Steve Eckhardt's Tampa Area Blog

Strong property sales in the Sarasota market in October continued to show a market in recovery with sales 36% higher than October 2008.  Click HERE to read the full report from the Sarasota Association Of Realtors.

Click Here To Read The Latest Sarasota Market Report

If you're looking at homes for sale around the Tampa Bay area or Sarasota area, and you want to buy a home, but are waiting around for better prices, you might want to rethink your strategy

If you're a market watcher, soaking up the information overload across news media and Internet websites, you're probably overwhelmed with confusion by now. Is the housing market getting better? Is it getting worse? Was there really a housing bubble collapse? And, if so, who popped it?

First, the quick answers. Yes, the housing bubble collapsed, and everybody had a hand in popping it: the government, the lenders, the investors and the general public. Now the hard answers: it's getting better - and worse.

The truth is that market predictors are all on the fence. With the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) giving first time homeowners some incentive to buy homes for sale, there has been a steady increase of sales. However, once the tax credit finally ends, the numbers are once again expected to drop.

Again, though, it's better and worse. While the housing market is still dropping in some areas, such as the southeast in Mississippi, Alabama and so forth, there are definitely some strong markets in the country.

For instance, Boulder, Colorado holds 60% of the share of increasing home values. The average value is about $350,000, but there's a limit in place on the amount of homes allowed in the area. In Binghamton, New York, the average value of a home is around $112,000. They also have a housing limit, which means a small supply, so prices probably aren't going to plummet.

Just because this is a buyer's market, doesn't mean you'll get the exact price you're looking for. If you want to buy a home and you're waiting around for the prices of homes to plummet into a "sweet deal," make sure you don't wait yourself into an expensive mistake.

Instead of checking national market forecasts, potential homebuyers need to look at things the way we always should have. Do I want to buy a house? Can I afford one of the homes for sale on the Gulf Coast of Florida the way things are now? By researching, crunching numbers, and answering the important questions, you'll find the sweetest deal you could ever have: a wonderful house you can afford.

And, if you are going to research an area, use local information from local sources versus the large national resources.  I've listed a few of my favorite sources:

Florida Association Of Realtors

Cornerstone Properties & Investments, Inc

TampaBay.com

If you're looking for a place to call your own, I can help. Call me at (813) 765-1182, email me at steve@thefloridaauthority.com, or submit a request at www.SearchForTampaHomes.com.  I'd be happy to provide all the information you will need to make an informed purchase decision on the Gulf Coast of Florida!

Pending home sales rose again, marking eight consecutive monthly gains - the longest streak since measurement began in 2001, according to the National Association of Realtors®.  http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2009/11/rise_eight