Here is the scene this morning from RE BarCamp South Florida 2011, which is an all-day workshop held at The Boca Beach Club (Penthouse 2), a luxurious oceanfront location in Boca Raton, Florida.

What’s RE BarCamp, exactly?

REBarCampSouthFL.com explains it best:

“Essentially it’s a day full of technology-driven break out sessions led by other REALTORS® and industry professionals. The topics are put together as the attendees register. You walk in we hand you a piece of paper and if you think you have something interesting to talk about, you just write the topic down and place it on the board in an open time slot.”

It’s a great networking experience, as well as a great opportunity to learn from local professionals and pass along important industry information that we have gleaned at Foreclosure.com and our sister companies such as QuickSale.com, among others.

And with a view a view like this, it’s impossible to not feel inspired:

Yes, I actually took that picture this morning with my iPhone!

It’s going to get worse before it gets better, but there is apparently a shimmer of light at the end of the national housing market’s long, dark tunnel.

Beginning in 2013, home prices are projected to increase a modest 1.77 percent, according to a survey conducted by MacroMarkets LLC, which is based on the S&P/Case-Shiller index over the next five years. In the foreseeable future, prices are expected to continue to decrease 2.53 percent in 2011 and .13 percent in 2012.

Overall, prices are predicted to grow on average 1.1 percent through 2015, according to the study, which surveyed 111 real estate experts and investment/market strategists, among others, to arrive at its conclusions.

Robert Shiller, MacroMarkets cofounder and Yale University professor of economics, explains the possible reasons for the slow growth:

Read the rest of this entry »

About 27 percent of American homeowners feel that prices will continue to drop in 2011, according to a Gallup poll conducted earlier this month, which is compared to 21 percent who feel they will finally begin to increase.

Check out the graphic below, entitled “Expectations for Average House Prices:”

Consumer confidence and attitudes are often telling indicators for if, and when, markets will rebound, correct and/or continue on their current trajectories.

This is “good” news for potential buyers and investors — great real estate deals could possibly get better in the months ahead. Historically-low interest rates and other buyer-friendly conditions, however, could start retreating to so-called “normal” levels sooner rather than later.

For buyers looking to push their chips into the middle of the table at the right time, this is turning out to be like a game of chicken. When do you flinch and go “all in” on the house of your dreams?

Each case is different, so there probably isn’t s silver-bullet answer to the age-old question of when to buy. Keep in mind though, that the line is getting finer by the month. And when the correction comes, it will likely come hard and fast.

Don’t be the one on the outside, hanging onto your bag of chips and kicking yourself for not acting sooner. Watch your local market, sign up for our free property email alerts and stay on top of things as best you can.

It will likely payoff in the end … literally.

Websites alone are no longer enough to shepherd today’s real estate agents through the ever-changing market.

In this current age of social media, applications such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (among others) have come center stage as very successful marketing techniques.

Yes, you still need a great website; but you need more, too. Whether you like it or not, the Internet is now at the heart of the best agents’ marketing campaigns.

If you aren’t “Facebooking” and “Tweeting” yet, the time to start is now. This month’s newsletter contains helpful tips and tricks to get the social aspect of your business up to speed.

Agent University’s monthly newsletter (read it right here) is jam-packed with helpful information, training opportunities and marketing tips that will help you make the most of your social strategy. And it’s free.

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