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:

“Markets and government institutions are visibly struggling to respond consistently to an unprecedented rash of crises and conflicts. These struggles diminish confidence, which compounds the underlying economic stresses and lowers expectations.”

It’s not overwhelmingly fantastic news, but the survey does depict the bottom of the crisis and the beginning of a housing recovery. That upward turn, if it does indeed happen when this report suggests, is a long time coming and well worth celebrating.

Baby steps.

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.

Sign up to receive the newsletter today! Click here

(Note that the email newsletter sign up is located on the top-left of the page).

So says Colorado Springs, Colo., real estate agent Shawn Jardine in a recent article from the Christian Science Monitor:

“It’s a feeding frenzy right now. On one property listed for $65,000, I had 15 offers. The best offer won at $20,000 over asking price.”

Wholesalers, which are basically investors with lots of money who can buy in bulk, are “snapping up” a healthy chunk of the best distressed property deals currently available on the market.

It’s common these days for wholesalers to swoop in and make all-cash offers, making it difficult for first-time homebuyers and other “small-time” investors to land their deals.

With the nationwide housing market riddled with bargains, and a volatile stock market, wholesalers are literally banking on the notion that the market will eventually rebound. Perhaps not to pre-collapse levels anytime soon, but nonetheless, it’s bound to happen.

When and where is still a huge question mark. In the meantime, opportunistic wholesalers have the ability to buy low now, renovate their homes (if necessary) and then hang onto them for however long it takes to rent or re-sell at later time for huge profits.

To beat wholeslaers, investors and other buyers to the punch, we always recommend that you consider our FREE email alerts. We send you the hottest deals in your area the moment they hit the market.

Timing is everything … now more than ever!

This is a “SMART” car for more than one reason.

It was spotted in a Home Depot parking lot over the weekend near our corporate headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida. As you can see, the energy-conscious vehicle stands apart from the endless sea of cars in the crowded parking lot.

And not just because of it’s unique compact design.

Leveraging a small space, this real estate agent tandem took an opportunity to promote their services within the community by wrapping the car with a clever marketing message. Without the message it’s just another SMART car driving around town.

In this tough economic climate, successful agents are going above and beyond the ordinary methods of building their businesses. What worked five years ago doesn’t necessarily cut it anymore. And since more than 70 percent of homebuyers start their real estate searches online, expensive traditional print ads just don’t have the same impact … or return on investment.

Indeed, homebuyers today are savvy — they understand what’s going on around them and are looking to save big money on home purchases. This reality is underscored with preforeclosures and foreclosures selling at a rate of 2-1 over non-distressed real estate.

So bargain shoppers are out on the Internet in full force. It’s no coincidence, therefore, that most of them end up on Foreclosure.com — the name says it all.

Many of the folks who search Foreclosure.com do not currently have agent representation. It’s the reason we launched our Community Expert Program, which provides exactly what it says — a community agent expert to help homebuyers achieve their goals of homeownership.

Many of our agents have had overwhelming success with this program. It accomplishes two things:

1. Assists homebuyers with finding incredible deals
2. Directs homebuyers to the “cream-of-the crop” agents in their communities

Homebuyers can find community experts on each property details page just under the listing address. An agents name, photo and complete contact info are displayed. So just do a quick home search on Foreclosure.com and you will be on your way toward connecting with the community expert in your area.

If you are an agent who would like to be considered as a community expert click here.

First-time homebuyers are still taking advantage of the unbelievable real estate market conditions, pushing sales up 3.2 percent to 84.6 on the Pending Home Sales Index in March 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

It’s 2.6 points higher on the index than in Feb. 2009 (82) and 1.1 percent more than March 2008 (83.7).

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, had this to say about the latest progress:

“This increase could be the leading edge of first-time buyers responding to very favorable affordability conditions and an $8,000 tax credit, which increases buying power even more in areas where special programs allow buyers to use it as a down payment. We need several months of sustained growth to demonstrate a recovery in housing, which is necessary for the overall economy to turn around.”

Remember that the $8,000 tax credit for first time homebuyers is only available until Dec. 1, 2009. And with the market showing signs of life there is no telling how long the record-low home prices and interest rates will remain at their current levels.

Put simply, now is the time to cracking on your home search before it’s to late.

Head over to Foreclosure.com today to see what deals are available in your area at rock-bottom prices. We offer the best listings in the nation and give you total access to our massive database for seven days free with no strings attached.

So what are you waiting for? Click here.

Foreclosure.com Founder, President and CEO, Brad Geisen, recently shared some expert thoughts on the hot-button issue with the New York Times Freakonomics blog:

“When property values are cheap enough that they equal rental values. What I mean by that is when you can buy a property with very little money down and finance it at a good rate, and then rent it out for just enough to cover the mortgage, insurance, and taxes, then you’ve hit what I call ‘economic value.’ That’s when the property value is the same as its economic value. That’s pretty close to bottom. Now, when you have a pendulum swinging, and values are still dropping a bit, it may swing a little past that. If the property was already 30 percent less than market value, and property values are still dropping, and it gets down to economic value, then that’s when the pendulum will begin to stop and begin to swing the other way.”

To check out the entire high-profile question and answer session click here. It’s a must-read “power session.”

“The Oracle of Omaha,” Warren Buffet — who happens to be the world’s richest man with a net worth of approximately $62 billion — this week held his annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting at the Qwest Center in Omaha, Neb., before a packed house of about 35,000 curious followers.

Aside from being filthy rich, the 77-year-old Buffet has earned a reputation as being one of the world’s most successful investors. His outrageous bank account, of course, helps support that status.

So when he talks people listen. And he did a lot of talking about a lot of things at the most recent “Woodstock of Capitalism.” The national housing market was naturally a topic of discussion.

Here’s what he had to say (via Finance.Yahoo.com):

“In the last few months you’ve seen a real pickup in activity although at much lower prices…. We see something close to stability at these much-reduced prices in the medium to lower part of the market.”

Buffett, according to the article, was citing data from Berkshire’s real-estate brokerage business, HomeServices of America Inc., which is one of the largest in the United States.

It’s not an Earth-shattering report; however, “stability” is certainly a word that most homeowners are happy to hear after the recent rollercoaster ride the market took these folks on over the last few years. And the fact that there has been a noticeable “pick up in activity” at “reduced prices” is certainly good news for buyers looking to score great deals.

Because as Buffet would advise, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” And the value you can get right now at more than likely a historically low price is an opportunity that doesn’t come around very often … so take advantage of it if you can while it lasts.

Remember, you can start that search at no cost with the nation’s top distressed real estate database over at Foreclosure.com.