In every corner of Central Florida, signs of the worsening real estate crisis are looming large: dozens of for-sale signs in neighborhoods, overgrown and abandoned foreclosures, short sales, auctions and plummeting prices.

There is no doubt that homeowners (such as this one, who has one mortgage too many and has yet to throw the current house into this scary market because the timing just hasn’t seemed right) are feeling the pinch. It can be downright scary.

But what about the realtors? With unprecedented inventory and the slowest movement seen in years, how are they earning a living and feeding their children?

I’ve been talking with a couple of realtors and have chosen one (for whenever I decide to put my house on the market). The first thing she told me when I told her I was debating between her and another realtor last fall was that her commission was negotiable and that she’d pay for a staging company to consult.

That helps me potentially but what does it mean for her? And what does it mean for the marketing efforts and additional work she is willing to put in to sell the house?

From the New York Times comes this article, “That 6% is getting harder to earn,” by Hope Reeves.

You can read the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/realestate/30cov.html?ref=realestate

Brought to you by Sharon Kreighbaum, Staged Makeovers