Monthly Archives: August 2011

Florida’s Existing Home, Condo Sales Up in 2Q 2011

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Florida‘s existing home and existing condo sales experienced an upswing in the second quarter of 2011 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®. Existing home sales rose 1 percent in 2Q 2011 with a total of 52,421 homes sold statewide; during the same period the year before, a total of 51,973 homes changed hands according to Florida Realtors. Statewide sales of existing condos in the second quarter rose 14 percent compared to the year-ago sales figure.

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Statewide home and condo sales in the second quarter also increased over 1Q 2011′s sales figures, Florida Realtors’ records show. For 2Q 2011, statewide sales of existing homes rose 17.7 percent over the previous quarter’s activity; statewide existing condo sales increased 8.1 percent over the 1Q 2011 level. Continue reading →

Housing and Economic Forecast Points to Rising Activity

Home sales are expected to stay on an uptrend through 2012, although the performance will be uneven with mortgage constraints weighing on the market, according to experts at a residential real estate forum today at the Realtors® Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo here.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said existing-home sales have been underperforming by historical standards and will rise gradually but unevenly. “If we just hold at the first-quarter sales pace of 5.1 million, sales this year would rise 4 percent, but the remainder of the year looks better,” Yun said. “We expect 5.3 million existing-home sales this year, up from 4.9 million in 2010, with additional gains in 2012 to about 5.6 million – that’s a sustainable level given the size of our population.”

Mortgage interest rates should rise gradually to 5.5 percent by the end of the year and average 6.0 percent in 2012 – still relatively affordable by historic standards. Continue reading →

Psychology of color: How popular paint hues affect mood

psychologyofcolorPQI

Photo: Courtesy of The Paint Quality Institute

Whether it’s the soothing effect of blues and greens or the uplifting nature of yellows and oranges, paint color plays a vital role in creating the right mood in a room. Debbie Zimmer, color expert at the Paint Quality Institute, offers insight on the psychology of popular colors.

“Paint color is so powerful that it can influence our state of mind, and even our physiology,” says Zimmer. “Color psychology can help you choose paint colors that create the right mood in a room, affecting not just your own feelings, but those of everyone who enters it.” Continue reading →