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The Real Estate market getting worse?

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 09:08:58 -0800

The Government today announced that we might be going into a recession. Greenspan said, “If you fix the Real Estate, you fix the economy.” Would you like one of your own, a Real Estate Broker, in Congress? Would you like someone fighting for you in Washington? Then, I’m you’re only hope. Currently, there are no Real Estate Brokers in Congress that I’m aware of. I’m Real Estate Broker Mike Thomas for Congress 2008. Visit my site www.MikeThomasForCongress.com to learn more how you can make a difference. Your support and contributions will not be forgotten.

BallenIsles

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 12:15:52 -0700

BallenIsles Golf and Country Golf Club Communities are up This September 2007 our sales we're 9 sales in BallenIsles over 1 sale in in September 2006. So our market in BallenIsles is moving fast over year. 9 Sales in September months is where are were in a GREAT real estate market in BallenIsles.

BallenIsles Real Estate selling this summer

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 02:46:37 -0700

BallenIsles Estates homes are selling this summer 2007. Most BallenIsles Residents believe that the summer months are slow in Golf Club Communities and that most buyers buying homes in season (Nov-May). I believe that everyone puts their home on the market during that time and then your homes get lost in the crowd. I think that in the summer months you might get less activity, but more serious buyers. So, before you decided to wait for the busy season, consider selling your home when no one else is.

BallenIsles Seasonal Rentals going fast.

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 01:47:14 -0700

BallenIsles Seasonal Rentals are going fast. Tuesday is put a season rental into the MLS by Thursday I showed it and by Friday it was rented for $5,000 and a 4 month minimum. That's an excellent price only $166 per day for a 3 bedroom 3 bath house with a private heated pool and 2 car garage with a golf cart garage in Golf Club Communities. You couldn't stay at the nice hotel during season for that.

BallenIsles of JDM, Palm Beach Gardens Florida Real Estate

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 23:02:19 -0700

BallenIsles Estate homes are moving finally again. After a long wait and slow market 31 homes sold this year in BallenIsles with 1,588 homes in BallenIsles and only 89 homes on the market for sale; it looks like the inventory in BallenIsles is shrinking back to normal level. With the reduction in inventory, and the demand remaining the same, real estate sales should return back to normal the Golf Club Communities in Palm Beach Gardens Florida. some of the other Luxury Homes communities like IBIS Golf and Country, Mirasol Luxury Homes, and Old Palm Estates are still waiting to recover.Mike K Thomas - Golf Club Communities - BallenIsles Estate Specialist

BallenIsles Estates in Palm Beach Gardens a celebrity Golf Club Community?

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 02:53:55 -0700

BallenIsles Estates attracts celebrities! Venus and Serena Williams, the tennis stars, live in a BallenIsles Estate home over looking beautiful golf and water views and play tennis at the BallenIsles Club often. Bruce Fleischer, a professional golfer, lived in BallenIsles on Grand Pointe. His beautiful manson had all a luxury Home should have, marble floors, granite counters, high ceilings, crown molding. This place was awesome. Now Ballenisles might be getting an old rock and roller, who is looking at our listing at 205 Coconut Key. Marc Blasi and I will find out who this mystery rock and roller is today.

Real Estate market is UP 5.9% in Palm Beach Gardens FL in BallenIsles

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:08:03 -0700

GOOD NEWS. Our Real Estate market here in Palm Beach Gardens Florida in UP 5.9% since January 2007. This is the first positive figure that we had here in BallenIsles Golf and Country Club a private gated golf club community with 3 golf courses one of which is a championship course. I hope you all are seeing some positive figures in your markets as well. Keep working hard, I believe the market is coming back, sooner then most people think.

BallenIsles Slide Show my first try

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Sat, 19 May 2007 06:09:12 -0700

Never have I seen the media control our Real Estate Industry so MUCH!

