This certainly is more good news for the general Naples real estate market as, despite the fact that we are out of 'high season', we continue to see interested buyers and are scheduling appointments well into the summer months.

If you are interested in downloading the current N.A.B.O.R. April Report, you can find it on our website at PreviewNaples.Com.

The reverse mortgage, sometimes called a Lifetime Mortgage or Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), was created some years ago by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) for seniors 62 years or older. The loan is rather unique because it will allow an owner to convert a portion of the equity of the home into tax-free cash which can then be taken in one lump payment or in monthly payments for a period of time or for life.

The money derived from a reverse mortgage has no restrictions and can be used for virtually anything, supplementing income, home improvements or anything else. The good news is that the borrower has no monthly payments and their only responsibility is to pay property taxes, homeowner's insurance and maintenance on the property. The loan becomes due when the homeowner either dies, moves to a care facility or the property is sold.

So the question becomes, if you qualify, is this the right type of product for you. The answer lies in a lot of due diligence, because despite the sexiness of mortgage, there are a lot of questions that you need to address not the least of which are the costs!

The key being attractive levels...are they kidding, it's almost like they're saying that the levels are getting close to being unattractive. Maybe the writer was too young to remember 18.5% back in the day. Heck having gone through owning a home back then, anything under 10% looks good to me.

Maybe it's just that we're all getting a bit spoiled these days!

Sometimes I think that the pressure of continually having to keep up with the social networking scene can be a bit much!

There are new social network sites being formed every day and the invitations continue to just roll in. Maybe it's because I'm suffering from social network fatique or something like that, but I can tell you that I'm getting a bit tired of it all. Besides I'm not sure whether I want people, some of whom I barely know if at all, to find out all that about much my life. I know what you're saying, well then don't accept their invitation. I get it, but sometimes in the rush to get things done you end up pushing buttons that you don't even know that you have pushed and things just happen.

I think that we can all get too caught up with this social networking thing and forget that as realtors our sole purpose is to help people buy and sell real estate.

So the real question for me is am I a twit for not wanting to Twitter?

Pending sales for February 2008 versus February 2007 showed an overall increase of almost 70% and reaching a level not seen in the past three years. One of our brokers at Downing-Frye Realty was quoted as saying that he is seeing multiple offers on properties, something that he has not seen since 2005. His prediction is that the firm will have a better season than it has had in the past four years, and if our team sales are any indication, he will certainly be correct. We are finally seeing many of the fence-sitters talking action with authority and that has been driving our sales.

A copy of that report can be found on the home page of our website at: www.previewnaples.com and clicking on Free Market Report.

Article after article say that the internet is a great place to begin your research, but you had better not assume that just because of all the power you have at your fingertips, you should attempt to do everything yourself. There have been many fraudulent homes listed for sale on the internet that do not exist and people have sent money to hold those homes only to find later that their money is gone. Its just like the Nigerian email scam, and yet despite all the warnings, people still fall for it.

The bottom line if you are a home buyer or seller, you had better have an expert in your pocket to guide you along the way and that expert should be your trusted real estate professional!

Certainly that decision is based upon how much of a risk taker you are, although one would suggest that the prudent thing to do is keep it for the moment. For those with option arms ready to reset, whether they are tied to the LIBOR (London Interbank Offered Rate) or the one-year Treasury Bill, most likely they will see the reset substantially lower.

The key is to check your numbers closely before making any firm decision.

Yes people are buying real estate despite the down economy but the buyer, no matter whether they are interested spending $100,000 or $1,000,000 all say the same thing, they want a deal period. If you say to them that they are getting a great deal in relation to the vertical market experience of '04/'05, they just don't want to hear that...they want a "deal".

In many cases the first words out of their mouths are pre-forclosures, short sales and bank-owned properties which because of the press is only natural. As much as they have become the buzzwords, in our market there are far better properties to be had that are none of the above and yet represent a heck of a deal.

Traffic at our Prudential Florida Realty 5th Avenue office has been extremely strong for the first few days of the month, so much so, that the broker now insists that each shift be manned by two agents. At any rate, it hopefully will translate into sales as buyers pick through the large inventory looking for the bargains.

We're excited at Team Naples and feel that we have finally turned the corner and look forward to 2009 with great anticipation. We certainly feel fortunate that we live and work in a world-class destination, and because of that, full recovery should be quicker than some other areas of the country.

It is up to us to educate those sellers who insist on living in '04/'05, as far as price goes, that it isn't going to happen anytime soon again and maybe not even in their lifetime. The old high and hope strategy is long gone and for those who played that game in the declining market, it was like chasing a falling dagger. One just never could get ahead of the market no matter how many price reductions they did.

If we as listers can stick to that mantra of being dead on the money, we will avoid the inevitable death by a thousand price cuts!