Waterfront Specialists, Inc. is pleased with our 6 month sales results. With $5,207,500.  in closings since January 1, the year 2010 is definitely showing an increase in activity over 2009. A July 11^th article in the Key West Citizen confirms this is the case for home sales. Here are some excerpts from what was reported: “The number of homes sold in the Florida Keys in the first half of this year significantly increased over the first half of 2009, but prices continued to drop in many markets. Countywide sales from January through June increased 34 percent over the same six months in 2009 and more than doubled from the first quarter of this year. Following a nearly four-year trend, average sales prices in the Keys dropped 13 percent to $423,000 after the first six months of this year compared with last. Key West saw the largest percentage drop in the average home sale price -- declining 18 percent to $415,000. That's about half of what home sales in the city were averaging in early 2007. Similarly, the Upper Keys saw a 16 percent drop in average sale price, and the Lower Keys saw a 15 percent drop. The Middle Keys actually saw a 7 percent increase, raising the average sale price in that area to $462,000. Historically low mortgage rates have contributed to the continued increase in sales. Rates for 30-year fixed mortgages dipped to a record-low 4.69 percent in late June. The number of properties for sale increased slightly in all areas except for the Key West, which saw a 9 percent decrease in the number of homes for sale at the end of June this year compared with last, and a 6 percent decrease from the first quarter of this year. The increase in the number of new listings might be attributed to people taking their properties off the rental market and putting them up for sale now that conditions are more favorable for sellers.

Another change is the ratio of what a home lists for and what it actually sells for. For the past three years, that number has hovered around 87 percent, meaning for buyers that there was a 13 percent margin between what a home was listed for and what they actually paid for it. That number edged up to around 91 percent in the last quarter. Two reasons attributed to this ratio increase are: Buyers are recognizing that prices are getting down to the bottom, and the sellers are recognizing that and holding their prices a little bit stronger than they used to be.” 

Just recently listened to a super seminar on creating powerful health. To basically summarize what Dr. Richard Schulze said was we need to take responsibility by listening to “our guts” in  preventing DIS-EASE and ultimately, not leave everything to medical science. He gave 20 Steps to taking control some of which were: Drinking pure water, making fresh juices, eating vegan and primarily raw (live, organic) foods, cleansing the colon by detoxification, breathe deeper, stretch, walk, move, stop watching so much TV, get rid of excess in your life, love life, express yourself, help others, laugh more, have more sex, listen to yourself and love yourself.

What a wonderful guide to living! Hope you incorporate these steps in your day. My best to all of you, Diane