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 11:45:38 -0700

Every time I pick up the newspaper all I hear is how BAD things are in Real Estate. So, I cancelled my newspaper subscription. A year or so ago the HEADLINES read “The Housing Market is Booming” and “Florida most desired place to live” Real Estate Sales were up and many Real Estate Professionals advertised in the newspapers accounting for a large number of their revenues. Don’t get me wrong! I like journalist and newspaper reporters. I was the editor in chief of our school newspaper many years ago and I believe in freedom of speech. At one time in my life I wanted to pursue a career in journalism as many of the newspapers reporters have degrees in Journalism NOT Real Estate Economics. When I hear a newspaper reporter tell us that the Real Estate market is bad or getting worst, I wonder how much is REALLY TRUE. Could this possible be an opinion NOT a FACT? I’ve lived in Florida of almost a decade. I wouldn’t live anywhere else! Florida is 90% waterfront with the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico surrounding it. We have the most waterfront land in the ENTIRE continental United States! From Jupiter Florida south, the meteorologist declared South Florida TROPICAL climate. FLORIDA HAS THE ONLY TROPICAL CLIMATE IN THE CONTINENTIAL UNITED STATES! The Southern tip of California, San Diego, comes to about Atlanta, Georgia NOT even close to our climate and about 20% colder. Oh, one more thing Florida has more golf courses then ANY other state! Palm Beach Gardens, Florida is the Golf capital of the world! So how is it that Florida, the ONLY state in the entire continental United States that is almost completely surrounded by ocean waters, offers year round golf and is in a tropical climate with the Bahamas is falling behind TORNADO ALLEY Oklahoma? Bad Press, I guess?

This is my first attempt to embed a video code in HTML

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 07:04:24 -0700

Wikipedia a great source for Information

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 07:53:19 -0700

Has anyone heard of Wikipedia? It's a great way of finding real estate communities. I found information on all kinds of communities that I serve. This is like a giant encyclopedia. I researched some my communities like these:BallenIsles Egret Landing PGA National IBIS Singer Island Juno Beach Palm Old MirasolAbacoaAdmirals Cove Jonathans LandingProsperityHarborHarbour Isles and found so much information. If there is a way to link to Wikipedia and let me and let me know if you find your communities too.Mike Thomas - Luxury Homes Florida - 561-282-3330

BallenIsles Golf and Country Club more News

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 13:00:37 -0800

Here is some more information about BallenIsles that was emailed to me.The 6,000 club managers and club presidents who are surveyed for their views on Platinum excellence are asked to consider five components of a private club: (1) quality of membership, (2) tradition and culture, (3) amenities, (4) governance, and (5) quality of management and staff.Other Florida clubs achieving Platinum Club rankings include: Boca West Country Club, Boca Raton #7; John's Island Club, Vero Beach #8; Islesworth Golf & Country Club, Windermere #14; and Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo #16. Behind BallenIsles Country Club are The Club at Admiral's Cove, Jupiter #24; Jupiter Island Club, Hobe Sound #26; and Frenchman's Creek Country Club, Palm Beach Gardens #36BallenIsles Country Club's pedigree began in 1963 when John D. MacArthur contracted with the Professional Golf Association to establish a golf headquarters in Florida. The P.G.A was located for ten years on the golf courses which became BallenIsles. The P.G.A. qualifying school, PGA Seniors Championships, and the World Club were held on these courses. Today, club members and their guests of all skill levels enjoy the three 18 hole championship golf courses with competitive and recreational play. BallenIsles golf professional, Annette Thompson, was inducted into the Ladies Professional Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2006. Other instructional Club golf professionals are Michael Hattman, Jeff Fitzherbert, Ken Doherty, Carl Lohren, Bill Andrews, Sang Hwang, and Scott Dietrich. The BallenIsles Country Club Tennis and Fitness facility with 23 tennis courts ranks nationally. In 2004, the BallenIsles Country Club Tennis program with Trish Faulkner, Director of Tennis, and Judi Stiff, USPTA Head Professional, was ranked #1 by the USPTA. In 2006, Judi Stiff was voted Tennis Professional of the Year by the USPTA. Member controlled since 2005, BallenIsles Country Club offers equity Golf, Sport, Tennis, and Social/Fitness Memberships to residents and to a very limited number of non-residents. In addition to sports, the Club provides an extremely active social calendar, Grand Clubhouse, and exquisite dining in three venues. With 1,576 residences, BallenIsles, meaning beautiful islands, is a beautiful established, secure, lush sub-tropical gated community conveniently located in Northern Palm Beach County at the intersection of the Florida Turnpike and PGA Boulevard.Mike K Thomas, Luxury Homes Florida, 561.282.3330 ext 99 www.BallenIslesEstates.com Mike@BallenIslesEstates.com

