Like all sectors of the economy, real estate has its cycles. Since 2006, the trend of the cycle was downward. Purchasers of real estate always like to get the best deal and, in a market like this, want to buy at the low point. The question is “Have we reached the bottom?”

There are several groups that follow the market, and the S&P/Case-Schiller index is one of the most widely quoted. NPR radio interviewed some key economists including Karl Case and William Wheaton on their “Morning Edition” show and they reported the following:

“When it comes to the ailing housing market, one of the key vital signs is the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller home price index. For the past couple of years, it’s been reporting record price drops. The latest round of data released Tuesday shows that between June and July, prices actually increased in the majority of cities tracked by the index.”

After listening to this report, you should have one more data point to determine where we are in the market cycle.

There’s a Yiddish word, “kvell,” which means beaming with pride and enjoyment, it is generally used when referring to the accomplishments of one’s children. Since I consider everyone at RPL to be my extended family, I am fortunate to have many kvelling moments, last week at the Squantum Club I witnessed  just such an event. My good friend Libby Isaacson, who is my chief operating officer of Residential Properties, was installed as the incoming President of the Greater Providence Board of Realtors at a luncheon held at the club. Her term as President begins in November and will last for a year. In her acceptance speech, she asked the members to become more involved in the activities of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) through their email “Calls to Action,” to take advantage of the upcoming training classes, and to get involved in committees. Knowing Libby, I am sure she will raise the participation level.

But this also got me to thinking why I have her in the operations position. Here’s a little background on her.

Libby is the current Chair of the Professional Standards and Ethics committee. She also Chairs the Professional Standards and Ethics committee of the Rhode Island Association of Realtors where she is also a director on the board. She serves on the Marker Committee of the Providence Preservation Society. She is a commissioner for the city of Providence on the Downcity Design Review Committee. She is President emeritus of the Board of Directors of the Sophia Academy, a small middle school in Providence for girls from low-income Providence families.

When I started this business I focused on getting the best people in the real estate business to join me. That is still what we do.

Mayor Cicilline Launches Comprehensive Effort to Double City’s Recycling Rate.

Starting Monday, November 2nd, green and blue recycling bins will have to be placed with the big green cans or trash will not be picked-up. Watch the Mayors press conference to learn more:

Last week on Real Estate Insight, Sally sat down with Rich Epstein and Steve Tetzner to discuss the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and Energy related tax credits. The conversation was both educational and entertaining. Listen to the Podcast commercial-free below:

Real Estate Insight can be heard live Sunday mornings 10:00am -11:00am on WHJJ Radio 920AM.

Delicious is a social bookmarking application that allows users to tag, save, manage and share their Bookmarks to a website. Delicious also allows you to save your Bookmarks from multiple computers, which is extremely advantageous. I’ve been using Delicious for years now and always recommend it.

Residential Properties utilizes Delicious to bookmark blog posts, real estate related articles and more. You can always click the Delicious icon located on the side bar under “Follow Us”. See our links here: http://delicious.com/residentialproperties

Also, view the video below to learn more about social bookmarking.