Anna Maria Island Real Estate Sales Blog

Recent news stories suggest that the National Association of Realtors has overstated the sales of existing homes.

This could easily be true.

For example, in years past, I needed to belong both to Sarasota and Manatee Boards of Realtors to make sure my listings got the best exposure. When those listings sold, they were counted in both local boards' results. That doubled those counts. Of course, most Realtors didn't belong to both boards because of cost. But many top producers did, and thus, there is a skewed result (historically) in numbers of sales.

A couple of years ago, a new Multiple Listing Service, now known as MyFlorida Listing Service, came into being, combining listings from several counties in Mid-Florida, from Venice through St. Petersburg and Tampa, through Lakeland and on into Orlando. Now one need be a member only of the one larger MLS, and the chance for duplication is greatly reduced.

So, when I report sales results, and I will shortly for the last half of 2011, you can be reasonably sure, at least for the last two or three years, that the comparisons are based upon the most realistic numbers.

Here's hoping this helps.

John