Egret Landing Jupiter is a hidden jewel

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 08:23:11 -0800

Egret Landing in Jupiter, Florida is a hidden jewel. Egret Landing has a clubhouse with pool and exercise room that residents can lease for private events - it even has a kitchen and a media room! We also have 6-8 tennis courts with Professional instruction available. Two Basketball courts and a full size Soccer field round out the activities package. 24 / 7 Security is provided for the large Estate Homes. AND -Yes, you can actually get a large yard here in Florida! Check it all out on www.EgretLanding.com Mike K Thomas - Luxury Homes Florida - 561.282.3330 - www.EgretLanding.com or email info@EgretLanding.com

BallenIsles Golf and Country Club ranked 17th in America

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 03:30:20 -0800

I was emailed this by the membership office in BallenIsles the other day and WOW BallenIsles was ranked 17th in America! Over the last decade, BallenIsles Country Club, Inc. in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, has outpaced more than 6,000 clubs nationally in its rise in the Platinum Club rankings. "No other club in the nation exceeds BallenIsles in your club's advances in excellence," says John R. Sibbald, publisher of the Club Leaders Forum that conducts Platinum Club surveys every three years among club presidents and managers. Continues Sibbald, "This survey, beginning in 1997, is America's only instrument by which clubs can measure themselves against others." In the first year of rankings, BallenIsles Country Club, was not among the top 100. In 2000, BallenIsles made the Platinum Club list at 67; in 2003 BallenIsles advanced to 51; and in 2006, BallenIsles leaped into the top tier of the top 100 premier Platinum Club Country Clubs, and currently ranks as the 17th most highly regarded country club in America. Perhaps more importantly, BallenIsles now also ranks as the fifth most highly thought of residential club community in America. Mike K Thomas - Luxury Homes Florida - 561.282.3330 - www.BallenIslesEstates.com - Mike@BallenIslesEstates.com

The Real Estate market is booming busy!

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:14:47 -0800

Hey,Marc Blasi and I went on a listing appointment today and he blew the socks off these For Sale By Owner about why they need us now more then ever and he went on and on about technology is the new way for selling real estate. No wonder is the #1 featured agent for Palm Beach County. check out his website http://www.PgaGolfRealty.com and let me know what you guys think.Mike K Thomas - Luxury Homes Florida - 561.282.3330 Broker@InternetRealtyBrokers.com

technorati.com

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 05:50:26 -0800

I'm using http://www.technorati.com/ to help promote my blog on activerain if you too want to promote your blog on the internet try http://www.technorati.com/ or sign up for their service. I'll let you know how it goes.<a href="http://www.technorati.com/claim/ziabggdew" rel="me">Technorati Profile</a> Mike k Thomas - Luxury Homes Florida - 561.282.3330 Broker@InternetRealtyBrokers.com http://www.internetrealtybrokers.com/ America Technology Based Real Rstate Company. Headquarter in Palm Beach Gardens Florida. Our metto is "Bringing you tomorrows technology today!"

