Florida Realtors(R) See Signs of Improving Housing Market

(Photo of Gov. Charlie Crist at left; Chuck Bonfiglio at right)


TALLAHASSEE, FL, PRNewswire/ -- Only weeks after Florida voters passed Amendment 1 in late January, Florida Realtors(R) have noted signs of increased interest from potential homebuyers heartened by the measure's property tax relief benefits, especially the portability provision.

In a recent online poll conducted by the Florida Association of Realtors(R) (FAR), about one-third -- 35.5 percent -- of the Realtor respondents answered yes, when asked if more property owners were interested in buying or selling property, thanks to portability.

Property tax portability is one of the benefits now made law under Amendment 1, which allows Florida homeowners to transfer their Save Our Homes tax benefits from their old homestead to a newly purchased home. Portability applies to homes purchased in 2007 and later, and the benefit is capped at $500,000.

FAR's informal survey also asked Realtors if "the property tax relief afforded by Amendment 1 is encouraging prospects to get off the fence and buy." Again, of those polled, about one-third -- 30.4 percent -- said yes. The online survey was conducted on FAR's member website at www.floridarealtors.org from March 5 through March 10, 2008.

"This is only the beginning," says 2008 FAR President Chuck Bonfiglio (photo top right). "Conducted just seven weeks after passage of Amendment 1, this poll shows that many of our Realtor members are starting to see heightened interest in the state's housing market and reporting signs of increased activity. That's encouraging news, and the ink on this new law has barely had time to dry.

" We're looking forward to more positive activity in the coming months, as current Florida property owners and those looking to become Florida property owners gain a better understanding of what the new law means and start to take advantage of portability and its other benefits."

Gov. Charlie Crist (photo top left) joined a crowd of about 1,000 Realtors from across Florida in Tallahassee to share their concerns with legislators during Great American Realtor Days, which began Tuesday and continue through today. He thanked Realtors for their efforts in supporting Amendment 1 to its successful passage by Florida voters.

The online survey was conducted for the Florida Association of Realtors during a six-day period from March 5 through March 10 and powered by Vovici EFM on FAR's member website at www.floridarealtors.org. A total of 1931 completed responses were received to the survey during this time.

The Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), the voice for real estate in Florida, provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 150,000 members in 67 boards/associations.

CONTACT:
Marla Martin,
Communications Manager, or
Jeff Zipper,
VicePresident of Communications,
+1-407-438-1400, ext. 2326 or 2314,
both of The Florida Association of Realtors
Web site: http://www.floridarealtors.org/