There seems to be a lot of different explanations and thoughts on the recent change in the market. I like to compare what is going on to a baseball runner who tried to turn a single into a double and gets caught between bases. Over the last year or so, we were hitting for extra bases every time up when listing property. Prices seemed to rise everyday. Over the last few months it would seem that the record price increases have slowed or leveled off. The problem is some homeowners and Realtors may have been slow to recognize this new trend and continued to try get an extra base or two in regards to pricing. Caught in between, they now are confused and unsure which way to go.

A professional Realtor who knows his/her market is prepared for this. If the homeowner's home is now caught between the bases and is seeing no activity or purchase offers, attention will be directed toward marketing efforts, local market trends and review of the original price analysis. A confident Realtor will know how to get their customer back safely on a base by changing or redirecting the marketing efforts, reviewing of the current market trends and recommending needed price adjustments. They also know how to avoid these rundowns in the future by making sure that they work closely with the homeowner, detailing and explaining why it is important to keep prices in line with what the market is currently dictating, when listing new inventory. Getting a good solid hit or sale as it is in this case, is realized because of the skill and confident service a Realtor provides to their newest homeowner seeking to sell.

In keeping with this baseball theme, when these efforts are made, both the seller and Realtor will be able to exclaim;

"real estate has been very very good to me"

Greg Staker is a Broker Associate and Assistant Manager with Watson Realty Corp. in Central Florida. http://www.gregstaker.com