Palm Beach Gardens market in BallenIsles Estates - Golf and Country Club

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 13:30:41 -0800

Here in the Palm Beach Gardens market in BallenIsles Estates - Golf and Country Club the market is reallty picking up. We are predicting a good season for this year. I heard that by the Summer 2007 thing should be back to normal. I excited to see what going to happen this year.Mike K Thomas - Luxury Homes Florida- 561.282.3330 - Broker@InternetRealtyBrokers.com

101 Coconut Key - Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 - SOLD!

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 07:20:40 -0800

101 Coconut Key

BallenIsles - 101 Coconut Key, Palm Beach Gardens
101 Coconut Key Video Tour
Internet Realty BrokersMike ThomasFounder/CEO561.282.3330 ext 99Mike@BallenIslesEstates.comhttp://www.ballenislesestates.com/ MLS # R2659985	Valued at $1,450M4BR/3.5BA/3-Car Garage built in 2002Over 4000 Living SF with a Guesthouse on Lake/Golf
http://www.golfclubcommunities.com/ Internet Realty Brokers - 3309 North Lake Blvd. Suite 203, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33403

Title Insurance discounting 20%

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 01:42:18 -0800

S & S Title Partners is discounting title insurance rates as high at 20% in Palm Beach County. check them out http://www.sandstitle.com/ Check these people out and tell me if these people are for real. How can they offer such low rates, I thought that title insurance was mandated by the state.Mike K Thomas - Internet Realty Brokers - 561.282.3330 - Brokers@InternetRealtyBrokers.com

The Martket is picking up in Palm Beach County

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 12:00:46 -0800

Hey guys,Our makret is starting to pick up again here in Palm Beach County Florida. FINALLY. Let me know how your markets are in florida. I heard that by the summer of 2007 the market will be much better again.Mike K Thomas - Internet Realty Brokers - 561.282.3330 - Broker@InternetRealtyBrokers.com www.InternetRealtyBrokers.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:29:25 -0800

Happy New Year to ALL from our family to ours.Mike K Thomas

Houses meets on Insurance - FAR

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:56:11 -0800

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Dec. 6, 2006 - Florida's legislative leaders have been crowing for months about the importance of a solution to Florida's property insurance crisis.House Speaker Marco Rubio is demonstrating just how critical he considers the issue, summoning the 120 members of the Florida House to Tallahassee for three days this week for a seminar on the conditions that have prompted soaring insurance bills, the exodus of private insurers and the state's growing role as insurance provider."This is an important issue - one that threatens to overshadow and consume us," the Coral Gables Republican told his charges Monday in a Florida State University ballroom.The intent, Rubio said, is to get members "all on equal footing" prior to the Jan. 16 special legislative session on property insurance. There are 36 new members of the Florida House - although a handful have served prior terms or changed districts - and Rubio said he wants "open, honest and energetic discussion" by all members.They were briefed Monday on everything from the science behind storms to the state's budgeting process. Today, they meet with Alex Sink, a Thonotosassa Democrat who will be sworn in as the state's chief financial officer next month. There are also sessions on reinsurance, mitigation, the state's ratemaking process and past legislative action.It will cost taxpayers about $10,000 to hold the conference, though this week had already been scheduled as a legislative "committee week," when lawmakers gather for preliminary work prior to the March-April legislative session. The money already had been budgeted for legislative travel this week.By Wednesday, House members will be presenting their ideas formally on how to restore the private market and reduce rates.Rubio said he recalled previous special sessions that were "largely the domain of three or four people going into a small room with their staff, deciding what's going to be passed. ... This is too big and too important an issue to be relegated to that."The 40-member state Senate is not participating, but many of its members have years of legislative experience and only a handful of seats changed hands in last month's election.State Rep. Jim Frishe, R-Pinellas Park, said he's appreciating the crash course. "There's a lot of new information here," said the veteran of a 1984-1990 legislative stint."I'm optimistic that there are some things we can do. ... There is going to be an upward adjustment in premiums, that's just a fact of life. But part of the regulatory environment can be altered to our benefit. The insurance industry has some answering to do in this equation also."Copyright © 2006 Tampa Tribune, Fla.,Erica Werner, Associated Press Writer. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.Mike K Thomas - Internet Realty Brokers - 561.282.3330 - Broker@InternetRealtyBrokers.com

