What is the value of being able to demonstrate security to your family and friends?  (Honey, I really am committed to building a family!)  What is the value of not having to deal with landlords and other renting hassles?\nI'm not saying there are concrete answers to those questions, but you should consider them and if they have high value to you, then
413393
Best way is to check recent sales prices of other homes in the area.  Try domania.com.  As for what it will fetch in another year from now, no way to predict.