Florida Real Estate Market NOT ALL BAD

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:53:02 -0800

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Dec. 6, 2006 - The University of Florida's (UF) fourth quarter survey of Florida real estate trends finds that things aren't all bad. While the outlook for sales of homes and condos in Florida remains sluggish, the real estate prognosis for business properties is much better as it rides on a still-strong state economy, according to Wayne Archer, director of UF's Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies.Nearly half of Florida real estate experts say it's a poor time to build single-family housing and more than two-thirds say the same about condos, but they're more optimistic about all other types of properties. The results are from the center's fourth quarterly survey of Florida real estate trends that was completed in October."Condominium markets are clearly struggling and single-family markets are softening, although, contrary to some news reports, we don't see evidence of prices tumbling," Archer says. "But the picture is pretty healthy when you look at everything else. One important indicator of the real estate market is occupancy rates, and these appear to be stable or increasing in most markets, including apartments, office buildings, retail space, and industrial warehouse and distribution space."More than 70 percent of those surveyed said now is a bad time to build condos, and 46 percent said the same thing about single-family housing; but for 10 other property types the respondents were predominantly neutral or even positive, he says.The foundation for the upbeat view about business property is the relative health and growth of Florida's economy, Archer says."Employment is very good and the fundamentals that drive rental income and occupancy are still very strong," he says. "In addition, interest rates have remained perhaps a little more stable than some people expected."The share of respondents expecting future declines in absorption rates - the rate at which properties are able to be leased or sold - remains unchanged for single-family housing at 61 percent since July, Archer says. It inched up slightly for condos, from 69 to 71 percent."The main question we focused on is how bad it is," he says. "There have been so many news reports and rumors flying about how the condo bubble has burst and how the length of time it takes to sell a house has increased dramatically."The results were somewhat more sobering for prices. The percentage of respondents expecting single-family residential prices in Florida to drop doubled from 24 percent in July to 47 percent in October, he says.For condominiums, the rate of decline was not as dramatic as it was for single-family homes because expectations had already dropped in July, Archer says. Forty-four percent of respondents said they expected condo prices to decline in October, compared with 38 percent in July, he says."Condos have always been one of the most volatile markets in real estate," he says. "They're a place where naïve investors find it easy to jump in and speculate."The condo market is probably overbuilt at the moment, with properties taking longer than usual to sell, Archer says."If history is any indication, condos that have special attributes, such as waterfront or lakefront, are those that are going to survive the best," he says.One sign that pessimism about single-family housing and condos does not extend to other real estate markets in Florida is in capitalization rates, the measure of how fast an investment will pay for itself in net cash, Archer says. If there is growing apprehension about rental markets, capitalization rates should increase in response to rising perceived risk, but respondents reported capitalization rate increases of less than a third of a percent and even some decreases among 10 major property types since July, he says.The increasing cost of homeowners' insurance in Florida was again a major concern in this survey, as it was in the previous quarterly survey released in September. "However, the fact that the investment outlook remains stable to positive for most property types and the fact that cap rates remain stable, signaling continued investor confidence, are both indicators that the immediate insurance crisis is not yet being viewed as so bad that it has changed real estate markets," Archer says.For the survey, UF's Survey Research Center asked a series of questions of 183 industry executives, real estate lawyers, market analysts, title insurers, financial advisers, market research economists, real estate scholars and other experts in the field.© 2006 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®Mike K Thomas - Internet Realty Brokers - 561.282.3330 - Brokers@InternetRealtyBrokers.com

Upswing of Consumer Confidence -NAR

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:42:50 -0800

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Nov. 29, 2006 - Lower gas prices, high employment levels and possibly the mid-term election results boosted consumer confidence in Florida by three points in November to 93, University of Florida economists report."Consumers in Florida are optimistic going into the holiday season," said Chris McCarty, director of the survey research center at UF's Bureau of Economic and Business Research. "This should be good news for retailers. Our expectations had been that high levels of consumer debt coupled with the downturn in the housing market would be a burden on consumers, who would in turn curtail their spending. Based on these results, this does not appear to be the case just yet."The rise in confidence was broad-based, with increases in four of the five components. Perceptions of U.S. economic conditions over the next five years registered the biggest gain, jumping eight points to 93. Expectations about U.S. economic conditions over the next year rose four points to 87. Perceptions of personal finances a year from now rose three points to 100, while perceptions of personal finances now compared to a year ago rose two points to 84. The only component to decline was the perception of whether it is a good time to buy big-ticket items, which fell by one point to 100."Interestingly, one of the largest gains was in the component measuring long-term economic conditions," McCarty said. "Given the lack of any major economic events in November, one has to wonder whether the election results in Florida, nationally, or both, had an effect."High employment levels and lower gasoline prices likely had a positive influence on consumers, McCarty said. But on the negative side were record debt levels and the housing downturn, he said."The buildup of inventory has led to sharp declines in housing sales statewide, as well as declines in prices in selected markets," he said. "The collateral damage from this is potentially severe in Florida, particularly among those who depend on housing as a substantial source of wealth."But so far these fears, as measured by consumer confidence, have not been realized, he said."At this point, I would have to forecast at least a moderate holiday season based on these results," McCarty said. "Any severe downturn in the economy due to housing is not likely until 2007. Although it might still happen, it is not likely this close to the holidays."The research center conducts the Florida Consumer Attitude survey monthly. Respondents are 18 or older and live in households telephoned randomly. The preliminary index for November was conducted from 426 responses. The error rate is plus or minus 5 percent.Consumer confidence is designed to help predict buying patterns by measuring the mood of consumers toward purchasing. Although other economic indicators also predict buying patterns, consumer confidence tends to be available sooner. The index is benchmarked to 1966, so a value of 100 represents the same level of confidence for the year. The value of the index is in comparing changes over time rather than looking at an isolated month.© 2006 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®Mike K Thomas - Internet Realty Brokers - 561.282.3330 - Broker@InternetRealtyBrokers.com

Market Stabilizaing -NAR

Mike Thomas, Mike Thomas (Premier Brokers International) — Thu, 28 Dec 2006 06:38:15 -0800

WASHINGTON - Dec. 5, 2006 - Pending home sales are hovering in a narrow range, another indication that a stabilization is occurring in the housing sector, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).The Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in October, slipped 1.7 percent to a reading of 107.2 and is 13.2 percent lower than October 2005. The index had trended up from a cyclical low of 105.6 in July, and a decline from year-ago levels is narrowing. In September, the index was 13.6 percent below a year earlier, while in August the decline was 14.0 percent.David Lereah, NAR's chief economist, says a fairly steady pace of home sales can be expected for the next two months. "It's important to focus on where the housing market is now - it appears to be stabilizing, and comparisons with an unsustainable boom mask the fact that home sales remain historically high - they'll stay that way through 2007," he says. "In addition, a temporary correction in prices distracts from the fact that it is primarily the number of home sales that affects the economy, and the number for this year will be the third highest on record."The index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed and the transaction has not closed, but the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, the first year to be examined and the first of five consecutive record years for existing-home sales. There is a closer relationship between annual changes in the index and year-ago changes in sales performance than with month-to-month comparisons.Regionally, the PHSI in the Midwest slipped 0.6 percent in October to 95.8 and was 15.4 percent below a year ago. The index in the South declined 1.7 percent to 122.9 and was 9.3 percent below October 2005. In the Northeast, the index eased 2.1 percent in October to 88.0 and was 13.5 percent lower than a year earlier. The index in the West fell 2.7 percent to 109.5 and was 17.4 percent below October 2005.© 2006 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORSMike K Thomas - Internet Realty Brokers - 561.282.3330 Broker@InternetRealtyBrokers.com